Located just a block away from the world famous Katz’s Delicatessen, one of the best places in New York City to get a pastrami sandwich, along East Houston Street is the ABC Playground.
How ABC Playground in Manhattan Got Its Name
ABC Playground in Manhattan, NYC, gets its name from both its position on the outskirts of Alphabet City and because it is right next to the Anna Silver School, Public School 20.
ABC Playground is situated in an area of New York City that has historical significance. In the nearby Seward Park, at Essex Street and East Broadway, the City constructed the first playground that was always open all the way back in 1903.
The area of land where the ABC Playground is located was purchased by the City of New York for just one dollar from the Public School Society in 1853. In 1934, it was given to the Department of Parks for the purpose of creating a playground for young children.
The location of the ABC Playground is also at the Lower East Side, historically an area that was settled many many immigrants who had just arrived in New York City.
What’s at ABC Playground?
The gated ABC Playground most recently received an upgrade in October 1998.
Play structures along with animal sculptures, painted line games, a spray shower area and basketball hoops were added to the ABC Playground.
The playground consists of low-rise platform that kids can climb up on. These red, blue and yellow playground structures offer a place where kids can have some fun at the park.
In the summer time, ABC Playground has water sprinklers for kids to cool down at.
It has a small separate area that has smaller playgroup equipment for smaller toddlers.
In 2007, Tom Otterness (b. 1952), a renowned artist, donated an animal play sculpture to the ABC Playground. The animal play sculpture, Large Coqui, is of coqui frog, a special of tree frog native to Puerto Rico.
Its name comes from a song that male members of the species frequently sing, which has the syllables “ko-kee, ko-kee.” The sculpture’s large, expressive eyes look out into the neighbourhood as it is positioned at an angle with benches close by.
The bronze sculpture, which is 5’10” long, 3’10” high, and 7’4″ wide, was created in Otterness’ distinctive style. It stands at the corner of the playground.
The Puerto Rican theme of the sculpture, in the artist’s opinion, is a tribute to the neighborhood’s racial and socioeconomic diversity.
“I’ve lived around the corner from P.S. 20 for 30 years. Now I’ll see the kids climbing the mom coqui and hugging the baby every morning when I leave the house—how great is that?” said Tom Otterness.
