Ocean Parkway Malls Marine Life Plaques

If you ever crossed Ocean Parkway at any intersection between Ave C and Foster Avenue in Brooklyn, New York, you probably noticed various round fish plaques under your feet. These are the most recent additions to the Ocean Parkway Malls and can be found at nine intersections.

These unique art pieces feature ocean creatures whose names for the most part coordinate with the letters of the cross-streets: Avenue C clam, Cortelyou cod, Ditmas Ave dolphin, 18th Avenue anchovies, Webster whale, Newkirk needlefish, Lawrence leatherback, Parkville puffer, and Foster flounder.

Some plaques can be found on both sides of Ocean Parkway, while others are located next to the bike pass on the western side. In addition to the fish name, each plaque is inscribed with “1874 Olmsted • Vaux,” paying tribute to Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, the men who designed Prospect Park and modeled Ocean Parkway after Avenue de L’Impératrice (now Avenue Foch) in Paris. The date of 1874 on the roundel represents the year construction began. It also shows high wheel and contemporary bicycles to commemorate America’s first bike path, which opened in 1894.