By Gus Saltonstall
New design details were revealed recently for a renovation project at the popular Sol Bloom Playground on the Upper West Side.
The playground is located on West 91st and 92nd streets, between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West, and sits in-between a NYCHA complex and the P.S. 84 Lillian Weber School.
The playground is part of a larger site that has received other renovation work in recent years, including upgrades to a different multi-purpose play area, and a redesign to a basketball court. The work on the playground, which is expected to start a year-and-a-half from now, is the next step in this larger-site’s revamp.
The playground project is being funded through $3.18 million secured by Councilmember Gale Brewer in last year’s budget.
This summer, Cecilia Cho, an architect on New York City Parks Department capital team, went in front of Upper West Side Community Board 7 to describe the project and timeline.
Cho explained the four primary goals for the Sol Bloom Playground renovation work as follows:
- Upgrade the play features to increase accessibility.
- Provide more seating and space for children and caregivers.
- Improves access, circulation and sight lines within the playground.
- Provide more variety to the spray shower component.
For those who might be unsure, here’s what a spray shower piece of playground equipment looks like.
The playground was originally opened in 1962, and hasn’t received a renovation since 1997. The play equipment will be totally taken out and replaced with more modern versions.
Other new additions to the playground, which included input from both students at P.S. 84, the nearby NYCHA community and members of the public, will include a set of swings, round tables for picnicking, new game tables, updated water fountains and adding trees to help with shade coverage.
Parks Department designers will also look to use the playground’s restoration as an opportunity to make the space more sustainable. There will be new rain gardens to reduce stormwater runoff, the use of recycled materials in the construction process, and a focus on improving the health of the tree’s within the space.
In terms of the timeline for the playground project, construction will begin in a year-and-a-half, and the project is then expected to be completed in late 2026 or early 2027.
The renovations will not include any work on the public bathroom within the space. The playground, along with the bathroom, will be closed starting at the beginning of construction. The nearby multi-purpose play area and basketball court will remain open, though.
The Upper West Side community board voted to unanimously approve the design for the new playground.
You can check out the full presentation for yourself, below. It begins around the 23:50 mark.
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Will the public be barred from access like at the other playground on NYCHA property nearby?
Curious why the bathrooms aren’t included. I wonder if ADA compliance makes it too expensive, as it seems most park bathrooms never get renovated.
Thank you for publishing this Gale Brewer press release
Work will begin a year and a half from now?? The Empire State Building was begun and completed in less time. Why is this simple project going to take so long?
Anyone know when they are going to be finished the PS166 exterior? I think they are way over a year passed the original completion date. I’ve had a kid start in Kindergarten and is now going into 4th grade that I don’t think has seen the front of his school.
Good luck, the playground at 104th went from 3 to 7 million, took two years to complete and today the 23th pct finds it necessary to close 104 st for a bookbag giveaway, any 2xcuse to close down the streets!