Bildersee Playground

NYC PARKS BREAKS GROUND ON CANARSIE’S BILDERSEE PLAYGROUND

NYC Parks Brooklyn Borough Commissioner Martin Maher today joined City Council Member Alan Maisel, State Senator Roxanne Persaud, students and administrators from I.S. 86, and community members to break ground on a $3.8 million renovation of Bildersee Playground in Canarsie. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of summer 2019.

“Bildersee Playground is on its way to becoming a wonderfully reimagined space for the Canarsie community,” said Commissioner Maher. “With a new synthetic turf and basketball courts, this playground will have so much more to offer the neighborhood. We are grateful to our elected officials for funding these much needed amenities.”

“For more than half a century, Bildersee Playground has been an important staple of our Canarsie community, making this neighborhood a safer and greater place to raise healthy children and families,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. “I’m pleased to partner with Council Member Maisel and NYC Parks on capital investments that will enhance the active and passive recreation this playground provides.”

Improvements to Bildersee Playground will include a new synthetic turf and reconstructed basketball courts, with drinking fountains and misting stations, beautiful landscaping and a new entrance. The $3.812 million project is funded by Council Member Maisel, Senator Persaud, Borough President Adams and Mayor Bill de Blasio.

This playground is bounded by East 81st and 82nd Streets, Avenue J, and Flatlands Avenue. It stands near Intermediate School 68, also known as the Bildersee School. Both the playground and school are named for Issac Bildersee (1887-1952), an assistant superintendent of Brooklyn public schools during the 1940s.

The playground opened on November 23, 1965, as the I.S. 68 Playground, jointly operated by Parks and the Department of Education. The playground now features basketball and handball courts, benches, and tables. In 1985, the parkland was renamed after the adjacent school, further honoring Bildersee and his dedication to both the schools of New York City and the ideals of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.