Dunbar

The Dunbar, built in 2012, is located in the Somerville housing development located in the historic Central Avenue jazz scene of Los Angeles.

Built by Thomas Safran & Associates, this project provides 84 affordable housing units for the area and features our Dunbar playhouse fort, a wooden play structure for the two to 12 age range. The Dunbar is based on our Fort Jefferson model but has been customized to celebrate the rich history of the surrounding neighborhood. The historic Dunbar Hotel, known as a cultural gathering place for the African-American community in the 1930’s and 40’s. Numerous legendary jazz musicians performed there, including Louie Armstrong, Billie Holiday, and Duke Ellington.

Barbara added curved arches to reflect the architecture of the Dunbar Hotel, and carved and stained jazz instruments and motifs along the railings. Mounted at the roof’s apex is a custom ordered musical clef “G” weathervane (from West Coast Weather Vanes). Sealed inside the weathervane are four lucky 2012 copper pennies for good fortune to all who play here!

Of course, Dunbar also has all the other fun play features you’ll find on any Fort Jefferson model, including a rope net ladder, coil climber, slide, ADA compliant transfer platform, and ground level tunnel. There’s plenty to keep kids and families entertained as they practice their climbing, their social skills, and their resilience.

This custom play structure is located on the second-floor deck, so we had to use a crane to bring each component of the structure up. Then, we assembled the pieces into the finished structure on-site. Luckily, handling tricky logistics is one of our strengths! So if you’ve got uneven terrain, an unusual shape to fill, or another logistical challenge to creating a play space for your residents, contact us for creative and practical solutions.

This structure meets ASTM F1487 Standards for Public Use Playground Equipment and the 2010 Americans with Disabilities Act.