$2.2 million playground with special ‘intergenerational’ swing opens at 8th and Diamond

Mayor Jim Kenny took a trip to North Philadelphia Wednesday to celebrate the opening of an unusually intergenerational playground.

With a budget of more than $2.2 million, the revamped 8th and Diamond Playground includes amenities the community asked for, including a big swing designed for play across generations and old-school pavement games such as hopscotch.

The reopened park boasts an expanded recreation center, an accessible sprayground, an updated basketball court, and new climbing equipment. The redone park also includes newly planted trees, an important addition in a part of the city that has less tree cover and higher temperatures than other areas.

All of the new features came to North Philadelphia as a result of a unique collaboration between Kenney’s Rebuild Initiative, the city’s Division of Housing and Community Development, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and Philadelphia Parks and Recreation.

The agencies were able to rely on funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, including a federal Choice Neighborhoods Grant and Kenney’s Rebuild Initiative, which is funded by the city’s tax on sugary beverages. PHS served as the consultant for landscape design, planning, and project management for renovation.

“The citizens of the 8th & Diamond neighborhood in North Philadelphia have long deserved a park that matches their energy and their love of community,” said City Council President Darrell L. Clarke. “These renovations and expansion will give neighbors a place to come together, share memories, recreate and thrive.”