During the July 23 Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Board of Directors Meeting (video of full meeting here), RIOC President Susan Rosenthal reported that both Al Lewis playground at Capobianco Field
and Blackwell Park Playground
will close for renovations in August.
RIOC Public Information Officer Alonza Robertson adds:
Community Update
The Grandpa Al Lewis Playground, at Capobianco Field, and the Blackwell Park Playground will be closed Aug. 13 - Oct. 15 due to ground surface renovations.
New padded-rubber flooring will replace the existing broken concrete, cracked asphalt and wood-chip ground surfaces. New fencing and picnic tables will also be installed.
The replacement and installation of some new playground equipment for those playgounds is planned for Phase 2 of the project to start in the spring of 2019.
While the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation understands the time concern of the closure, the playgrounds are in desperate need of attention from both equipment and flooring-safety standpoints.
The schedule has been reviewed and this approach timewise was found to be the least impactful due to the ability to complete the total amount of work with one closure, as opposed to staggering.
The time of year for the rubber flooring is also critical, as contractors are not able to pour the rubber material once it reaches a certain temperature in the fall.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
(FYI: The Grandpa Al Lewis Playground is named after an American character actor best known for his role as Count Dracula look-alike "Grandpa", opposite Fred Gwynne's and Yvonne De Carlo's characters, on the CBS television series "The Munsters" from 1964 to 1966 and its subsequent film versions. Mr. Lewis was a Roosevelt Island resident who later in life was also a restaurant owner, political candidate, and radio broadcaster).
UPDATE 8/14 - Correction, the older kids playground in Blackwell Park
Roosevelt Island has its fair share of interesting characters. None more so than Al Lewis who played Grandpa on the 1960's TV show The Munsters.
His wife, Karen Lewis, has written a book titled "I Married A Munster" about her life with Grandpa Munster Al Lewis.
According to Karen Lewis:
Al and I were seriously worried that if we moved from Manhattan in 1989, to that funny little island in the middle of the East River, that we'd be isolated and cut off from the action. After all, Al had his Greenwich Village eatery to get to and we were both seeking work as actors. However, as you Roosevelt Islanders know, nothing could have been further from the truth. Moving to the Island was one of the smartest things we ever did. We found many new friends and organizations to share our lives with. In I MARRIED A MUNSTER, My Life with "Grandpa" Al Lewis, (which you can purchase online at Amazon or order from B&N stores)
... According to a recollection by Cohen, “I remember when Al was already sick, a Reclaim the Streets party/demo had ended up on Roosevelt Island. We marched past Al and Karen’s apartment, and I started the chant: “We love you
Grandpa, we miss you, get better!” and pretty soon the hundreds of us took up the chant, lights came on in the apartments, people looked out the windows, and everyone waved, knowing whom we were chanting about as we snaked by.”
He died at his Roosevelt Island home on February 3, 2006. At his funeral, one friend said,
“Who was Al Lewis? A raconteur. The de facto mayor of Roosevelt Island. The best-dressed man on Roosevelt Island. He held court in front of 546 Main Street, the senior citizens center…” It should be noted that Grampa Munster’s signature ride, the ‘dragula’ gold coffin on wheels, rolled up to the door of the church.
and here's a Grandpa Munster Al Lewis documentary.
Roosevelt Island resident Lynn Strong-Shinozaki adds:
Al came onto my life when I was going through an incredibly hard time. He had compassion and I was a recipient of his love, companionship and kindness and I am forever in his debt. But I was one of many people he personally mentored. I love Al and Karen Lewis and they are my family! I don’t know how I got so lucky to be apart of these wonderful peoples lives but I am forever in their debt for how they positively contributed to my life and my children's life!
With apologies to the people who reside there, I must admit that Roosevelt Island has always freaked me out. Which is why I like it actually. Over the next few days, I'll highlight some of my favorite Roosevelt Island places and people, some familiar to New Yorkers who have never ventured there.
He begins his tale at the Renwick Ruins the site of the former Smallpox Hospital:
Our first stop along the Roosevelt Island is probably its most recognizable feature, at least to most Queens or Manhattan residents -- the Renwick Ruins, on the southernmost point of the island. Delightfully lit year round, it rises out of the East River like a haunted castle, with stark turrets and dark windows peering back at the city. More impressive than its Halloween-like trappings is the fact that such a large ruin has managed to survive near Manhattan at all without being torn down and turned into a glass condominium. For that reason, Renwick Ruins should creep you out and impress you in equal parts.
Spiders always freak me out. Image is from Wired New York and is of Louis Bourgeois Spiders in front of the GE Building in July of 2001.
Part 2- Memories of former Munsters star and unofficial Mayor of Roosevelt Island Grandpa Munster Al Lewis.
"Who was Al Lewis? A raconteur. The de facto mayor of Roosevelt Island. The best-dressed man on Roosevelt Island. He held court in front of 546 Main Street, the senior citizens center..." It should be noted that Grampa Munster's signature ride, the 'dragula' gold coffin on wheels, rolled up to the door of the church.
Roosevelt Island is a mixed income, racially diverse waterfront community situated in the East River of New York City between Manhattan and Queens and is jurisdictionally part of Manhattan. The Roosevelt Island Tramway, which connects Roosevelt Island to the rest of Manhattan, has become the iconic symbol of Roosevelt Island to its residents.
The Purpose of this Blog is to provide accurate and timely information about Roosevelt Island as well as a forum for residents to express opinions and engage in a dialogue to improve our community.
