Playground Visible From I-270 Removed After 40+ Years

The playground consisting of figure-like slides, swings, and monkey bars that was located behind the Londonderry Apartment complex in Gaithersburg has been entirely removed. The playground, which stood at the location for at least forty years, was visible to drivers going northbound on I-270 between exits 9 and 10. Half of the equipment was removed a couple years back– we were told it was due to deteriorating condition. A representative from the leasing office told us that they were advised to have the remaining equipment removed following an inspection in August and that the playground was removed entirely last month.

In 2019, our own Mr. MoCo made the trek to the site. “I had to take a visit to the playground located behind the Londonderry complex in Gaithersburg. Now I can say I’ve been there.” (scroll down to see the East MoCo version of the figures). The post received over 1,000 likes and hundreds of comments. Some of the best included:

• “Just this week I saw someone there for the first time in 32 years of driving by. Must have been you 😂”
• “Amazing. They’ve been there since at least 1972, when my family moved back from two years in Indiana.”
• “Grew up in Londonderry and used to play here all the time! The tall figures were creepy, lol, but I have the best memories here! ♥️”
• “I used to beg my parents to find this. Alas, we never got off 270.”
• “I used to be so mesmerized by these guys as a kid everytime my parents and I would drive on 270 back in late 80’s! They used to have a astronaut as well. Looked just as creepy!”

The playground was also the inspiration for “Londonderry: The Movie” trailer (a joke about the “scary” figures that make up the playground), which can also be seen below among previous posts of the iconic playground.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyKGWAQuDGL/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMF1BTSDWB-/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

In 2020, we discovered a similar playground in White Oak:

You know the “creepy” playground guys off the side of 270 over in Londonderry?

Their twin brothers live in White Oak.https://t.co/J9jnxBSnp3 pic.twitter.com/UK33NMhzBt

— The MoCoShow (MCS) (@TheMoCoShow) April 2, 2020