Along with their parents, the stroller set was out in full force last Saturday in the Art Museum district, where a celebration and ribbon cutting ceremony ushered in the opening of
FreePlay on the Parkway. Known as a pocket park, FreePlay is located on the south side of the Parkway between 21st and 22nd streets, on the plot of grass that was formerly known as Calder Park. The $70,000 project was the collective brainchild of two Logan Square women, Catherine Barrett and Christine Piven, who dreamed of having a small, nontraditional park space where parents and children alike could enjoy creative and unstructured leisure time.
The result is a space that looks almost nothing like a traditional American playground. The centerpiece is an octagonal
sandbox that was designed to incorporate interactive play. And next to that is a space filled with dozens of squishy, blue foam blocks that children can rearrange into an infinite number of combinations. The opposite side of the park is home to a
concrete ping-pong table. And during the day, tables and chairs arranged throughout the park will encourage conversation and impromptu games of chess.
There's also a bevy of good news for grownups:
Summer programming at FreePlay has already been scheduled, and includes yoga and art classes for adults and kids; a monthly outdoor reading series; tai chi lessons; and even ballroom dancing performances.
Perhaps even more exciting, though, are Barrett and Piven's plans to create other similar parks in the underutilized pockets of the city. And considering that Mayor Nutter, who made a brief appearance at the ceremony, is an unabashed supporter of FreePlay, there's a decent chance that may actually happen.
"This is a very, very exciting project," he said. "Let's figure out how to get maybe 20, 25 more of them, all around the city of Philadelphia."
Writer: Dan Eldridge
Source: Play In Between
Do you know of a new building going up, a business expanding or being renovated, a park in the works or even a cool new house being built in the neighborhood? Please send your Development News tips here.