When Henry Stern worked as the commissioner for the NYC department of Parks and Recreation, he made sure each park was equipped with a compass rose, a flagpole with a naval-style yard, and an animal-themed sculpture.
Today, many of these playground animals are removed during renovation. Fortunately, there is now a "Home for Retired Playground Animals" [via Atlas Obscura] where these adorable statues may retire.
Six playground animal sculptures have been retired and moved to the park, with a newly created passive, contemplative home in Queens Today, NYC Parks hosted a "retirement party" for six former playground animal sculptures, and unveiled their new home in Flushing Meadows Corona Park – a passive, contemplative new area adjacent to the Unisphere, the "Home for Retired Playground Animals."At NYC Parks, our civil servants take many forms: not only park workers, but also the beloved concrete animals children have been playing on for decades in our playgrounds across the city," said NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue. "We're so excited to unveil this new contemplative space in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, as we send some of our hardest-working employees into retirement in style. We hope that despite their retirement, they will continue to inspire imagination and creativity in parkgoers into the future."
If you're in Queens, NY, be sure to pay these lovely animal sculptures a visit. My favorite one is the aardvark. The colorful chipped paint coating its body gives it so much character.
See also: This kid-made Adventure Playground is a helicopter parent's nightmare
