The Official New York City WebsiteResidentsBusinessVisitorsGovernmentOffice of the Mayornyc.gov always open

PARK FACT:

Do you know an interesting tidbit about Banneker Playground that you’d like to share? Please send it to us! Be sure to include the park name in your message.

Banneker Playground

Map It

Macy Ave. bet. Lafayette Ave. and Kosciuszko St.

Brooklyn

Directions: Google Maps | MTA Trip Planner

Acres: 1.67

This text is part of Parks’ Historical Signs Project and can be found posted within the park.

Banneker Playground is named in honor of Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806), a noted African-American writer and mathematician. Born a free man in Maryland, Banneker worked much of his life on the family farm. By the age of twenty-two, Banneker had become known for occupying himself with mathematical puzzles, and he had already built an accurate clock entirely of carved wooden parts. When he was twenty-eight, Banneker took responsibility for the farm as a result of his father’s death, and he did not retire from farming until he was fifty-nine. Although he had always had an interest in mathematics and the mechanical workings of the natural environment, it wasn’t until the end of his farming career that he took up serious studies, using books he borrowed from others.

Read More

 

Directions to Banneker Playground

  • Banneker Playground Spray Shower
  • Banneker Playground

Banneker Playground Weather

  • Sun
    Scattered Tstms
    79°F
  • Sun
    Slight Chc Tstms
    84°F
  • Tue
    Chance Tstms
    82°F
  • Wed
    Chance Tstms
    79°F

Was this information helpful?