Abraham Lincoln Playground

CITY HALL IN YOUR BOROUGH: NYC PARKS CELEBRATES NEARLY ONE BILLION INVESTED IN COMMUNITY PARKS INITIATIVE WITH RIBBON CUTTING FOR ABRAHAM LINCOLN PLAYGROUND–AN ORIGINALLY FUNDED CPI PROJECT

Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Vicki Been and NYC Parks Commissioner Gabrielle Fialkoff today joined Athena Moore, Director of the Northern Manhattan Office for Borough President Gale Brewer; Jessica Elliott, Chair of the Community Board 11 Environment, Open Space and Parks Committee; Lea Potter, President of the Abraham Lincoln Houses Residents Association; Russel Shuler, Founder and CEO of YES Inc., and community members to cut the ribbon on the reconstruction of Abraham Lincoln Playground in Harlem. The transformation is among the first 67 projects that were funded by Mayor Bill de Blasio through the Community Parks Initiative—the City’s first-ever parks equity initiative.

“The Community Parks Initiative program shows New York City’s commitment to targeting its investments to make our park system more equitable,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Vicki Been. “The Abraham Lincoln Playground is a prime example of a reimagined green open space built for all New Yorkers. I congratulate all of the key partners involved with this project, and hope that the community of Harlem enjoys this beautiful space.”

“Through the Community Parks Initiative, we have changed the way we approach neighborhood parks like Abraham Lincoln Playground, with renewed focus on equity, community, and partnership,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Fialkoff. “Thanks to funding from Mayor de Blasio, this park has been completely transformed to better serve Harlem residents of all ages. With the new commitment to fund an additional 100 new CPI sites over the next ten years, we are making permanent our City’s commitment to a fair and equitable park system.”

This week, Mayor de Blasio announced a new investment of $425.5 million in funding for the Community Parks Initiative. Since it was launched by the Mayor in October 2014, CPI has fully reimagined 67 parks – 62 of which are already open to the public. This additional funding will result in 10 new CPI sites a year for the next 10 years, bringing the total number of CPI sites to 167.

As part of the Community Parks Initiative (CPI), Abraham Lincoln Playground has been completely redesigned with new features and amenities. The playground now features creative play equipment for children of all ages; a new interactive spray shower; a renovated basketball court and stage; a brand new adult fitness area; new seating areas, and a reconstructed comfort station. Work on the site’s new in-ground swimming pool is wrapping up construction this winter.

The $9.3 million playground renovation and $1.6 million comfort station reconstruction were fully funded by Mayor Bill de Blasio.

“The redesign of Abraham Lincoln Playground is a fantastic improvement to the adjacent Lincoln Houses and the overall Harlem neighborhood,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. “With so many new play areas and features for children and adults– and the soon-to-be-completed pool– it epitomizes the advancements brought about by the Mayor's Community Parks Initiative.”

“Parks and other recreational amenities are more than just resources. They serve as the connective tissue for our communities by providing a much needed reprieve from city life. For years, Community Board 11 has called for an equitable distribution of resources for our community. We are pleased to mark this ribbon cutting and look forward to many more as Community Board 11 continues its partnership with the Parks Department to deliver additional parks, comfort stations and playgrounds,” said Xavier Santiago, Vice Chair, Manhattan Community Board 11.

“As all of the speakers here today have eloquently noted, this park is the 4th park for East Harlem through the Community Parks Initiative and is an important advancement of the work that Manhattan Community Board 11 has been pursuing with all of our partners in regards to equity in our parks and open space. We look forward to continuing to expand health equity in our neighborhood through the creation and enhancement of park spaces, with attention to resiliency, youth and community engagement, through great projects like this. Congratulations to everyone who has been involved in this process over the years, to the Parks Department, and to Russel Shuler and the community who helped bring this vision to life," said Jessica Elliott, Chair of Environment Open Space and Parks, Manhattan Community Board 11.

“The Community Parks Initiative program made a worthy and timely investment in the Abraham Lincoln Playground and we are thankful,” said Russel Shuler, Founder and CEO of YES Inc. “As the end-user of this investment, we the community will take full advantage of all the benefits provided in our newly developed facilities for years to come.”

Located on the southeastern corner of Fifth Avenue and East 135th Street, this playground honors the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865). The City of New York acquired the playground as part of the Abraham Lincoln Houses in 1944, and the land came under Parks’ jurisdiction two years later.