[4] The central section of the park is mostly composed of old-growth forest, mainly oak trees dating to at least the late 19th or early 20th centuries.

[4] Walter Bowne, mayor of New York City from 1829 to 1833, built his summer house on the site of the modern-day park in the early 19th century.

Initially, development was slow, with "less than a dozen houses" being built there in the next decade, despite claims that the Long Island Rail Road's nearby Broadway station would expedite trips to Manhattan.

The McKnight Realty Company announced the construction of 25 houses in the Bowne Park neighborhood in 1910, and George C. Meyer's Bowne Park Realty Company bought the remaining developed land around the house three years later.

That region remained underdeveloped because the William and Robert Bowne house was still occupied by the Bedells (or Beadles), who moved in 1923.

The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation says that the land was condemned and acquired in June 1925.

[1] The Works Progress Administration installed a paved path and a concrete shoreline on the pond during the Great Depression in the 1930s.

[1] Funds for park renovations were proposed in the New York City governmental budget in the early 1960s but were then dropped.

[22] The first modular playground in New York City was opened within Bowne Park in June 1969 and included large fiberglass cubes.

[23] At that time, the park was rundown: the pond was being used as a dump for various objects, including abandoned cars,[24] while vandalism was rampant and much of the northern section was often flooded.

[26] During this restoration, some of Bowne Pond's fish were relocated to Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, while others ended up in the refrigerators of nearby homes; Mayor John Lindsay jokingly stated that, if residents wanted to eat the fish, "In view of what's happening to meat prices, we'll understand that.

The project started in April 1994 and included renovating paths, draining and cleaning the pond, and adding, restoring, or replacing landscape features.

[33] Borough officials announced in mid-2014 that they had allotted $2.45 million for renovation of the park's playground and cleanup of the pond.

[34] Work on the playground and basketball court was started in October 2016 as part of a $1.5 million project,[35][36] and was completed the following August.