Prior to development, the site of this park was mostly marshland and water.
However, in 1930, Spring Creek Park and the Shore Parkway portion of the Belt Parkway were proposed by Robert Moses, along with several other parks and highways.
Accordingly, in August 1942, the New York City Planning Commission and Board of Estimate approved a project to dump landfill on the site as part of the city's post-World War II program, in order to create parkland on the site.

Filling at the Pennsylvania Avenue Landfill began in 1956, while the Fountain Avenue Landfill began operations in 1961 or 1963.
At the height of usage, more than 8,000 tons of trash arrived daily at these two landfills, with nearly 40 percent of the city's refuse.
Throughout the landfills' operation, waste oil and other hazardous materials such as PCBs were dumped in the landfills, resulting in the spread of respiratory diseases among residents of nearby Starrett City.
In 1972, the Gateway National Recreation Area was established by the National Park Service around Jamaica Bay.
The two landfill sites were included in the Gateway Area in 1974.
As part of the creation of the preserve, the Department of Sanitation was contractually bound to close and cap both landfills by 1985.
By 1974, plans emerged to eventually turn the landfills into parks.
The Pennsylvania Avenue Landfill was closed in 1979, at a time when it was receiving 1,000 to 2,000 tons of municipal waste every day.
The Fountain Avenue Landfill was closed in December 1985.

The landfills were declared a Superfund site around 1990, and in 1991 the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) assumed responsibility for the cleanup of the landfills.
In 1995 Jamaica Bay residents, concerned about health implications of the runoff from the landfills, reached an agreement with the city for the dumps' rehabilitation.
In 2002, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection commenced site remediation at a cost of US$235 million including the installation of a below ground barrier and an impermeable cap to support future use.
Following the opening of Gateway Center mall on the site in 2002, The Related Companies constructed an addition to Spring Creek Park circumscribing the mall, opening on May 2, 2003.
Afterward, the first tree seeds on the site were planted in the Pennsylvania Avenue Landfill with a density of 800 to 1,000 per acre (2,000 to 2,500/ha).
Over 1,200,000 cubic yards (920,000 m³) of fresh soil was spread across the landfill at a depth of up to 4 feet (1.2 m), and some 35,000 plantings and grassland species were placed in the soil.
Hendrix Creek was also cleaned up by the NYCDEP.
Prior to development, the site of this park was mostly marshland and water. However, in 1930, Spring Creek Park and the Shore Parkway portion of the Belt Parkway were proposed by Robert Moses, along with several other parks and highways. Accordingly, in August 1942, the New York City Planning Commission and Board of Estimate approved a project to dump landfill on the site as part of the city's post-World War II program, in order to create parkland on the site.
Filling at the Pennsylvania Avenue Landfill began in 1956, while the Fountain Avenue Landfill began operations in 1961 or 1963. At the height of usage, more than 8,000 tons of trash arrived daily at these two landfills, with nearly 40 percent of the city's refuse. Throughout the landfills' operation, waste oil and other hazardous materials such as PCBs were dumped in the landfills, resulting in the spread of respiratory diseases among residents of nearby Starrett City. In 1972, the Gateway National Recreation Area was established by the National Park Service around Jamaica Bay. The two landfill sites were included in the Gateway Area in 1974. As part of the creation of the preserve, the Department of Sanitation was contractually bound to close and cap both landfills by 1985. By 1974, plans emerged to eventually turn the landfills into parks. The Pennsylvania Avenue Landfill was closed in 1979, at a time when it was receiving 1,000 to 2,000 tons of municipal waste every day. The Fountain Avenue Landfill was closed in December 1985.
The landfills were declared a Superfund site around 1990, and in 1991 the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) assumed responsibility for the cleanup of the landfills. In 1995 Jamaica Bay residents, concerned about health implications of the runoff from the landfills, reached an agreement with the city for the dumps' rehabilitation. In 2002, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection commenced site remediation at a cost of US$235 million including the installation of a below ground barrier and an impermeable cap to support future use. Following the opening of Gateway Center mall on the site in 2002, The Related Companies constructed an addition to Spring Creek Park circumscribing the mall, opening on May 2, 2003. Afterward, the first tree seeds on the site were planted in the Pennsylvania Avenue Landfill with a density of 800 to 1,000 per acre (2,000 to 2,500/ha). Over 1,200,000 cubic yards (920,000 m³) of fresh soil was spread across the landfill at a depth of up to 4 feet (1.2 m), and some 35,000 plantings and grassland species were placed in the soil. Hendrix Creek was also cleaned up by the NYCDEP.
Shirley Chisholm State Park