Greenfield Village Breaks Ground on New Children's Playscape

Community leaders and Dearborn families gathered at The Henry Ford on Wednesday to mark the groundbreaking for a new playscape located inside Greenfield Village.

Made possible through donations from Don and Mary Kosch, owners of Dearborn Sausage Co., the historically-themed playground will allow children of varying physical, developmental and sensory abilities the chance to play and learn together with other kids.

"There's a point where children need to get away from passive things and get active and physical. This new playscape allows families to have that element during their visit to Greenfield Village," mayor John B. O'Reilly, Jr. said.

Encompassing approximately 25,000 square feet, the playscape will be located adjacent to the village's carousel and near restrooms and food facilities making it convenient for families.

The playscape is designed to resemble a 1920s construction site. At the center of the playscape is an interactive steam shovel where children can play with the levers inside or dig in the sand located at the bottom of the steam shovel’s bucket. The fenced-in site will also include a rock climbing wall, a water tower, swings, an interactive boiler feature, a cement mixer and two actual artifacts – a boardable 1931 Ford Model AA truck and a 20-foot-long boiler tunnel that originally sat near the Armington and Sims Machine Shop inside Greenfield Village.

“We're are excited to announce the plans for the new playscape during the same year we are celebrating the 150th birthday of our founder, Henry Ford,” said Patricia Mooradian, president of The Henry Ford. “It was always very important to Henry to create immersive spaces where children could learn by doing and be inspired by their surroundings, something that is still very important to us to this day.

"We hope that this playscape can serve as a model for others to become more aware and more willing to adopt design principles that address the interest and needs of people, especially children, of all abilities," she said.

Don Kosch said the playscape is scheduled to be completed in the late summer or early fall.

"We're looking forward to following the construction updates and seeing the children enjoying the area of discovery and the benefits that this added playscape will bring to The Henry Ford," he said.

O'Reilly commended the Kosch family for their contributions to the project.

"Every child that comes through the village will benefit from Don and Mary's innovative vision and contribution," O'Reilly said. "I want to congratulate them for doing such a great deed. It's good for the Henry Ford and it's good for Dearborn."

With the support of a planning grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, The Henry Ford was able to ensure that the design of the playscape met or exceeded all accepted accessibility standards, Mooradian said.

The site will include multi-level topography with ramp accessibility, bonded and concrete rubber surfaces that are ADA accessible and elements constructed out of natural or authentic materials keeping with the overall aesthetic of Greenfield Village.

For more information, visit The Henry Ford's website.