Mayor Kenney and City Council President Clarke cut the ribbon on the 8th & Diamond Playground Rebuild Project

PHILADELPHIA—JULY 21, 2021, Mayor Kenny and City Council President, Darrell Clarke joined city officials and community members in celebrating the opening of the newly renovated 8th & Diamond Street Playground.
Representing a unique partnership between Rebuild, the division of Housing and Community Development, the Philadelphia Horticultural Society, and Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, the playground is a part of a Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant and the City of Philadelphia’s Rebuild Initiative.
Funding for the project was a combination of investment from Choice Neighborhood Grants, awarded to the City of Philadelphia through DHCD and Philadelphia Housing Authority by HUD, additional HUD funding, and Rebuild, the city’s historic investment in parks, recreation centers, and libraries.
“Today’s ribbon-cutting celebrates an exciting example of what can happen when the city and partners work in concert with the community. The new playground is a dynamic, accessible hub for children, families, and residents to play and recreate,” said Mayor James Kenney. “Today we celebrate this playground’s unique history serving the North Philadelphia community and look forward to its next era of play.”
The citizens of the 8th & Diamond neighborhood in North Philadelphia have long deserved a park that matches their energy and love of community,” said City Council President, Darrell Clarke (5th District). “These renovations and expansions will give neighbors a place to come together, share memories, recreate, and thrive.”
The completion of the 8th & Diamond Playground is an important part of our larger Choice Neighborhoods Strategy,” said Melissa Long, Director of the City’s Division of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). “We are so pleased to see all the updates and amenities at this playground come to fruition. DHCD and the City of Philadelphia have an ongoing commitment to strengthening neighborhood assets and hope that many children and families in this community will utilize this playground for many years to come.”
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) served as a consultant for planning, landscape design, and project management for the playground. The design process incorporated the direct feedback of families, schools, community members, and community organizations. Working in tandem with SMP Architects, PHS was deftly able to respond to the community’s needs.
“At the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, we believe in using the power of horticulture to advance health and well-being. One of the ways we do this is to combine excellence in landscape architecture and design with robust community engagement to help create spaces communities love to use. This renovation of 8th & Diamond highlights the transformative power of PHS’s approach,” said Matt Rader, President of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
Expanded recreation center improvements, playground renovations focused on intergenerational activities and play options encouraging physical activity, climbing structures for children, pull up bars for youth and adults, intergenerational swings allowing caregivers face-to-face interaction with younger children, “Old School” pavement games such as hop-scotch, a universally accessible spray ground, game tables, ADA accessible picnic tables, and updated basketball courts are part of the 2.2 million dollar investment in the project.
“We are so proud of our partnership at 8th & Diamond,” said Kira Strong, Executive Director of Rebuild. “Through the combination of Rebuild funding and the Choice Neighborhoods grant, PHS was able to deliver on the Rebuild promise to acknowledge the history of this incredible site, engage the community meaningfully to understand their vision, and invest intentionally to deliver a quality resource in their neighborhood.”