Established in 1901, Highland Park borders Cypress Hills, Brooklyn—part of the East New York neighborhood—to its south, and it abuts Glendale and Ridgewood, Queens, to its north.

Ridgewood Reservoir was made obsolete by expansion of the city's Catskill and Delaware water systems although it remained in service until 1959.

The fenced-in basins returned to a natural state, becoming home to a birch forest and grassy marsh and hosting a wide variety of flora and fauna.

[4] In October 2007, the Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe quietly unveiled a contract to breach one of the reservoir basins and clear 20 acres (81,000 m2) for ball fields.

[5] However, on June 26, 2008, New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. rejected that contract for the new development, citing concerns about the environmental impact, increased truck traffic, and the vendor selection process.