Booker T. Washington Playground can be found at West 107 Street to West 108 Street, and Columbus Avenue and Amsterdam Avenue on Manhattan, New York City.
What can be found at the Booker T. Washington Playground?
The most visible feature of the Booker T. Washington Playground is a synthetic turf baseball pitch. This was installed in the park in 2006 and offers a lot of opportunities to play various sports like soccer, softball and football too.
12 years later, adult fitness equipment, basketball courts, and a handball court wall were added to the playground in 2018. The basketball courts can found at either end of the playground.
In 2021, fencing, artificial grass, and backboards were added to the Booker T. Washington Playground, making it a place to hang out.
Who was Booker T. Washington?
Booker T. Washington (1856–1915) was born into slavery. Originally from Franklin County, Virginia, he relocated to Malden, West Virginia, with his mother after the Civil War.
There, he worked in coal mines and a salt furnace. Washington worked his way through college and enrolled in 1872 at the newly established Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (now known as Hampton University).
Washington served as the first principal of Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, which was founded in Alabama in 1881 and is now known as Tuskegee University.
He is always well known for the books he wrote. These include The Future of the American Negro (1899), Up from Slavery (1901), Life of Frederick Douglass (1907), The Story of the Negro (1909), and My Larger Education (1911).
Where to Find the Booker T. Washington Playground
The Booker T. Washington Playground is a couple of blocks away from the northern end of Central Park.