A 'Reinvented' Playground for Seaport

By Andrea Appleton
POSTED JAN.10, 2007

The South Street Seaport’s Burling Slip may soon have an unusual new playground. The Rockwell Group, in tandem with the city’s Parks Department, presented a design proposal to the Landmarks Preservation Commission on Jan. 9. And while the commissioners stopped short of immediately approving the plan, their response was overwhelmingly positive.

“This is very exciting,” said Commissioner Elizabeth Ryan following the presentation. “I support it wholeheartedly.”

“Thank you for working so hard on this design,” echoed Commissioner Margery Perlmutter. “I grew up on asphalt playgrounds, on swing sets, and they were miserable.”

The design, a pro bono project of David Rockwell and the Rockwell Group, is a significant departure from the city’s usual model. Meant to evoke a ship, the playground will feature sand and water, as well as a full-time cadre of “play workers,” there to foment fun and ensure safety. “We want to reinvent the playground,” said project consultant Barry Richards. If all goes according to plan, a cobblestone-paved plaza will replace what is currently a parking lot. A multi-level “boat,” with a wooden deck will be in the center.

An amphitheater, a crow’s nest, a sandpit, and a small waterway are some of the fixed elements on board, and “loose parts,” such as carts, balls, and buckets also will be available.

Historical elements are fundamental to the design, according to Richards.

“There are all these local textures we’ve tried to incorporate,” he said. “The wood on the piers, ropes, burlap bags, water.” Until it was paved over in 1835, the site was a boat slip.

“Play workers” are also central to the design. Their chief duty would be to organize and supervise play. During the warmer months, as many as four might be on duty at once.

The city would provide routine maintenance, but the playground’s unusual features will require additional funding. The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation gave $2 million to the project, and a not-for-profit organization has been set up to raise additional funds.

Commissioner Richard Olcott was one of the playground’s few detractors at the Commission hearing.  “This verges excessively on a theme park,” he said. “I wish that it were playful and simpler.”

While Olcott was the only one who voiced major doubts about the playground, other commissioners expressed concerns about smaller details, especially the height of the structure. The Commission requested that the design team return at a later date having taken their comments into consideration.

Though it appears the design, or a modified version, will likely be approved, local kids won’t be sailing the Slip’s high seas anytime soon. Construction is slated to begin this fall, and will take nearly a year to complete.