Fresh Kills Landfill was established by Parks Commissioner Robert Moses and the City of New York. The initial idea was to keep the landfill open for about three years and “fill” the wetlands at the 450-acre site to prepare it for development.
Robert Moses has been called the “master builder” of mid-20th century New York City. He was instrumental in the construction of numerous bridges, highways, and parks, including Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, which was formerly the Ash Dump referred to in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.