The grounds crew is already on alert for new materials: some trees that were due to be removed anyway because they were hazards will be used to make benches or natural climbers. They’ll slice log “cookies” for building blocks and other natural materials they find throughout the park will be brought to the playscape for visitors to use to create.

“We want this to be an evolving place for people to come back again and again,” said Hoffarth. It will change with the seasons and change as people decide how to use it, she said.

The 1995 master plan for Forest Park asked planners to address the quality of the park’s playgrounds. The park has three playgrounds with a variety of traditional equipment: the Hudlin playground near Barnes-Jewish Hospital at the east end of the park, the Variety Wonderland Playground at the visitor’s center on the north side and the Turtle Park playground on the south side.

As park officials looked for a place to create a new play area, they considered several spots but chose this one for its central location and accessibility to parking and two existing bathrooms.