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Anna C. Verna Playground at the historic FDR Park in South Philadelphia

Daniel J. Keating was selected as the general contractor for the brand-new Anna C. Verna Playground at the historic PDR Park in South Philadelphia. It was named in honor of the late former City Council President Verna – the first and only woman to date to lead City Council. The Anna Verna Playground is just one integral part of the master plan redesign of the FDR Park Plan in Philadelphia to improve overall accessibility to green space. The state-of-the-art nature-based play equipment will serve to attract all-age and all-abilities visitors from both the city and suburbs of Philadelphia. We are honored to have played a role in reshaping the historic FDR park and look forward to watching it prosper and grow over the years.

Overall Cost / $10,200,000
Owner / Fairmount Park Conservancy and Philadelphia Parks and Recreation
Architect / Studio Ludio and WRT
Project Status / Completed October 2023

The extensive renovations included the following: two big tree houses, a 20-swing mega swing set (billed as the largest swing set in North America), obstacle course, nine different picnic sites, nature-based play equipment including spinners, log and boulder scrambles, rolling hills with slides, ADA barrier free adventure paths, a cork-based surface that is 100% water permeable and graded to mitigate flooding, and new landscaping featuring beautiful native and pollinator-friendly plantings, while preserving 20 trees and planting 31 new ones.

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