Diana Ross Playground
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Diana Ross Playground is located in New York City's Central Park, near the corner of West 81st Street and Central Park West. Its namesake, Diana Ross, is a solo recording artist, actress, and former frontwoman of The Supremes. Ross, who gave a fabled 1983 free concert in the park, donated $275,000 to the project. Ross had pledged to fund the project with proceeds from the television rights of the 1983 concert; however, when this did not prove profitable, she used personal resources. Groundbreaking on the playground took place in September 1986, with both Ross and then-Mayor Ed Koch present. Ross reportedly called the event "one of the most fulfilling aspects of [her] life and career." [1]
Today, the Central Park Conservancy describes the playground as a space for children of all ages that is equipped with "sturdy wood equipment, tire swings, a tube slide, a corkscrew slide, and a mushroom water feature." [2] It is open from 7:30am to dusk.
The playground's fame on a national level can be attributed to actress and comedian Sandra Bernhard, who lambasted the location's ironic name in her 2006 off-Broadway show Everything Bad & Beautiful and in a June 16, 2006 appearance on the ABC daytime talk show The View. Bernhard said the playground was a place "where children learn to be vicious, backstabbing, and throw their arms up in front of other children," in reference to the diva reputation of Ross.
[edit] References
- ^ Anderson, Susan Heller and Deirdre Carmody (Sept. 12, 1986). "NEW YORK DAY BY DAY; Start at Ross Playground." New York Times. [1]
- ^ Central Park Conservancy. "Diana Ross Playground." Retreived June 23, 2006. [2]
