Parks Department Insists It's Not Planning To Rip Out All The Animal Sculptures From NYC Playgrounds

What do hippos, dinosaurs, aardvarks, eagles, camels, whales and bears have in common? Besides all being majestic creatures, they are also beloved sculptures that reside in various parks and playgrounds around New York City. The sculptures were installed by the Parks Department starting in the 1980s, and have since become cherished pieces of the city's landscape for children and adults alike. So naturally, people are not happy at any suggestion that they could become endangered species.

The Brooklyn Paper reported today that the Parks Department might be planning to "mysteriously remove" the animal sculptures from various locations around the city, after a Parks Department architect discussed the idea during a community board meeting earlier this month.

However, the Parks Department tells Gothamist that there is no such plan to remove the sculptures—only to relocate them when playgrounds/parks are under construction.

"Parks is not removing all animal structures from playgrounds/parks," Parks spokesperson Crystal Howard told Gothamist. "We are looking at finding a home for those that are removed due to construction at sites, the plan is still being developed. No details have been determined."

Howard added that there were no details yet about whether the sculptures will be permanently relocated or just temporarily relocated.

Parks Department deputy design director Denise Mattes discussed the idea at a CB10 meeting on March 4th while talking about upcoming construction at JJ Carty Playground in Bay Ridge and the status of the whale sculpture there.

“The commissioner is actually compiling all of the animal art—the concrete animal features—that were so well-loved, and that Commissioner [Henry] Stern made prevalent back in his day,” Mattes said. “We’re actually compiling areas for all of those [animals].” 

After attendees responded that they didn't want the whale moved, and someone suggested starting a petition about it, Mattes responded, "We certainly have a space, if it becomes a prevalent thing that needs to be saved, I certainly can find a spot for the whale."

Later in the meeting, after discussing similar renovations at Owl’s Head Park Playground and the possible removal of owl and horse sculptures there, attendee Marty Lentz commented, “I think [the animal sculptures] are really important to try to preserve because they’re what make you know that you’re in a New York City park. You see those and it connects you to the past. Yes, the playground equipment is dated, it needs an upgrade, but I would like people to see these relics from a different time preserved in any way that you can make happen."

The animal sculptures are the work of former Parks Commissioner Stern, who insisted that all playgrounds built or renovated during his two tenures as head of the Parks Department (1983-1990, 1994-2002) should feature at least one animal-themed play sculpture. The Brooklyn Paper has some more delightful background on Stern's love of animal architecture, as well as his insistence on flag placements in parks.

This animal sculpture scare comes as another city agency is wrapped up in a different controversy involving concrete mammals. A group of 18 horses, known as "Nivola's Horses," were removed from the sculpture garden at the Wise Towers NYCHA complex on the Upper West Side recently. The concrete horses, which were constructed in 1964 by the Italian modernist Costantino Nivola, were part of a push to have more art inside public housing projects.

A NYCHA spokesperson told the NY Times that they had been removed because of a problem with the water main, they were currently being stored inside the Wise Towers, and that they “will be restored and highlighted” as part of a larger project at the Towers.