Dunning Playground

Neighborhoods: Frogtown, Midway

Completed! Amount Raised: $90,000

Project Partners: Kaboom!, United Healthcare, Midway Lions Club, Cub Scout Troup 13, Sierra, City of Saint Paul Parks and Recreation

On a chilly, rainy day in October, 2023, hundreds of volunteers gathered to build a new playground at Dunning Park. Located at 1221 Marshall Ave. near Central High School, the new Dunning Park Playground is expected to host some 1,300 kids each year. The park is where Saint Paul’s Mayor Melvin Carter grew up, along with baseball Hall of Famers Joe Mauer, Paul Molitor, Dave Winfield, and Jack Morris. 

From design to installation, community members led the creation of the new updated playground. A few months before the build day, children in the historically-Black Rondo neighborhood were invited to share drawings of their dream play spaces with project organizers. The ideas were later integrated into the playground design.

The new playground launched the Conservancy’s EQUAL PLAY SAINT PAUL initiative to increase access to great play spaces, courts, fields, rec and nature programs in high need neighborhoods. Thanks to our Equal Play partners, the Conservancy was able to contribute $90,000 to this project, as well as dozens of volunteers.

Learn more and become an Equal Play partner here.