Alfred E. Smith Playground is located at Catherine Slip, Madison Street and South Street at the historic lower Manhattan area. You can find it alongside the Alfred E. Smith Recreation Center which also has dance studios and fitness rooms.
What you can find at the Alfred E. Smith Playground, in addition to the playground structures and spray showers, are basketball courts, handball courts and volleyball courts. It is a great place to get outdoor and active in the middle of the city.
What to Do at the Alfred E. Smith Playground
The main playground area is a fenced off section of the recreation centre.
Kids can play on the three playground structures in the park. These are low structures that kids can climb up on and have a nice time exploring. With walkway and slides, the play equipment at Alfred E. Smith Playground offers a bit of simple fun for the kids.
And since there are two to explore, there is plenty for toddlers to experience and do, keeping parents happy watching their little charges occupied by the activity.
In addition there are children’s swings at the Alfred E. Smith Playground. This has different sections for younger toddlers as well as older kids.
What families will also appreciate are the public toilets at the Alfred E. Smith Playground.
The park contains two memorials to Alfred E. Smith.
There is a nine-foot-tall bronze statue of the Alfred E. Smith with the bas-relief depicting kids having fun. These were both created by Charles Keck.
The flagpole has a base made by Paul Manship and it features pre-colonial New York animals. It has a circular base with an octagonal pedestal and was dedicated in 1950.
Who is Alfred E. Smith Playground Named After?
Governor Alfred Emanuel Smith (1873-1944) was the son of Irish immigrants. He came from the Lower East Side and rose to become a New York State and City legislator, governor. He was also the first Catholic candidate for President of the United States.
Alfred E. Smith Park was established on June 1, 1950, and it is situated at the intersection of Catherine Slip, Madison, and South Streets.
Shortly after, construction began on the Governor Alfred E. Smith Houses across the street, and the Alfred E. Smith Recreation Centre opened in 1967.
You may also like this South Street playground nearby.
