William F. Moore Park stands on the corner of Corona Ave and 108th Street, a mere block away from  the grandiose Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

Traditionally a gathering-place for the Italian population of Corona (hence its nickname “Spaghetti Park”) where the elderly Italian generation would spend afternoons playing bocce (a boules game). The park is still utilized by the (dwindling) Italian community in South Corona, with the bocce sections still played in by older Italian-American men. The surrounding streets (108th St in particular) are filled with Italian restaurants and gelateria. The rest of the park space is frequently utilized by the dominantly-Dominican community.

Corona Italian-Americans posing in the bocce court. 1960, NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation archives

There is still a significant Italian-American presence in South Corona, which has contributed to a rise in social tensions between the Italian “minority” and the Dominican “majority”. Despite the significant cultural gap, the utilization of the park between the Italian and Dominican-Americans of Corona is never confrontational.

Spaghetti Park at dusk. Photo cred: Anna McPherran