by Jen G 
I like to start trouble. After getting my paws on this website, I discovered controversy and confusion over the name of our beloved park. It’s an old school versus new school debate and I am in the middle of it. I should listen to my Mom: “you can’t make everyone happy.” So instead I just piss everyone off. I get yelled at everyday over it. I can’t win!
I…
11
Free to read, funded by readers. Join as a member and get a free gift.
Greenpointers has covered Greenpoint & Williamsburg since 2007 — community boards, rezoning fights, local businesses, and the people whose lives and work give the neighborhood its character. Local news is collapsing across the country, but we're still here: independently owned, no corporate backing, no paywall. 18+ years, 280k+ monthly readers and followers, funded by the community we serve.
Why your support matters
Jen – I love this! I am a transplant living in Greenpoint and I love Greenpoint for what it is. I’m not here to “hipsterize” anything. I understand where the natives are coming from with their disdain sometimes, but I wish more of them would embrace some of the newbies. We are here because we love it here, and we care about the neighborhood too! Little things like the names of parks or supermarkets replacing theaters are disturbing to people because it feels like newcomers are trying to cover up their memories, but a lot of us newcomers arent’ trying to do that – we just don’t know any better until someone tells us.
Hahahaha! I love it.
Did you intentionally use the misspelling in the post title? Or is that just to drive me crazy? 😉
i swear as i was writing this i was like, wait, which one is it? so confusing! i fixed the title. thanks editor! HA!
You slay me. Great post, I love how crazy people get over it. People are nuts.
So it was changed to McGolrick Park in 1941? That’s 70 years ago! I could understand this being an issue if the name was changed in the last few years, but 70 years is a long time. Do we still have to call Roosevelt Island by it’s pre-1973 name, Welfare Island? McCarren Park was Greenpoint Park until 1909. The G train was the GG train until the mid-80’s. Even old New York was once New Amsterdam, to quote a song.
I was born in Greenpoint in 1951 – I live on Bainbridge island, WA now. I never knew the park as anything other than Winthrop Park. Thanks for the new information.
McGolrick is a nice reminder that Greenpoint was once dominated by the Irish.
But Winthrop is a more common reference really.
Funny the two sides of perspective.
It does make me think though…
Are people eventually actually going to call the Triborough Bridge the RFK in off-hand speak?
Grew up hanging out in Winthrop park as a teenager in the 80s. It was Winthrop (Winthrow) back then and it always will be to most people who grew up in Greenpoint. Oh, and we hung out under the “shelter” there.
Hello, I grew up in green point in the early 70s and used to play at Winthrop park. I am looking for pictures of the old cement circular slide which has since been taken down. If anyone would like to share old pictures I would appreciate it.
Thank you
I’m doing ancestry research and Monsignor McGoldrick (which is the correct spelling of his name) was my great, great uncle. It’s interesting to me that the spelling was changed over the years. I heard my grandfather, who was from Greenpoint, talk about a park that was named after his family. It sounds like a lovely park and community. I hope to visit it one day.
I grew up in greenpoint most of my childhood and although everytime we walked in I saw the sign McGolrick Park I always called it winthrow and never questioned it. I think… if an event is being held then the address should say McGolrick Park after all that is what the sign says and what it has said for years beyond my time! The originals will know it’s at Winthrop I don’t see the harm in calling it either. Truth of the matter is Greenpoint ain’t what it use to be and that makes me very sad and neither is winthrow Park but the memories made there will never change and they will always have been made in Winthrow!