Councilman Chris Marte secured another $200,000 for Washington Market Park for fiscal year 2026, this time to make upgrades to the playgrounds. The Friends of Washington Market Park applied for the funding to address the play surface. (The group also applied to the borough president’s office for funding, but it looks like that did not come through.)

Marte also funded the recent repair of the park’s asphalt paths in fiscal year 2024, along with a replacement of the benches along the perimeter. (There will be a ribbon cutting for that project on Saturday, Sept. 20, at 10a.

The Friends have a long-term goal of rehabbing the current play structures, which have been in place for more than 20 years. The park was expanded in 2000, with the narrowing of Greenwich Street and the subsequent Greening of Greenwich. Architect Lee Weintraub proposed a design that would quadruple the children’s play space in the park and Community Board 1 approved the final plan in September 2000. A new perimeter fence was installed that fall as phase one and the improved play space construction began in 2001.

On September 11, 2001, the park was damaged by the attack on the World Trade Center. Covered in debris, the park was used as a lot for emergency vehicles and as a power station. The playground had to be closed for several months, delaying the construction and improvement project.

The new playground was completed and opened to the public in November 2003.