If you thought that big wooden playground you grew up with was completely and totally unique, you probably already know that there were many, many like it. What you might not know is that just about all of them were the product of a single playground design firm, along with a lot of love and commitment from the local communities in which they were built. We have one man to thank for all of this: Bob Leathers. This is the story of Leathers Playgrounds, and my own personal experience with the Leathers playground of my childhood: Kids Kingdom at the Christopher Rhodes Elementary School in Warwick, Rhode Island (circa 1987). Thanks for watching, and enjoy! RELATED VIDEOS: Opening of the 1987 (playground) time capsule in 2019: ruclips.net/video/qJ1bj_CnBUU/видео.html Opening of the 1976 (bicentennial) time capsule in 2020: ruclips.net/p/PL1AOPT6nfgj7tePjJ1WTt4tXHpCVCNtAQ OTHER SOURCES: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leathers_and_Associates ruclips.net/video/-1l-dOhrlaw/видео.html ruclips.net/video/P4edlC1XPs8/видео.html www.playgroundsbyleathers.com/
Bob Leathers was on both Sesame Street and Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, in the 1980s. I remember one of his playgrounds was in Cranberry Twp, north of Pittsburgh, which I enjoyed in the 1990s, thinking it was the one I saw.
In my town of yuma, our leathers playground was burned in April of 2011, but was actually soon rebuilded and now kids in 2024 can witness peak playground material
There's this one park out northwest in Columbus I loved to frequent time and again growing up-the Discovery Playground at Olde Sawmill Park (completed in 1992)-and that was one of Bob Leathers' creations, as I found out much later in life.
They just tore down the one in Hopkinton that I grew up going to. I'm glad I got to take my son one time before it happened. It was still in great shape too.
If you thought that big wooden playground you grew up with was completely and totally unique, you probably already know that there were many, many like it. What you might not know is that just about all of them were the product of a single playground design firm, along with a lot of love and commitment from the local communities in which they were built. We have one man to thank for all of this: Bob Leathers. This is the story of Leathers Playgrounds, and my own personal experience with the Leathers playground of my childhood: Kids Kingdom at the Christopher Rhodes Elementary School in Warwick, Rhode Island (circa 1987). Thanks for watching, and enjoy!
RELATED VIDEOS:
Opening of the 1987 (playground) time capsule in 2019: ruclips.net/video/qJ1bj_CnBUU/видео.html
Opening of the 1976 (bicentennial) time capsule in 2020: ruclips.net/p/PL1AOPT6nfgj7tePjJ1WTt4tXHpCVCNtAQ
OTHER SOURCES:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leathers_and_Associates
ruclips.net/video/-1l-dOhrlaw/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/P4edlC1XPs8/видео.html
www.playgroundsbyleathers.com/
Bob Leathers was on both Sesame Street and Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, in the 1980s. I remember one of his playgrounds was in Cranberry Twp, north of Pittsburgh, which I enjoyed in the 1990s, thinking it was the one I saw.
In my town of yuma, our leathers playground was burned in April of 2011, but was actually soon rebuilded and now kids in 2024 can witness peak playground material
That's amazing! There seem to be so few left that are original, but it's interesting to see how the designs have evolved over the years too!
There's this one park out northwest in Columbus I loved to frequent time and again growing up-the Discovery Playground at Olde Sawmill Park (completed in 1992)-and that was one of Bob Leathers' creations, as I found out much later in life.
They just tore down the one in Hopkinton that I grew up going to. I'm glad I got to take my son one time before it happened. It was still in great shape too.
When ours was built in 1987 we were all certain we'd be taking our kids (and maybe grandkids) there too one day. I guess we were a little naieve.