Rienzi Playground

What was here before?

This area was once the land of the Lenape which stretched from the Hudson Valley to Delaware. They used the nearby Bronx River which they called Aquahung.

How did this site become parkland?

The site was developed as a school and community play area. The portion to the northwest was acquired in three parcels between 1884 and 1914, and P.S. 21, the Philip H. Sheridan School, was erected during that time.

In 1980 the partial reconstruction of the playground provided a handicapped-accessible drinking fountain and improved drainage, water supply, and electrical facilities. In 1984, a spray shower replaced the original jungle gym, and new play equipment was erected where the original wading pool had been. A sandpit was removed to make way for a new play unit, and benches and paved areas were repaired as well.

The playground was inspired by a famous children’s story theme for the design. Ornamental features on the fence depict The Adventures of Peter Cottontail, a character created by author A.A. Milne. The basketball court and handball courts were resurfaced, and the softball field asphalt was replaced with clay and sod. Rienzi Playground was also outfitted with two new play units, safety surfacing, and game tables, and two spray showers were renovated to complete the engaging atmosphere.

Who is this parkland named for?

The playground was formerly known as Sheridan Playground for the school’s namesake, General Philip Henry Sheridan (1831-1888), but was renamed Rienzi Playground, after Sheridan’s trusty steed.

Born in New York, Sheridan graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1853. When the Civil War broke out, he held several administrative posts before he was given command of the Second Michigan Cavalry in 1862. Victories at Booneville, Perryville, and other battles earned Sheridan a promotion to Major general.

When his troops were surprised by a counterattack at Cedar Creek in 1864, Sheridan mounted his horse Rienzi and made his famous twenty-mile ride to the battlefield to rally his men to victory. The celebrated horse was later renamed Winchester, stuffed, and acquired by the Smithsonian Institution. Rienzi the equine hailed from the hamlet of Rienzi, located in northeastern Mississippi. The town, in turn, probably took its name from Cola di Rienzi (c.1313-1354), a Roman popular leader whose attempt to establish a democracy in Rome inspired an opera by Richard Wagner.