Armory Square Playground Project

1. To Do List
· Create PowerPoint
1) What the project is: the need for it---Claire
2) History of Armory Square and description of playground--Caryn
3) Analysis of artist that inspired the work and the benefit to families--Mike
· Before Wednesday: go to Armory Square to look at actual site---Claire, Caryn, Mike
· Before Wednesday: map out the area where the playground will go--Claire, Caryn, Mike
· Before Wednesday: take pictures of the area—Claire, Caryn, Mike
· Before Wednesday: Conduct quick interview with people walking around Armory Square to get their opinion on if a playground were to be put in place--Mike
· Write 2-3 page project narrative: Claire, Caryn, Mike

Mike Lefko’s portion of the presentation: [PowerPoint slides showing Armory Square while I am talking]
Our idea to create a playground in Armory Square stems from the work of Maya Lin. [show slide of Lin’s ice skating rink]. Her work, “Eclipstic,” an ice skating rink in Grand Rapids, Michigan is a paradigm of what we want to accomplish with the Armory Square playground. The ice skating rink is in the center of the city, exactly like our park will be. The ice skating rink is a tribute to the history of the city of Grand Rapids, meant to evoke memories of when the rapids flowed near the city. Similarly, our playground will provide a tribute to the history of Armory Square in an enjoyable way by using elements past elements of Armory Square in the building of the playground. [Back to the slide of the playground] As Claire mentioned, the playground will be made so that it resembles Armory Square when the railroad ran right through the area, making the square a profitable business district.
Of course, since it is a playground, hopefully children will play on it. Because, children cannot take themselves to the playground, our goal is that families will bring their children to the park and spend more time with them. [Slide showing families] Armory Square today is an area targeted towards people around the age of 18 and up. [Slide of trendy Armory Square places] This neglects the children, therefore adults with kids are likely to leave their children at home, or be forced to drag them along and have nothing for the children to do. [Play interviews of people that I talked to at Armory Square] Therefore, our playground will bring families together and like a work of dialogical art, will enable conversations between parent and child. Similarly, since the playground is outside, children are getting out playing rather than sitting at home on the couch. [Slide of snow covering a playground] Like all playgrounds, nature dictates that for some of the year, the playground will be inaccessible. Nevertheless, when it is cold and snowing, people are less likely to spend a large amount of time at an outdoor venue like Armory Square. It cannot be used all year long but the benefits of children playing outside and being able to share quality time with their parents outweighs the fact that it can only be used for half of the year.

Claire Healey’s part
Amory Square is a very popular place full of shops, restaurants and people. But what was there before the shops and restaurants? Most of the people who go and shop around the Armory Square area probably do not know the history of the place. Also the people who do use the area are couples going to dinner, woman shopping, or business people passing through on their way to or from work, but no families. Our project would take care of these two problems, no families and no one knowing the history of the Armory Square. We feel that if people had a place to bring their kids to have fun while the family can go shopping together. Families together while having fun shopping and eating outside is a very good way to bond and become closer in a world full of video games and internet and all of the other technological advancements that have forced families apart. Also if people knew the history behind Armory Square they would have more of a connection with the place and may want to get there more often. Even if they do not feel the urge to go there more, they now know more about their hometown and where they spend a lot of their time.

Caryn Rothbort’s part
Playground:-designed to look like a train station-houses surrounding with company names-pull knobs with historical informationVisuals-plot in Armory that will be used for the project-stereotypical people in the areaThis history of Armory Square is an extensive and central part to the significance of the area and the members of the entire Syracuse community. Armory square began to thrive in the early 1820’s with the construction of the Erie Canal because of the close proximity but it really flourished starting in the 1830’s with the introduction of the railroads. Most of the major railroad companies passed through this area causing major corporations and industries to sprout up. This This allowed for a great deal of commercials business and a profitable enterprise for the Syracuse area. Hotels and various other attractions were built and being prosperous. But once railroads were removed Armory went on a steep incline of profit. But in the 1970’s businessmen and artists revived the downtown area. The area is still on the National Register of Historic Places. (Armory Square).Since the history of Armory Square is so important to the understanding and complete enjoyment of the area, it is our idea to incorporate this history into the creation of the playground. The playground itself will be modeled after a train station. It will have mock railroad tracks, a platform, and ticket booth. Also within the play area we will make plastic houses with the names of major corporations industries that influenced the area. In different parts of the playground there will be knobs that when they are pulled up, will reveal brief facts about the area of Armory Square. The playground will not only have the components of conventional playground but will also integrate the vital historical background of Armory Sqaure. The goal by doing this is to educate the children of Syracuse about their neighborhood while at the same time providing them with a more enjoyable experience in Armory Square.