The Willink family, eastern neighbors of the Lefferts family, owned an estate here. Willink Hill, lying along Ocean Avenue, and the Willink Entrance of Prospect Park are named after them. The Willink house was relocated and repurposed for a time as the Melrose Hotel beside the predecessor of the Prospect Park station.[3][4][5][6][7]
At the turn of the 20th century, there were steps taken toward developing a pedestrianized plaza, but this was never fully realized, and the intersection is rarely given a proper name today.[8][9] The only property that was eventually acquired by the city was the Melrose Hotel site at the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Ocean Avenue.[10]
The Malbone Street Wreck occurred under this intersection in 1918, and the disaster's notoriety led to the renaming of "Malbone Street" to Empire Boulevard. There was a centennial commemoration here in 2018,[1][11] and the following anniversary was marked by a historic plaque being installed at the Prospect Park station, and the corner being co-named “Malbone Centennial Way”.[12]
There are two small median islands with trees just north and south of the intersection on Flatbush Avenue. As of 2019[update] It has recently had proposals for greater traffic calming in this area.[13]
On the green side to the northwest, there is the Willink Entrance to Prospect Park, on the west side and just north of the intersection on Flatbush Avenue, marked by two granite turrets. This entrance is currently under reconstruction.[14] Further north on this side is the section of family-friendly attractions known as the "Children's Corner", which include the Prospect Park Carousel, Lefferts Historic House, and the Prospect Park Zoo.
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden also has a Flatbush Avenue entrance on the east side, with a brickwork arch,[15] and adjoins a landmarked fire building on Empire Boulevard.[16]
On the urban side to the southeast, on the west side of Flatbush Avenue, there is the Prospect Park station and its northern exit, featuring Prospect Park Zoo artwork. On the adjoining corner with Ocean Avenue, there is the city property which includes an MTA parking lot and the "Flatbush Trees", a sculptural gateway sign to the neighborhood. These three concrete cylinders with green sheet metal canopies were installed in 1979 in the shape of a logo design by the predecessor of the Carbone Smolan Agency as part of an urban branding of the neighborhood,[17][18] and were redecorated in 2015 with vinyl decals representing flowers.[19] The artist Swoon also exhibited an installation here in 2021.[20]
