This nice little park tucked in between Eastern Parkway, Classon Avenue, and Washington Avenue, is…read morenamed after Dr. Ronald Erwin McNair, the second African-American astronaut to travel into space[1], who died in the space shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986.
A bronze portrait sculpture and reliefs depicting Dr. McNair's life by artist Ogundipe Fayomi[2] are installed on a red marble obelisk at the center of the park.
The park was originally named after Brooklyn borough President Joseph Guider. In fact, there is a sculpture at the South side of the park remembering him. The park was named after Dr. McNair in 1986, the same year as the Challenger disaster.
Towards the North side of the park there are benches and tables, and there are benches along the side of the park. The very south tip is actually fully enclosed by a fence, which is helpful if you are bringing a dog here, or a toddler who likes to run around. Or if you want to play the trumpet[3].
What I really like is the magnolia and cherry trees in this park. During COVID, when the Brooklyn Botanic Garden across the street was closed, the trees in McNair Park were the closest thing to the cherry blossom blooming festival/Sakura Matsuri you could get in Brooklyn. During the time they were in blossom in the spring of 2020, the cherry trees and magnolia trees at McNair Park provided a reminder that, in stressful times, you can still find beauty, peace, and an opportunity to just relax, albeit temporarily, next to home.
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[1] Guion S. Bluford Jr. was the first one. More info here: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/16/us/african-american-astronauts.html#:~:text=Bluford%20Jr.,-Years%20at%20NASA&text=In%201983%2C%20Bluford%20became%20the,aboard%20the%20Challenger%20space%20shuttle.
[2] https://www.facebook.com/ogundipe.fayomi
[3] https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/dr-ronald-e-mcnair-park-brooklyn?select_video=u8OeKfPT6bKSJE0USrFW2Q
