Historic Harlem Playground Completes $1.5 Million Renovation

HARLEM, NY — The city officially opened a newly renovated playground in Central Harlem last week as part of an effort to refurbish parks in lower-income neighborhoods across the city.

Local officials gathered Friday to cut a ribbon at the Bill "Bojangles" Robinson Playground on West 150th Street near Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard, which has been reconstructed thanks to a $1.59 million renovation.

The changes include brand-new play equipment, a lengthened basketball court with new bleachers and a scoring table to support youth tournaments, a new seating area and an improved entryway with new pavers and plantings.

An iconic mural of Robinson, the park's namesake, was also refurbished. Robinson, the legendary dancer who was known as an "honorary mayor of Harlem," lived across the street from the playground and helped create it in the 1930s by persuading the property owner, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., to donate the land to the city.

The city's Community Parks Initiative, launched by Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2014, aims to improve small public parks in growing, densely-populated neighborhoods with higher-than-average poverty rates.

Nearby Harlem Lane and Frederick Johnson playgrounds are also undergoing renovations through the project. Frederick Johnson's construction will wrap up next summer while Harlem Lane's renovation is about to begin, the Parks Department said.

The Robinson playground had last been renovated in 1992, through a $375,000 project funded by Mayor David Dinkins.

"In these difficult times, we all have a new appreciation for the vital role outdoor spaces play in the health and wellbeing of our communities, and I can think of no better time to unveil the exciting restorations made to this playground that will undoubtedly be enjoyed for many years to come," said Assemblymember Al Taylor, who attended the ribbon-cutting along with Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver and other officials.