Marc and Jason's Playground

Marc and Jason's Playground. . , What was here before? , Brooklyn was once home to the Lenape for thousands of years. In the 1600s, the Dutch settled this area of Prospect Lefferts Garden which at the time, was within the Town of Flatbush. The Lefferts family had a grand estate that was divided into 600 building lots and sold to developers in 1893., How did this site become a playground? , This land was acquired in 1955 through condemnation and purchase and buildings were razed for the purposes of a school and playground. It opened as Lefferts Playground in 1958, when adjacent Junior High School 61 was built., Who is this playground named for? , This site is named for Marc Cleif Britou Jr. (1982-1996) and Jason Francis Moore (1982-1996). Both boys were bright, hard-working graduates from JHS 61 who passed away during a school trip., Jason Moore was born on February 13, 1982 in Rose Hall, the parish of St. Catherine in Jamaica, West Indies, and immigrated to America with his family in 1991. He showed talent as an artist and an athlete and aspired to become a civil engineer. He planned to attend Westinghouse High School. Marc Britou was born on December 26, 1982 in Brooklyn and was raised in Crown Heights. Marc intended to continue his education at Boys and Girls High School. On June 22, 1996, while on a science field trip, Marc attempted to save his friend Jason from drowning in a swimming pool at a South Philadelphia hotel. Jason died shortly thereafter.