Town Park Playground Renovation Project

Completed in 2019

The Town of Crested Butte, in partnership with the Center for the Arts (CFA) Expansion Project and the Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation, will renovate the Mary Yelenick Playground to create an authentic pirate themed playground in Town Park. This project was made possible by a $349,241.00 grant from Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO). The Pirate Shipwreck play area design is based upon the Whydah, a real pirate ship that sank in 1717 and was discovered by Crested Butte local, Barry Clifford, in 1984. Crewed by many Crested Butte residents, Expedition Whydah located and excavated the first ever documented pirate shipwreck, the Whydah Gally.

With an emphasis on authenticity and scientific discovery, the features of the new playground are designed to inspire kids to believe in their own extraordinary ability to imagine and explore. The playground concept, designed by Mundus Bishop and ID Sculpture, includes 15,000 square feet of playground programming that will be replaced during the CFA expansion. The guiding principle for the playground design is to incorporate authentic pirate history in a unique setting to foster creative and imaginative play, while tackling physical challenges such as coordination, balance, endurance, and strength. The playground setting is designed to take advantage of the site’s surrounding views, make connections to the surrounding neighborhood, and integrate the playground with the overall park and new Center for the Arts building.

Project Timeline

2016: Conceptual Design, Public Planning Process, & GOCO Grant Application

2017: Final Design, Construction Bidding, Demolition of Existing Playground, Site Grading

2018-2019: Construction