Fort Totten Park takes its name from the Civil War era fortress on the property. Originally referred to by its location on Willets Point, the Army officially named it for General Joseph Totten (1788-1864) following his demise in the Battle of the Wilderness in Virginia. Although Robert E. Lee, it is believed, prepared the fort’s plans in 1857, construction did not begin until 1862. Built at the mouth of the Long Island Sound across from its counterpart Fort Schuyler, Fort Totten created a pinch point meant to protect the eastern approach to New York harbor. Soon after its completion, however, the fort became obsolete as a defensive structure because of rapid advances in artillery during the Civil War, and it then served primarily for casualty support and hospital care. From 1865 to 1901 it housed the Engineer School of Application. In the 20th century, it housed the Eastern Artillery District Headquarters around 1901, the Electric Mines and Army School of Submarine Defense in 1921, a prototype anti-aircraft installation in 1922, and the Anti-Aircraft Artillery Headquarters from 1941 to 1944. During the Cold War, Fort Totten was 1st Region ARADCOM for the Nike Missile Defense System in 1954, and since 1969 it has been home to the 77th RRC of the U.S. Army Reserves. After two decades of community lobbying for a new Bayside area park, the Department of Defense gave New York City Parks and Recreation a 10-acre parcel along the Cross Island Parkway between Totten and 15th Roads in 1987. In 2002, the New York City Fire Department, which had operated training facilities there since the 1980s, received a 39.2-acre parcel from the U.S. Department of Education. Two years later, the National Park Service, through two different Public Benefit Conveyance Grant Programs, gave Parks and Recreation an additional 49.5 acres of land. The open space parcel, totaling 39.5 acres and including the historic battery, was acquired through the National Park Service Federal Lands to Parks conveyance program, and the historic buildings, occupying 10 acres, were acquired through the Historic Surplus Property Program. On May 30, 2005, Fort Totten Park opened as a public facility for the people of New York City.