Seward Park (Manhattan)

Seward Park Playground is a public park and playground in the Lower East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan, north of East Broadway, east of Essex Street. It has the distinction of being the first municipally built playground in the United States. [ [http://www.thevillager.com/villager_25/happybirthday.html The Villager, October 22 - 28, 2003] ]

History

The playground is named for William Henry Seward, a United States Senator from New York who served from 1849 1861 and later went on to be Secretary of State in the Lincoln administration. The park was built on a condemned piece of property purchased in 1897. New York City lacked the funds to do anything with it, so The Outdoor Recreation League (ORL), a playground and recreation advocacy group that built playgrounds in the undeveloped parks using temporary facilities and equipment, built the park as the first permanent, municipally built playground in the United States [ [http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_about/parks_history/historic_tour/history_playgrounds_recreation.html New York City Parks Department Website] ] .

Opened on October 17, 1903 it was built with cinder surfacing, fences, a recreation pavilion, and children's play and gymnastic equipment. The park became a model for future playground architecture.

When it opened, it featured a large running track encircling a play area with a children's garden.

In the 1930s and 1940s, the Park was reconstructed. A piece of land was returned back to the City [ [http://www.flickr.com/photos/wallyg/331592035 Flickr Photo and History] ] . The Schiff Fountain, donated by Jacob H. Schiff, was moved from a nearby park and placed in Seward Park. [ [http://www.bartleby.com/175/11.html Bartelby, Jacob A. Riis (1849–1914). The Battle with the Slum. 1902] ]

Once again, in 1999, Seward received a much needed renovation. Some of the original 1903 plans were restored.

References