Beloved by Providence families and Brown students alike, Brassil Memorial Park on the corner of Brook St. and Arnold St. is currently under construction, with a new playground expected to be completed in spring 2024.
The playground was torn down mid-October and is currently undergoing a 鈥渃omprehensive redesign to revitalize this space,鈥� according to Josh Estrella, press secretary for Mayor Brett Smiley鈥檚 office.
The redesigned park will include playgrounds for 2-5- and 5-12-year-olds, a paved area for ball play, seating areas and new fencing and gating, Estrella wrote in an email to The Herald. The redesign will also include 鈥渁 custom log scramble, rain gardens to absorb stormwater runoff鈥� and natural spaces for trees, shrubs and perennials.
The revitalized park will also include swings and slides, according to plans reviewed by The Herald. Since construction began in late October, some play structures have already been installed.
The city initially allocated funding for the park鈥檚 redesign in 2020, according to Estrella. Since 2021, the city has held numerous 鈥渃ommunity meetings鈥� to inform the redesign. B茅n茅dicte Brouder, head of school at the nearby French American School of Rhode Island, told The Herald she was satisfied with that process.
FASRI has used Brassil Memorial Park as a recess area for 鈥測ears and years,鈥� Brouder said. 鈥淲e have been lucky to be in conversation from the start with (the City of Providence鈥檚 Department of Parks), and we were able to give our ideas as a school.鈥�
Brouder鈥檚 feedback for the city has been primarily about safety concerns, but she said she appreciates the park鈥檚 trees and flat space to play soccer, both of which will remain for the spring. In the meantime, FASRI鈥檚 recess is being held at other parks in the neighborhood.
Although it will be a lengthy process, Brouder said the park鈥檚 redesign is 鈥渓ong overdue.鈥�
Brassil is not the only park being renovated: By March 2024, the City is expected to have completed renovations of 39 parks and greenspaces across every neighborhood in Providence, according to Estrella. Other parks are slated for construction in 2024, including India Point Park and the Paterson Park playground.
鈥淏rassil Memorial Park is an important gathering space for our community, particularly for youth in this neighborhood and some of the amenities have not been updated in decades,鈥� Estrella wrote.
鈥淲e鈥檙e pretty excited by the fact that (Brassil) is going to be new,鈥� Brouder said. 鈥淭his is a precious park that we really love.鈥�
FASRI students aren鈥檛 the only ones with a connection to the park 鈥� Brown students have made use of the park鈥檚 jungle gyms and play structures too. Cottrell van Wingerden 鈥�24 had used the former 鈥渟quiggly structure鈥� for a 10-person game he and his friends called 鈥渂one breaker.鈥�
鈥淭he goal is to get your five players to the other side of the structure without anyone falling off before the other team,鈥� van Wingerden told The Herald. 鈥淚t鈥檚 quite a physical game.鈥�
The game originated during van Wingerden鈥檚 first year at Brown, during the summer semester with no clubs and 鈥渢oo much time on our hands,鈥� he said. Van Wingerden and his friends would play at night, each player in a designated position that drew inspiration from the 鈥淗arry Potter鈥� sport of Quidditch.
Van Wingerden said the group always planned to play one more time during senior year, so it was 鈥渢oo bad鈥� when he walked past the park one morning to see it had been torn down.
鈥淚t was a nice playground before but it wasn鈥檛 the most advanced, so it will be cool to see what they do with it,鈥� van Wingerden said. 鈥淚 would love it if they put another version of that structure back in there.鈥�
Haley Sandlow is a section editor covering science and research as well as admissions and financial aid. She is a junior from Chicago, Illinois, studying English and French.
