Printer's Park (spelled Printers Park by some sources) is a small park on Hoe Avenue between Aldus Street and Westchester Avenue, in the Longwood neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City. The park is run by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks).[1]
The park's name (and the street it lies on) honors Richard March Hoe, who invented the Rotary printing press. The land the park occupies was once part of Hoe's family estate.[2] The cross-street, Aldus Street, is named after Aldus Manutius, a 15th-century printer.
NYC Parks acquired the site in 1997.[3] The northern portion of the park was renovated in 2001; the name was changed to Printer's Park at that time. In 2009, the southern portion of the park was reconstructed at a cost of $1 million, and the park was officially reopened on July 29, 2010.[3][4][note 1] The renovation included play structures reminiscent of the printing press heritage.[5][6]
Gallery
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Metal play structure. -
Detail of play structure showing gear motif. -
Detail of play structure showing press-roller motif. -
Play structure designed to look like paper going over the rollers in a printing press.
External links
- New York City Green Infrastructure Practices: Sustainable Streets & Parks. James Mituzas, Landscape Architect, City of New York Parks & Recreation. Pages 44-55 (Printers Park Playground, The Bronx, New York: The Bronx River Watershed). Presentation on the design of the park infrastructure.
Notes
- ^ Sources variously state $1 million or $100 million as the renovation cost. The larger figure is believed to be in error.
References
- ^ "Printers Park Highlights : NYC Parks". www.nycgovparks.org. Retrieved 2018-02-06.
- ^ Newman, Andy (2010-04-29). "Hot Off the Presses: A Jungle Gym". City Room. Retrieved 2018-06-30.
- ^ a b "Ribbon Cut on Printers Park in the South Bronx that Mimics Printing Press —PI News". Printing Impressions. 2010-07-29. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
- ^ "Printers Park News - Hot Off The Presses: Parks Cuts Ribbon On Printers Park : NYC Parks". www.nycgovparks.org. 2010-07-29. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
- ^ "Printer's Park – Theme playgrounds". playlsi.com. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
- ^ "The Bronx's 10 Best Underrated Parks". Curbed NY. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
Printer's Park underwent a $100 million renovation in 2010, with a design very much inspired by the area's past. This large playground was built on land that once belonged to Richard March Hoe, the inventor of the Rotary Printing Press. Today it's outfitted with play equipment whose steps mimic the press's cylinders, and sweeping white curves resembling paper traveling through a printer. The playground is also eco-friendly: a spray shower recycles runoff water for irrigation of the plant beds, the rubber safety floors are made of 90 percent recycled material, granite blocks were built from remains of the West Side Highway, and the trees were selected for their ability to absorb stormwater.
