Winter Park eyes putting beloved ‘Castle Park’ into history books

WINTER PARK, Fla. — Since the late 1980′s, the playground inside Winter Park’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Park has been an iconic part of Orlando-area children’s free time. Generation upon generation of kids shrieked from the walkways and hid underneath the massive play structure’s beams.

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The overall shape of the lumber, formed by volunteers and donated supplies, gave the area its longstanding nickname: Castle Park.

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Just as most castles have long been resigned to history textbooks, Winter Park’s leaders are eyeing a changing of the guard, featuring a new kingdom for kids to roam with a – potentially – very different castle.

“Right now, there are not necessarily places for somebody in a wheelchair to access the equipment,” landscape architect Jessica Griggs explained. “We’re also looking at younger children who might be a just one or two that may not walk for a while, but to have something for them to be able to touch to see and react with.”

Griggs and her firm, Dix.Hite + Partners, were hired by the city back in 2013 to redesign and improve the entire park. With much of the work to other sections complete, their attention is finally turning to its iconic playground.

Not only are the structures technologically outdated, she told a crowd of community members gathered inside the Winter Park Community Center Tuesday night, they are also experiencing structural issues. In between explaining that Castle Park is her five-year-old’s favorite place to play, she told the crowd that “new” and “safe” does not have to mean boring.

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“I think there’s so many options out there,” she said. “It can be a change in material, color and type in colors and textures. Just having that ability to walk through and hide and take a peek around the corner, to explore and do things on your own.”

Though the crowd was disturbed at the prospect of knocking 35 years of history down, the purpose of the meeting was to give their input on what the new structures should look like.

Many of them sought out designs and concepts that looked very similar to the current structure, showing a preference for wood over colorful plastic and metal. Ideas found in many playgrounds, like tic-tac-toe boards and balance beams, were rejected.

“I’m looking for something unique,” one mother said. “I don’t care what replaces [the castle], as long as it’s just as fun and unique as it is right now.”

As participants placed color-coded stickers over ideas they liked and disliked, many appeared to be intrigued by some of the available options, especially the ones that combined a similar wood “castle” design with elements like rock climbing, natural surfaces and large, twisted slides.

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There was also excitement over the prospect of a splash pad being built in addition to the current footprint, expanding the play area overall.

“I’m excited to just see what the community wants and bring [my son] here in the future,” Griggs said.

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