Mathews-Palmer Playground

W. 45 St. bet. 9 Ave. and 10 Ave.

Manhattan

Directions via Google Maps

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

What was here before?
This site was occupied by several four- and five-story buildings for several decades, including a carpet cleaning business on West 45th Street. A saloon liquor license was issued for a property on this site on West 46th Street in 1895, assigned to Bernheimer & Schmid Brewery.

How did this site become a playground?
The City of New York acquired this mid-block vest pocket park in several land transactions between 1936 and 1938. It opened to the public as 45th Street Playground in 1937, and the park house was completed later that year. The park was informally called West Side Playground and renamed twice: May Matthews Playground in 1977 and Mathews-Palmer Playground in 2007.

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