Lyons Square Playground

Lyons Square Playground. 1.322 acres. , Lyons Square, bounded by Bruckner Boulevard, Aldus Street, Longfellow Avenue, and Bryant Avenue, was named for landowner and Civil War veteran James L. Lyons by the Board of Aldermen on April 17, 1928. Shielded by a raised perimeter of trees from surrounding streets and the Bruckner Expressway, this playground provides a play space for residents and students of Public School 75 which faces the park across Bryant Avenue., Lyons was a charter member of the Bronx Old Timers Association which was founded in 1911 by the Bronx's first Borough President, Louis Haffen, for people who had lived in the Bronx for fifty years or more. James L. Lyons should not be confused with the prominent 20th-century Bronxite, James J. Lyons, who served for twenty-eight years as Borough President from 1934 to 1961., James L. Lyons' estate was nearby on Forest Avenue between Home Street and Boston Road. Previously, his estate had belonged to Colonel Richard Hoe, for whom Hoe Avenue was named. Hoe achieved fame as the inventor of the rotary printing press, a steam-powered printer that enabled publishers to expand circulation of newspapers as a result of the device's ability to print more copies in a shorter time frame., This site was acquired by the City on June 12, 1925, thirty-five years before the adjacent Bruckner Expressway was constructed. Lyons Square Playground was renovated in 1997, and included play equipment, rubber safety surfaces, lion ornamental features, fencing and pavement., In 2014 it was announced that this site would be part of Parks' Community Parks Initiative, a multi-faceted program to invest in under-resourced public parks and increase the accessibility and quality of parks throughout the five boroughs. In 2018 Lyons Square reopened with a fully reconstructed playground and multi-use area, which now includes ADA-accessible play equipment, a spray shower, basketball courts, park lighting, a picnic area, ping pong tables, fitness equipment, and new comfort station. The renovation also included new green infrastructure elements that capture storm water. The entrances and edges of the park have been enhanced as part of Parks Without Borders Initiative, a design approach that makes parks more open, welcoming, and beautiful by improving park perimeters.