In 1941 the park was renamed for Monsignor Edward J. McGolrick (1857-1938), the longtime pastor of nearby St. Cecilia's Roman Catholic Church.

Winthrop Jones had had no children, and so left no family in Greenpoint to oppose the renaming of the park he had helped establish.

It was designated a New York City Landmark in 1966 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

West of the pavilion stands a bronze winged victory figure created by Carl Augustus Heber in 1923.

The USS Monitor was built nearby at the Continental Iron Works in Greenpoint and outfitted at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.