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Stakeholders and children broke ground on the park this week
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The former boat slip and parking lot at Burling Slip yesterday began a year-long transformation into one of the city’s most innovative public playground. Located on John Street between South and Front Streets, the Burling Slip “Imagination Playground” was designed by architect David Rockwell as, reads the website, “a rich environment of diverse materials encouraging unstructured, child-directed ‘free play.’”
Ground was broken in a ceremony at Burling Slip on Thursday, May 7th, marking the beginning of what is should be a one-year construction phase.
The new playground is a joint venture between the city Parks and Recreation Department and the Rockwell Group. Its $4 million construction is funded both by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and the Rockwell Group, which established an endowment for ongoing Parks Department staffing at the playground.
The playground is being built at what was centuries ago an actual boat slip at the east end of John Street, before the downtown shoreline was extended to South Street. Inspired by the site’s maritime history, the new playground will resemble a multi-level, wooden “boat” and deck.
Inside its fence children will be invited to play with various “loose parts,” or non-fixed play equipment. The trained “play associates” will maintain the loose carts, balls, buckets, fabric, and other safe tools.
The highly interactive concept aims to encourage kids to explore their creativity using props, including sand and water to be contained on the deck, for more free play and social interaction in a constantly changing kid-centered environment.
Read more and view renderings of the Burling Slip Imagination Playground at: www.imaginationplayground.org.
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