Outdoor spaces serve many purposes - learning, developing, adventuring, engaging, socializing, and helping communities find the best of themselves through outdoor play. The play space at Douglass Community Center has another purpose - to be a place where American history is taught and honored and where contributions by Black people are highlighted in a way that will inspire future generations.

The playground sits on the site of the Douglass School, a part of the community with current and historical importance. It was built by the African American community in 1941 and was the only local high school open to Black students until the late 1960s. The grounds now contain the Douglass Community Center, a greenspace with walking paths and beautiful, mature trees, a refurbished play space, and plenty of opportunities for learning and honoring the history of Black Americans.

A Commitment to the Community
As part of a larger renovation of the Historic Douglass High School Education & Development Campus, the Douglass Community Center and playground were also in need of revitalization. Managed by Loudoun County Parks, Recreation, & Community Services (PRCS), these spaces have a vital role in the community as gathering places for play, socialization, and development.

As part of the vision to create accessible, welcoming environments that promote and celebrate equity and inclusiveness, Loudoun County decided to turn this space into a unique cultural experience where everyone could learn about Black history through play.

Project goals included creating a custom play experience that combines learning and play by highlighting Black history in everything from custom structures and play panels to safety surfacing. Inclusion for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds was also at the top of the list of important considerations. With these ideas in mind, work began on a design.

 

A Unique Cultural Space
Creating a space to honor and teach Black history is a huge responsibility, a responsibility the team poured their hearts into. Loudoun County PRCS dedicated a talented team of people to this project and enlisted the help of BCI Burke and other recreation companies to bring their vision to life.

Inspired by the architecture of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., the Hall of Heroes by ID Sculpture is one of the centerpieces of the play space. It features images of Jackie Robinson, Angela Davis, W.E.B. Du Bois, Thurgood Marshall, and, of course, Frederick Douglass. Children can see themselves in these heroes and it helps them not only learn about the past but also apply it to their futures and what they can achieve with passion, purpose, and vision.

Other structures include historical replicas of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama and the bus where Rosa Parks wouldn't give up her seat. Panels throughout the play area tell the story of Black Americans like Katherine Johnson, a mathematician whose contributions were vital to the success of spaceflight, and others who helped to better the world, drive advancement, create equity, and bring justice.
The play opportunities are varied so children can customize their experience. There is adventure with tall towers, intricate climbers, and fast, twisting slides designed to encourage discovery, bring awe to the space, and help children develop resiliency.

An area for music delights the senses and gives children and adults the opportunity to play together while developing communication, language, and motor skills. Swings add a nostalgic feel with a twist - one is a glider that takes adventure to the air, and another is a multi-user swing where children can practice cooperation and communication while they play.

The play environment at Douglass Park is thoughtfully designed from top to bottom. Post toppers cast interesting shadows inspired by the patterns created when the sun filters through leaves on a tree. The poured-in-place rubber surfacing is smooth and brings ease of access and perceptible information to users while tying the theme together with details such as water under the bridge and compelling words - Unity, Hope and Peace - stamped into the surface to inspire everyone to create a better future.

The Result of Intentional Teamwork
At the opening of Douglass Community Center Playground, people listened attentively as the concept of the project was explained.

"This project screams America," says Rameir Martin, Assistant Director of Loudoun County PRCS. "This project is American history - American history viewed through the lens of the contributions made by Black people."

County Chair Phyllis J. Randall talked about doing hard things and the importance of learning history through play "outdoors in the fresh air": "They (kids) need to run around, they need to have fun, they need the socialization of it all. If they can do that and still learn at the same time, there is nothing better." She then led the community gathered in a cheer of "Frederick Douglass, Playground, Hard Things."

Steve Torpy, Loudoun County PCRS Director summed up the project when he said, "We are all about creating community, whether it's our programs or facilities, or the services we provide, and this is one of those places where that can happen. I think it's going to be a focal point for the community."

He credits the team for pushing to make the playground a special place - a culturally conscious destination playground and one of the top in the nation. Among the project's leaders were Assistant Director Rameir Martin and two longtime department employees, Wayne Hyatt and Douglass Community Center Manager Jon Mattia.

After the remarks were finished, children rushed onto the playground. Children of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds played music, climbed the towers, explored the Hall of Heroes, crossed the bridge, and engaged with each other, their caregivers, and the community. They ran, jumped, laughed, and played while they connected with Black history and hopefully felt some of the unity, hope, and peace the space is designed to bring.