During the early 1960s, a school was constructed at 330 Durant Avenue in the neighborhood of Bay Terrace. This school became known as P.S. 53: The Bay Terrace School. At that time, an open area existed just below the school, which was 
made up of a little less than three acres of land. This open area was bounded by the streets of Ainsworth Avenue to the west, Greencroft Avenue to the south, and Redgrave Avenue to the east-P.S. 53 being its northern boundary.
Around the time that the school opened, the Site Selection Board of New York City decided that the site should be converted into a park. By 1970, construction began on this park, which would be operated jointly by the New York City Board of Education and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. After having been completed that same year, the park opened in December of 1970 as Greencroft Playground, a name given due to its southern boundary. While Greencroft Playground may be the park's official name, some residents refer to it as P.S. 53 Playground.
In 1996, renovations were made to Greencroft Playground. These renovations included the installation of safety surfacing and playground equipment, which would replace the wooden structures that had existed on the site. Today, there are quite a few facilities within the park. Over by Ainsworth
Avenue, you have a baseball field and a very large, grassy field. Past these are two basketball courts, followed by a spray shower, which is closer to Redgrave Avenue. While it may seem like these facilities would take up a lot of space in this park, they actually leave a lot of room for the abundance of play equipment. Among the many jungle gyms and other types of play equipment, a unique feature here is a short pyramidal structure made of stone, which has a flat top and a low slope.
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