Inhabitat New York City » Playgrounds

Two of New York’s Historic Carousels Will Be Restored for Summer Enjoyment

Lori Zimmer — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:00:08 +0000

This summer, children of all ages can delight in riding two of New York’s historic carousels! Both the rides at Forest Park and Flushing Meadows-Corona Park are slated to be reinstated by Memorial Day in all their original glory. The vintage amusement rides will likely be operated by New York Carousel Entertainment, and this will be the first time the historic Forest Park Carousel has been open to the public in almost four years.

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Post tags: Daniel Carl Muller, eco design, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Carousel, Forest Park Carousel, green design, historic carousel, Marcus Charles Illions, restored carousel, sustainable design

New Green Playgrounds Will Capture Stormwater Throughout NYC

Molly Cotter — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 17:32:48 +0000

Playgrounds may be a favorite place for New York City children, but they have also become an ideal environmental solution for city officials. With a possibly rainy summer season ahead, the Department of Environmental Protection is teaming up with the Trust for Public Land to create unique water run-off solutions inside 10 new playgrounds throughout the city. The green public play areas will be equipped with the latest in rainwater capturing tools, including barrels, raised gardens, porous pavement, and underground storage layers.

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Post tags: department of environmental protection, eco playgrounds, eco water, green playgrounds, green water, new york, new york city, new york playgrounds, nyc, nyc playgrounds, nyc wastewater, playgrounds, rainwater, rainwater storage, rainwater treatment, sustainable playgrounds, sustainable water, trust for Public Land, wastewater, water

Mercer Playground

Alex Cerda — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:20:30 +0000

Located in Greenwich Village, Mercer Playground is a slender, mostly paved, play space that is unique in that it offers kids a place to skate, cycle, and scooter safely away from both taxis and pedestrians. Architect Peter Wormser, an LMNO(P) member, developed the design concept, which provides play spaces for pre-teens. Features include a long snaked path for in-line and roller skating, a large paved path for running games and bicycling, climbing structures, and a spray shower. A decorative wrought-iron fence, adorned with spirals and silhouettes of familiar objects, unites the three sections of Mercer Playground. The community can be justifiably proud in knowing that, together, they made their own backyard.

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Madison Square Park Playground

Alex Cerda — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:16:56 +0000

The innovative Madison Square Park playground featuring a fifteen-foot-high waterwheel sprinkler (open seasonally) is located near the park entrances along Madison Avenue at 25th Street and 26th Street. In the summer months, a playground associate from the City of New York/Department of Parks and Recreation is on hand to supervise games and activities for children.

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Chelsea Waterside Playground

Alex Cerda — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:14:18 +0000

This colorful playground along the Hudson River Park creates an extraordinary space with award winning play equipment, water features and sand areas. The equipment is manufactured by Kompan, a Danish company that specializes in the creation of unique play environments. The theme of the Chelsea Waterside playground’s “Galaxy Class” equipment is “access for all” − referring to the fact that every activity offers access from the ground − permitting children of many different ages and abilities to participate. Children can climb, spin, rock and experiment in unique ways with the various pieces while parents and caregivers relax under the playful shade umbrellas.

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Wild West Playground

Alex Cerda — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:08:28 +0000

This western-themed playground in Central Park features wooden play structures resembling a frontier town. In addition to the wood structures, which incorporate slides, steps and poles, the playground has bucket swings. A sprinkler sends water into a narrow channel that weaves through the center of the play area, leading to a circular space that steps down into a small amphitheater where caregivers can watch children at play. Additional nozzles set into the steps spray water close to ground level.

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Tarr Family Playground

Alex Cerda — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:59:20 +0000

The Tarr Family Playground in Central Park is divided by a central bridge that stretches over a “lake” of sand, creating an area for preschoolers and one geared toward older children.The playground includes a large conical climber with a tunnel and slides, a modern net climber, a variety of swings for all ages, a wooden tree house, and a concrete maze.

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Safari Playground

Alex Cerda — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:56:23 +0000

The Safari playground in Central Park features naturalistic hippopotamus sculptures by the artist Bob Cassily, set in a “river” of blue safety surfacing. A canoe and water-spray features further animate this safari-inspired scene, and there are two treehouses and two picnic tables.

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Robert Bendheim Playground

Alex Cerda — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:53:44 +0000

Robert Bendheim Playground is the only playground in Central Park specifically designed to accommodate handicapped children. This playground is home to a play structure equipped with ramps, a corkscrew water feature fit for wheelchairs, and a sandbox with elevated tables. A large play structure features tunnels, slides, sound-generating play components and wheelchair-accessible ramps.

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James Michael Levin Playground

Alex Cerda — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:51:09 +0000

In the center of this playground is a whimsical concrete fountain featuring characters from Alice in Wonderland. Play features include colorful pipe frame equipment and bucket swings geared toward toddlers. The space is wide and open, perfecting for allowing young kids to run around. Trees around the edge of the playground provide shade and the center is sunny and unobstructed.

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Billy Johnson Playground

Alex Cerda — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:47:21 +0000

This playground’s design was inspired by the landscapes of Central Park, making it one of the Park’s most distinctive play spaces. Constructed primarily from natural materials, its wooden structures recall some of the Park’s rustic features. It also includes a stone bridge, evocative of the nearby Pond’s Gapstow Bridge. The playground’s lush plantings create ample shade and divide up the space, creating small play “rooms.”

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Pat Hoffman Friedman Playground

Alex Cerda — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:45:01 +0000

This small playground’s focal point is the sculpture Group of Bears, a work by renowned artist Paul Manship. It is also commonly referred to as Three Bears. The sculpture sits on a stepped platform, surrounded by a large circular seating area at the entrance to the playground. The playground is located on the south side of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and it is best suited for toddlers. Along with the statue, the playground features a sandbox, a spiral slide, monkey bars, bucket swings and a water feature.

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Mariners’ Playground

Alex Cerda — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:41:40 +0000

This nautically themed playground is located just north of Summit Rock in Central Park, near the Park’s Mariners’ Gate entrance. It provides a variety of play experiences for younger children. The Mariners’ Playground features three play structures with steering wheels, decks, slides and ladders. There are also sea horse spring rockers, a large enclosed sandbox and a wooden “boat” platform that sways. Plus, there is a sprinkler to complete the nautical theme!

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Heckscher Playground

Alex Cerda — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 18:57:35 +0000

The oldest playground in Central Park, and the largest at 1.8 acres, Heckscher Playground includes a great variety of play features, including a variety of slides, wings, and seesaws, plus a water fixture and giant rocks for climbing. It is also a highly popular spot for kickball games in the summer. The primary entrance is the central breezeway of the newly updated Heckscher Building. Complete with its own restrooms and snack carts, the playground is best suited for children ages 6 to 12.

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Washington Market Park

Alex Cerda — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 18:36:54 +0000

The Washington Market Park in Tribeca has a great playground for the kids, with beautifully landscaped pathways and a gazebo for parties and events. The park also includes a basketball court and tennis court, and a community garden.. The park is open from 7 a.m. to dusk, seven days a week. The Friends of Washington Market Park host a series of events, including the summer concert series, spring and fall planting days for children, a Halloween parade and party, as well as seasonal parties throughout the year.

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Teardrop Park

Alex Cerda — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 19:45:28 +0000

Designed by innovative landscape architect Michael Van Valkenberg, two-acre Teardrop Park brings a little of the dramatic Hudson River Valley to Battery Park City. Teardrop features a magnificent “Ice Wall,” artwork by Ann Hamilton and Michael Mercil, a children’s slide, sand boxes, water play, a reading area with rock seats, places to “rock hop,” naturalistic plantings, and much, much more for park lovers to discover.

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West Thames Park

Alex Cerda — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:58:38 +0000

Community gardens located in West Thames Park in Battery Park City are available on a first come, first served basis. The park also contains a children’s playground, and a lawn to play on. The park was renovated last year to include water features and a sandlot for younger kids. There are also a few ball fields to play sports.

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East 72nd Street Playground

Alex Cerda — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:49:07 +0000

The East 72nd Street playground‘s low concrete walls and numerous steps and seats define the play space and provide a variety of levels and surfaces to climb and explore. Play features include bucket swings, a wooden tree house and a granite-faced climbing pyramid with slides and tunnels. A net climber and tire swings are set in a large sand area at the center of the playground. There is also a wall-mounted water feature sprays into a sunken area surrounded by steps and round concrete seats.

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Diana Ross Playground

Alex Cerda — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:44:13 +0000

Funding for this playground was provided by the singer Diana Ross after her historic concert on the Great Lawn in 1983. The playground features a large, wooden play structure with a variety of interconnected play elements, including a climbing net, bridges, fire poles, slides and ladders. The entire structure is set in a large area of sand. The playground also includes bucket swings.

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Ancient Playground

Alex Cerda — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:40:46 +0000

Despite its name, Ancient Playground is one of Central Park’s most recently reconstructed playgrounds. Just north of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the playground’s climbing pyramids, obelisk and sundial were inspired by the museum’s collection of Egyptian Art. More information from the website:

Play Features:
In the main play area, pyramid-shaped climbers with slides and tunnels are linked by concrete bridges. Additional wooden climbers are ideal for older children who love to climb and explore. For younger children, the playground has an obelisk-shaped structure set in a sandbox. Bucket, tire and strap swings accommodate children of all ages.

Water Features:
Ancient Playground has two user-activated water features. One is integrated into the main climbing structure: water runs from a central obelisk across two bridges and cascades like a mini-waterfall into an open area with water jets. The other is a small semi-circular area for younger children with spray nozzles set into a wall.

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Central Park Upper-Adventure Playground

Alex Cerda — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:36:13 +0000

Children from ages 3-10 can enjoy Adventure Playground, a thickly-shaded recreational area with exploration-themed play equipment. Adventure Playground is geared toward older kids, but Tots Playground is right across the sidewalk, where toddlers can roam freely in an enclosed area.

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Imagination Playground

Jessica Dailey — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 18:54:28 +0000

Created by architect David Rockwell, Imagination Playground is a unique playspace designed to foster free, unstructured play. The playground consists of loose, movable parts that allow children to create their own environment with giant foam blocks, mats, wagons, fabric and crates. Basically, it’s full of life-size legos! The park has water features and sand boxes, which kids can incorporation in their creations. The parts are made from a non-toxic, biodegradable foam that is resistant to water, sunlight, bugs, mold, and micro-organisms. When they can no longer be used for play, they will be returned to the manufacturer for recycling.

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Hester Street Playground

Jessica Dailey — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 17:45:55 +0000

A $5 million dollar renovation to the old Hester Street Playground built in the 1980s resulted in a glorious outdoor playspace for kids of all ages. The new Asian-inspired playground boasts a gated toddler area, a large climbing web, see-saw tire swings, and spray showers activated on hot summer days. There’s also an abundance of seating and picnic tables, sand boxes, slides, swing sets, and public restrooms.

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Pier 25 Playground

Jessica Dailey — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 17:56:21 +0000

Pier 25 is a huge and gorgeous addition to the Hudson River Park, boasting a mini-golf course, sand volleyball courts, a skate park, a small astro turf field, and an awesome playground with several different play areas for kids of all ages. There are swing sets for kids and babies, jungle gyms, climbing structures, boulders to scale, and a spinning wheel. Plus, there’s a water area and a climbing wall.

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Pier 51 Playground

Jessica Dailey — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 17:11:04 +0000

Located in the Hudson River Park, the playground at Pier 51 is an oasis on hot summer days. It boasts interactive water play structures including sprinklers, slides, and a pretend boat hull. The water features are turned off in cooler weather, but with swings, monkey bars, huge jungle gyms, a sandbox, and viewing posts, the park is bound to entertain year round. The playground boasts pristine bathrooms and ice cream vendors always sit right outside the gate.

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