1209 Forstall St., New Orleans 70117
www.nordc.org/parks/sambonart/
At 4 o’clock in the afternoon on Sunday, November 13, 1927, the newly constructed Sam Bonart Playground was abuzz with excitement. The mayor and representatives from the health department, Playground Commission, Central Trades and Labor Council, and a local Boy Scout Troop were on the program for the dedication of one of the most well-equipped playgrounds in the entire country. Athletic competitions, a performance by a live band, and remarks by government, religious, and civic dignitaries signaled the importance of the day’s events. The modern playground – complete with an outdoor theater/bandstand, pergolas, volleyball and basketball courts, and the city’s first public football field – was made possible by a generous donation from Sam Bonart, a successful Jewish retailer whose clothing store was a mainstay in Black Storyville (see Eagle Saloon entry). Like many other successful Jewish entrepreneurs whose philanthropy and leadership left an imprint on the city, Bonart was active in numerous civic and social organizations. He was most passionate about the children of New Orleans.
As the principal sponsor of the Old Poydras Park, the oldest municipal playground in the city, and a 25-year member of the New Orleans Playground Commission, Bonart was a tireless proponent of the Playground Movement, a Progressive Era reform effort that advocated for playgrounds to improve the physical, mental, and social health of the nation’s children, particularly recent white immigrants. Bonart sponsored annual citywide picnics, kite flying and marble competitions, and sports teams for white immigrant youth and separate events for black children, as dictated by Jim Crow laws and custom. For Bonart, donating to playgrounds offered the best means for children of both races to thrive in society. He implored other philanthropists in the city to do the same, explaining, “I have never heard of any other means which you could do so much for so many children in a way so badly needed.”
Nearby Sites of Interest
Sankofa Fresh Stop Market
5029 St Claude Ave., New Orleans 70117 (504) 872-9214 (www.sankofanola.org)
A non-profit open produce stand that sells organic produce from local growers. It was founded to provide food access and promote urban revitalization in food insecure communities.
To Learn More
- “Bonarts Finance New Playground,” Times-Picayune, April 22, 1923.
- “New Playground in Lower Section [sic] Dedicated Today,” Times-Picayune, November 13, 1927.
- “Sam Bonart, 73, Philanthropist, Taken by Death,” Times-Picayune, December 4, 1942.