Who can put a price on a New York City playground?
In a sea of bricks, concrete, and asphalt, a playground serves as an oasis, a safe, green space for children to run, climb, swing, and let off energy outdoors. It also functions as a public good, a social space where young souls learn to take turns, play games, build friendships, make plans, sing songs, and imagine a better world.
So, it was with great pleasure and pride that on December 9 Hunter College, CUNY, and Campus Schools’ administrators, parents, supporters, and various dignitaries gathered to cut the ribbon of the newly refurbished Ron H. Brown Playground and another turfed area at Hunter College Elementary School.
“A playground is more than slides or climbable cargo nets — it is a promise we make to children that their curiosity, imagination, and play matter,” said Hunter College Campus Schools Director Lisa Siegmann. “Today, we celebrate not just new equipment, but also the community effort that made this beautiful space possible. The opportunity for our students to have a safe, dynamic space to play during the day will bring joy, community, and healthy activity to our young children and the families in the Carnegie Hill Neighborhood.”
The 3,840-square-foot playground, at 95th Street between Park and Madison Avenues, has new equipment including slides, hand-hewn wooden climbing structures, benches, and dynamic play settings. Designed to blend with the brick armory architecture of the Hunter Campus Schools, the equipment is softened by splashes of green, smooth timber, and rope climbing nets and framed by trees, plants, and rocks. The playground is open to the public on weekends, school vacations, and during summer break.
The money for the facility came from the schools’ Parent Teacher Association, private donors, and New York City public capital funds.
“This project has demonstrated vividly for us all that it takes a village to build a playground,” said Hunter College President Nancy Cantor. “From the campus schools’ faculty, staff, and students to supportive school families, to our local elected leaders and state officials, to our government relations team and facilities leaders at Hunter and CUNY, we figured out together how to get the stars to align. And we did it all for the true stars of the day: our children of this school and of this neighborhood who will learn lifelong lessons here in building relationships and thinking creatively through play.”
Besides replacing worn-out equipment and surfaces, the playground renovation made the space Americans with Disabilities Act compliant for children of varying abilities and ameliorates poor drainage. It also fixed tree roots that had damaged tree-pit guards and caused tiles to lift.
“I’m beyond thrilled to open this incredible new playground that gives our elementary school kids a beautiful space to roam, stay active, and be kids,” said Council Member Keith Powers (D-District 4), who secured some of the funds. “The investment we secured has brought brand new equipment, safer play areas, and a vibrant space that our community can now enjoy.”
Columbia Cascade Company Timber Play made the equipment for the playground, which was designed by Amy Shakespeare of Shakespeare Gordon Studio and landscape architect Joanna Pertz. DASNY, New York’s public finance and construction authority, managed the project.
“DASNY is proud to partner with Hunter College and the Hunter Campus Schools on this beautiful new playground,” DASNY President and CEO Robert J. Rodriguez said. “This space reflects our shared commitment to creating environments where students can learn, play, and thrive, and we are grateful to the talented design and construction teams who helped bring this vision to life.”
The playground was named in honor of elementary school alumnus Ronald Harmon Brown (August 1, 1941 – April 3, 1996), the first African American to serve as the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and the first black chairman of a national political party, the Democratic National Committee.
Future alumni and their parents love the new space.
“Our families are absolutely thrilled about the opening of the new playground,” said PTA President Ana Feldman. “This project represents our community coming together to transform the area into a vibrant, updated space that inspires play, imagination, and connection. Our students can’t wait to get out there and enjoy it!”
About the Hunter College Campus Schools
The Hunter College Campus Schools consist of an elementary school (kindergarten to sixth grade) and a high school (seventh to 12th grades). The schools have produced many American luminaries, including composer, lyricist, and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda; actor and writer Ruby Dee; Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan; and poet and activist Audre Lorde.
