OWNERSHIP
CONDITIONS AND CONTEXT
USE
HISTORY
DESIGN ISSUES AND PLANNING PROCESSES
TESTIMONIES

OWNERSHIP:
City of Boston Department of Parks and Recreation

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CONDITIONS and CONTEXT:
The playground is in excellent condition. Its design and subtle color scheme are harmonious with its natural setting in Franklin Park. The playground includes a sandbox, play equipment, and several large rock outcroppings. The lot is lined by concrete blocks, several benches, and a sidewalk that is fully intact. There is no sign for Franklin Park in the vicinity of the playground.

The playground is in the Egleston Square area, which has a large Latino population. It is the second playground in the city to have a Spanish name.

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USE:
This is a heavily used section of the park. The playground is frequented by groups such as the Neighborhood School in Jamaica Plain. Parents and teachers at the school participated in the Spring 2002 cleanup of Franklin Park hosted by the Franklin Park Coalition.

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HISTORY:
This playground was built in 1971, torn down, and the rebuilt in 1996 for $250,000.

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DESIGN ISSUES and PLANNING PROCESSES:
Although the playground is generally in good condition, the Franklin Park Coalition has targeted the area for the development of a "pocket stewardship" group. The group would ostensibly help to keep the area clean and weed free, and possibly plant flowers around the Walnut Street entrance to the park.

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TESTIMONIES:
"I think that all of us who are not Latino and those of us tied to the Latino community need to understand that there is a Latino community there and that this part of Franklin Park has a Latino community around it and has a large Latino constituency," (Richard Heath, then-director of the Boston Greenspace Alliance).

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