Morningside Park: Playground 123 - New York NY

City:: New York, New York City, NY
Site Type:: Parks and Recreation, Comfort Stations (Restrooms), Playgrounds, Athletic Courts and Fields
New Deal Agencies:: Works Progress Administration (WPA), Work Relief Programs
Started:: 1935
Completed:: 1941
Quality of Information:: Very Good
Site Survival:: Extant

Description

On September 29, 1941, the Parks Department announced the completion of a reconstructed playground in the northeast corner of Morningside Park:

“Two bench-lined tree shaded malls extend along the entire north and east sides of the playground connecting the park entrances with the resurfaced park walks. Sloping ground necessitated the construction of the various subdivisions on different levels retained by high curbs and interconnected by short stairways.

The following equipment is provided:
Brick comfort station
2 handball courts
Wading pool
3 shuffleboard courts
3 basketball courts with removable backstops
Pipe frame exercise unit
Swings
2 slides

Kindergarten Apparatus Area:
2 irrigated sand pits and sitting areas
Swings
3 slides
8 seesaws

The balance of the work connected with the general improvement of the park now in progress will include the construction of two softball diamonds, a new brick comfort station adjacent to the existing comfort station at West 114th Street, sand pits and sitting area, resurfacing walks and repairing steps, regrading, topsoil and seeding, additional benches and fencing.

The work was carried out by the Work Projects Administration from plans prepared by the Department of Parks.”

The playground received its current name in 2000. It was most recently renovated in 2013.