The same year that the boroughs of New York were consolidated, the Outdoor Recreation League was formed by Charles B. Stover and Lillian D. Wald. The playgrounds were located in small parks in slum districts, such as Seward and De Witt Clinton Parks,
Merged, 1902
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When reformer Seth Low was elected mayor, he prioritized public recreation. He appointed William R. Willcox as Manhattan park commissioner, and the Parks Department took over nine playgrounds initially developed by the Outdoor Recreation League since 1898. Under designers like landscape architect Samuel Parsons Jr. and architect Arnold W. Brunner, the city improved these spaces with recreation pavilions, tracks, and gymnasiums. This era also saw the Parks Department’s first recreation programs, including a kindergarten and gymnasium at Hamilton Fish Park and the nation’s first “Children’s Farm Garden” at De Witt Clinton Park.
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Current Locations
Seward Park, Canal St and, Essex St, New York, NY 10002, USA
DeWitt Clinton Park, 11th Ave. &, W 54th St, New York, NY 10019, USA