[1] He set up a large park and built several recreation facilities on the site beginning in 1879, naming it after Kew Gardens in London.

Described by Williams as "A Place of Innocent Amusements," the park was much more genteel than others in the area with no noisy rides or liquor being served.

It is home to a number of facilities including tennis courts, a baseball diamond, a wading pool, and in winter, a skating rink.

A number of historic buildings survive, including Williams' cottage,[3] the bandstand, and the Leuty Lifeguard Station (c.

In 2012, the Queen Street Visioning study proposed an interface improvement to the north portion of the park and in 2016 a 17 metre aluminum screen was installed in the space, among other features.