Parks Department unveils improvements to multiple playgrounds

Funded by Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s Capital Improvement Program, our department renovated four great parks within our City this past summer: 

• Downer Ave. Playground, Dorchester 
• Beauford Play Area, Roxbury 
• Holborn Street Playlot, Roxbury 
• Doris F. Tillman Playground, Roxbury 

Together, these renovations total more than $2.4 million in improvements and an investment that we hope kids will enjoy for years to come. “Creating safe, enjoyable spaces for children and their families is a priority of the Boston Parks Department, and our entire city,” said Mayor Walsh. “These improvements will provide access to fresh air and outdoor space, and I encourage everyone who uses these parks to remember public health guidance and stay safe this fall.”

More about these improvements

This comprehensive playground renovation includes the addition of a playground, plaza space with cafe tables, a half-court basketball court, an amphitheatre lawn performance space, exercise station, a dog recreation space, and improved pathways, lighting, and fencing, along with tree and shrub plantings. We also increased the entrances of the park from one to three, and created an accessible pathway from one end of the park to the other. 

Improvements to the Beauford Play Area include upgrades to the play equipment that can be enjoyed by kids ages two through twelve. We also made improvements to the safety surfacing and increased tree plantings. The Beauford Play Area is named in memory of P.F.C. Willis Beauford, a Dorchester Marine who died in Vietnam aboard a C-123 provider that crashed on the runway at Khe Sanh after being hit by enemy fire in 1968. The Parks Commission voted to dedicate the play area in his honor on June 19, 1975.

Filled with newly renovated bright red and yellow play equipment, improvements to the Holborn Street Playlot are geared towards youngsters ages three to five.

 Improvements include new play equipment, a splash pad, and a picnic table, perfect for an outdoor lunch play date. The Holborn Street Playlot is on a site originally created in partnership with the Holborn, Gannett, Gaston, Otisfield Betterment Association as noted on a plaque at the tot lot. 

The design and construction improvements to the Doris F. Tilman playground includes new state-of-the-art play equipment, a splash pad and MathTalk, a math-based game for playgrounds that exercise both the body and the mind. This Roxbury playground was named for Doris Tillman in the 1970s, a longtime neighborhood resident who urged the City to convert a vacant lot into a play area.