Anibal Aviles Playground can be found on Manhattan at West 108 Street to West 109 Street, Columbus Avenue and Amsterdam Avenue.
What You Can Find at the Anibal Aviles Playground
The main set of facilities at the Anibal Aviles Playground is low play structures for kids.
Made up of a platform that kids can climb up on, the play structure can be access through through both fixed ladders as well as chain ladders.
There are also fireman poles that kids can be quickly make a descent.
There are two set of play structures at the Anibal Aviles Playground. One is slightly lower while the other one is a bit taller.
Kids can start off having fun with the lower play structure and then work their way up to the taller one.
The taller structure also has two sets of slides attached to it. The lower of the two slides is a straight one where kids can swoosh down. The other one is a curved slide that wraps its way around a pole.
There are also swings at one end of the park.
In 2021, it was announced that the Anibal Aviles Playground was one of ten parks that was going to be refurbished as part of a Community Parks initiative. When it gets reconstructed, it will have play areas for 2 to 5 years old and 5 to 12 year olds, as well as two sets of swings and a spray shower that will be accommodate more kids.
There will also be a stage at the southwest corner of the park.
You can view a map of the layout here.
How the Anibal Aviles Playground Came About
The City acquired the property where the Anibal Aviles Playground now stands back in 1943. In 1948, J.H.S 54 was built on the site and the adjacent playground was acquired by NYC Parks in 1950.
The playground was named after Anibal Aviles in 1969.
Anibal Aviles (1947 – 1966) was a student at J.H.S. 54. He was a gifted athlete and captain of both the basketball and track teams. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corp and fought in the Vietnam War where he was killed in action on March 5, 1966.
