Pulaski Playground

The Daily Plant : Monday, March 26, 2012

Playground Renamed In Honor Of Heritage Row Houses

Photo by Daniel Avila

On March 20, Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Kevin Jeffrey joined James Crandall, representing Council Member Albert Vann; Representative of the Hart Street Heritage Row Block Association Eric Deadwiley; and Executive Director of Habitat-NYC Joshua Lockwood to reveal the naming of Heritage Row Playground within Pulaski Playground. They also announced plans for the reconstruction of the adjacent field, funded with a total of $1.45 million allocated by Mayor Bloomberg and Council Member Vann.

The 12 Heritage Row Houses were built in 2000 by Habitat for Humanity, a not-for-profit organization seeking to create decent and affordable housing for families in need. The project was spear-headed by former President Jimmy Carter as part of his annual ‘Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project.’ Prospective homeowners and volunteers worked together in the construction of these homes, which are located directly across the street from the playground. Today, with the organized help of current homeowners and other community members, this neighborhood park is experiencing a renewal of its own.

In 2011, Pulaski Playground received a renovation that included new play equipment, spray showers, picnic tables, 1939 World’s Fair Benches, a drinking fountain, bike racks and new landscaping. The playground was funded by generous allocations of $317,000 from Mayor Bloomberg and $165,000 from Council Member Vann.

In addition to the celebration of Heritage Row, Parks announced that thanks to another funding allocation from Mayor Bloomberg and Council Member Vann, the adjacent field will undergo a renovation. The $1.45 million project will consist of the reconstruction of the asphalt multi-purpose play area with color seal coating, as well as a two lane perimeter track and two full-sized basketball courts. A fitness area, bicycle racks, benches, landscaping and perimeter fencing will also be installed, and the handball courts will be refurbished. Under the supervision of landscape architect, Ilan Kutok and professional consulting company, Stantec, the project will begin by fall 2012.

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

“Be not the first by whom the new are tried,
Nor yet the last to lay the old aside.”

Alexander Pope
(1688 - 1744)