Editor’s Note (7)
East Harlem, April 28, 1947. You’re looking at the Marx Brothers Playground on Second Avenue between East 96th and 97th Streets. This image was taken a few days before it opened to the public on May 1st. Although dubbed the “96th Street Playground” then, it would eventually be renamed after comedic legends Harpo, Groucho, and Chico who grew up a few blocks away at 179 East 93rd Street. Today, the playground is the subject of a serious land use debate: Is it a piece of protected parkland or just a playground that generates floor area for development? On October 23, 2017, Governor Cuomo directed Rose Harvey, State Commissioner of the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, to find out.
I’ve been doing research on the topic for the past few months, and City Limits just published my investigation. You can check out the whole story here:
https://citylimits.org/2017/11/14/manhattan-parcel-with-murky-origins-could-frame-a-debate-over-parks-and-development-in-the-city/
A special shout out to Jarrett Murphy, who allowed my writing to appear in his paper’s pages. Thank you so much!
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(Screenshot taken from The New York Times’ article introducing the new playground on April 28, 1947. Retouched for clarity by Riff Chorusriff.)
