Vesuvio Playground, forming the entire block enclosed by Thompson Street, Prince Street, Spring Street, and Sullivan Street in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City. Originally called Thompson Street Playground, it was later renamed in honor the Vesuvio Bakery on Prince Street owned by Tony Dapolito, after whom the nearby recreation center is named.[1]

"PLAYGROUND at 99 THOMPSON STREET. 75 ft. x 95 ft. Located within the block. Facilities: Recreation building, a wading pool in the center of the play area, and the usual apparatus for small children including sand tables, see-saws and slides. This is distinctly a playground for small children ... The labor and materials for the construction of these additional playground areas are being supplied thru Work Relief funds."[2]

The original park only took up about half the block. It expanded into the rest of the block in 1957[1]. The park has been continuously redesigned and repurposed over the years.

1. Vesuvio Playground - History, NYC Parks Department website (accessed 23 April 2018).
2. NYC Parks Department Press Release, July 27, 1934.
3. Vesuvio Playground: A Haven for the South Village, Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (gvshp.org), accessed 23 April 2018.