Built in 1899, Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse are open again for children. (Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse)

Today, in the age of TiVo, iPods, and PlayStation 2, the idea of children playing in a Victorian-era playground sounds-well, childish. Yet in the city of Philadelphia, three historic play spaces have been transformed into state-of-the art, kid-friendly learning zones.

Philadelphia's Franklin Square, a once-neglected magnet for the homeless, now boasts a sparkling new carousel and miniature-golf course. Victorian-era Smith Memorial Playhouse and Playground, has completed part of a multi-stage restoration, including that of a much-loved treasure, the giant slide. And the Please Touch Museum, which was the nation's first children's museum, is preparing to move into its new digs in Memorial Hall, originally the Art Pavilion at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition.

These three historic playgrounds are following in the footsteps of other successful efforts across the country, including the Beaux-arts style Boathouse in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, restored and reopened as an Audubon Center three years ago, and the Los Angeles Kidspace Museum, which won a conservancy award this year for rehabilitating its new home, the 1938 Fannie E. Morrison Horticultural Center.

Franklin Square's new miniature golf course (Once Upon a Nation)

Bringing Back a Forgotten Square

Although Franklin Square was one of the three remaining green space squares that founding father William Penn designed for Philadelphia in the 1700s, it was not treated like a historic gem.

"Daycare workers used to clean away the [hypodermic] needles in Franklin Square every morning before letting their charges use the playground," says Amy Needle, executive director of Once Upon a Nation, an initiative of the nonprofit Historic Philadelphia Inc., founded in 1994 to promote tourism. Needle's group, along with Fairmount Parks, is responsible for the seven-and-a-half-acre square's recent overhaul.

Reopened in July, the square, a few blocks from Independence Mall, cost $6.5 million to renovate. Its star attractions are a carousel painted with Philly scenes including boathouse row, a mini-golf game that features music by homegrown stars such as Patti Labelle, and food vendors with brotherly love staples such as soft pretzels—not to mention a 24-hour guard to make sure it doesn't lapse back to its former state.

The inclusion of Philadelphia Park Liberty Carousel, 36 feet in diameter and outfitted with 30 carved figures (including a sea dragon and an eagle), is fitting, since Philadelphia was once the carousel-making capital of the world. The square's new carousel was made by Chance Morgan Co. in Wichita, Kan., using original molds from the Dentzel Carousel Company and Philadelphia Toboggan Company. "After a day of sightseeing, it is the perfect place to relax and play," Needle says.

A Slide on the Upswing

Deep in East Fairmount Park is an imposing three-story Beaux Art mansion built just for kids. Designed by architect James H. Windrim at the height of the late 19th-century Play Movement, the 24,000-square-foot Smith Memorial Playhouse opened in 1899 and has remained open ever since. In 1977 it was listed on the city's historic register. Outside, on the playground's six-and-a-half acres, is the Giant Wooden Slide: a 40-foot-long, 12-foot-wide, 10-foot-high covered maple slide that was installed in 1905 and fits up to twelve children abreast.

"The slide is one of the most unique sights I've ever known," says Hope Zoss, executive director of the nonprofit Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse. "There has been an enormous affection for it for generations."

Children at play in the 1899 mansion (Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse)

In 2003, the playground closed because the equipment did not meet city safety standards. With the help of a donation of $325,000 from a 92-year-old donor who had fond memories of the slide as a child, upgrades were made and it reopened last year, bearing her daughter's name: the Ann Newman Giant Wooden Slide. The second phase of improvement took place this year with the installation of 18 swings. The playhouse, which is aimed primarily at the under-five set, allows tykes to ride tricycles through a child-sized "town" and watch a puppet show in its theater. Upgrade plans are to replace the slate roof and update the heating and electrical systems.

The playhouse was built by typesetting tycoon Richard Smith and his wife, Sarah, as a memorial to their son and as a country play haven for inner-city children. Since opening, it has drawn up to 1,000 visitors a day, from every income level. Zoss notes that the Richard and Sarah Smith Trust of $2 million is used for day-to-day operations, and the funds for the improvements, estimated at $10 million dollars, are being raised through "individuals, foundations corporations and government agencies."

National Historic Landmark Refitted for Kids

Memorial Hall, built for the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in West Fairmount Park after its inception as an Art Pavilion, served a few purposes, including headquarters for the Fairmount Park Commission. Its upcoming role as the new home for the Please Touch Museum promises to be far more playful.

Memorial Hall (Please Touch Museum)

The Beaux Arts building will house 135,000 square feet of exhibits, including a 40-foot-high replica of the Statue of Liberty's arm and torch created by artist Leo Sewell out of toys (the statue's original arm and torch graced the 1876 exhibit), and a 1924 Dentzel Carousel Company of Philadelphia carousel, on loan from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and currently being restored. Originally, the carousel operated at Woodside Park, less than 10 blocks away. Other exhibits include a flight fantasy area with propeller bike and flying machine and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, with a rabbit-hole slide. There will also be hands-on displays of inventions unveiled at the 1876 fair such as the typewriter and root beer.

Memorial Hall, a National Historic Landmark, is being renovated according to standards set by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Of the museum's $88 million budget (raised through government, individuals, and corporations), $40 million is going into building upgrades like new windows. Much of the renovation involves removal of 1950s intrusions such as dropped ceilings.

"It was in good shape structurally when we got it. The soaring atrium is 150 feet tall and was concealed by walls that had been put in," explains Willard Whitson, the museum's vice president of exhibits. The decorative filigree and statuary uncovered around the atrium dome are in "wonderful condition."

The Please Touch Museum is scheduled to open in 2008.

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