L/CPL Thomas P. Noonan Jr. Playground

L/CPL Thomas P. Noonan Jr. Playground is a 1.05-acre (0.42 ha) playground in the Sunnyside neighborhood of Queens, New York City. Operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks), it occupies the block bounded by 42nd and 43rd Streets and Greenpoint and 47th Avenues. The playground opened in 1937 as Thomson Hill Park and was renamed in 1996 for Thomas P. Noonan Jr. (1943–1969), a United States Marine raised in nearby Woodside who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Vietnam War. The park's rainbow spray shower has given it the local nickname "Rainbow Park". Its facilities include separate play areas for younger and older children, the spray shower, basketball and handball courts, public restrooms, and a dog run. The playground was rebuilt in a roughly $2 million reconstruction completed in 2015, which added an inscribed granite base to its flagpole honoring Noonan and a plaque naming four other Sunnyside residents killed in Vietnam. A $2.5 million dog run opened in 2024. It has also served as a venue for community and cultural events.

Park data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).