Osborn Playground

This text is part of Parks’ Historical Signs Project and can be found posted within the park.

What was here before?

In the 1940s, this site was occupied by several two- and three-story buildings with storefronts on the ground floor, including a drug store and billiards, with residential apartments above. At the south end of the block was a large industrial building, housing the P. & P. Sash & Glass Co. and a gas station, and an empty lot at the corner of Osborn Street and Linden Boulevard.

How did this site become a playground?

The City acquired the land for this site on September 3, 1968, and the playground opened in 1971 as part of nearby P.S. 275. It is a Jointly Operated Playground (JOP) serving P.S. 275 (which closed in 2005 and now houses several smaller schools) and the local community. Beginning in 1938, the Board of Education (now the Department of Education) agreed to provide land next to schools where NYC Parks could build and maintain playgrounds that could be used by the school during the day and by the public when school is not in session. The site was later reassigned to Parks in 1988. The playground was renamed Chester Playground in 1986 but was later renamed after Osborn Street to the east.

The playground was renovated in 1995 and in 2022. The most recent renovation concentrated on the multi-purpose area in the southern half of the park, which includes a synthetic turf field surrounded by a painted three-lane track, an asphalt field with painted games, and new amenities including a sports mister and drinking fountain with bottle filler. The site also features two basketball courts and play equipment.

What is this playground named for?

Osborn Playground and nearby Osborn Street may be named for an old Brooklyn family. Osborn Street was formerly called Ocean Avenue and was given its current name in 1887.