Objectively, I believe the features of this playground make it iconic. image: Roger Grant The view entering the park / image: Roger Grant Large planters with seat walls and mature shade trees sit near the front for parents. There are bathrooms near the front and a fun lion-themed water fountain that is still operational and part of the original vision. Nautical-themed play in a sea of mulch / image: Roger Grant The maze / image: Roger Grantįor parents, the perimeter is fenced and access is only at the front of the park. It is now fenced off, but adds visual interest. A steam engine was part of the original playscape for children to climb on. A chain link and planted maze is off to one side, and plenty of mature trees bring patches of shade to large areas on the playscape. A boat with Dennis the Menace references and some climbers sits in the large, mulched field. There is more conventional playground equipment worked in, but custom steel and wood legacy pieces are touchstones to prior generations of play and preserve the authenticity of the site. It’s a unique prefabricated play feature that creates some synergy and shared experience among friends or strangers of all ages. It is powder-coated steel, and each place on the carousel is actually some sort of rope or plastic hold. There’s a carousel feature behind the roller slide that accommodates about 20 people. The view of the roller slide and carousel from the sun bridge / image: Roger Grant
#Synergy suspension full#
While it doesn’t offer the full range of experience as the concrete slides of San Francisco, there appears to be some skill level necessary in getting down quickly. Its novelty draws almost everyone to try it at least once. At the far end of the park, the grade rises again for a large “roller slide,” which is about 30’ in length and has a unique feel that most children enjoy. The character of the space is defined by two large hills that allow movement over, around, and between them. The park’s sun bridge in the center, with the roller slide below it, and the carousel to the right / image: Roger Grant It has a short climb on both sides, and the embankments retain some of the authentic, non-standard original components, like bent rails, concrete pipe crawl throughs, various timber and stone walls, steep concrete inclines, gnarled trees, and ornamental grasses. The single biggest feature that visually and experientially anchors the play space is the approximately 75’ suspension bridge that is fun for both adults and for smaller children. There have been various park renovations, but the essence of the park is intact and it still feels like a wild and unique play space. It had numerous fabricated steel pieces that were engineering marvels that kids could climb on, slide down, and even spin, elevated approximately 15’ above the ground, on.
A quick Google search shows that the park was originally built before any notion of children’s safety standards existed. Its namesake is the famous cartoon character Dennis the Menace, and the creator of this mischievous comic character helped make this project a reality. Today in Part 2, we are moving slightly further afield to Dennis the Menace Park, located on California’s Central Coast.Ī couple of hours south of San Francisco, a small town on Monterey Bay is home to a park that represented the forefront of creative children’s outdoor play when it was opened 65 years ago and is still going strong today. Last week, we explored San Francisco’s Koret Children’s Quarter and playground, the Tot Lot at Portsmouth Square Park, Willie “Woo-Woo” Wong Playground, and Presidio Tunnel Tops in Part 1. By Roger Grant, ASLA, PLA Dennis the Menace Park’s suspension bridge / image: Roger Grant
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