After nine years of standing strong, the Bird Sculpture at the Miriam and Sidney Stoneman Playground on the Esplanade is coming down.

The sculpture, built by Cambridge artist Mitch Ryerson, turned a dying oak tree into an art piece. Its base is now rotting and will be removed for safety reasons.

“Ryerson’s sculpture has really been a hallmark of the playground,” said Alison McRae, Capital Projects Manager at the Esplanade Association (TEA).

“For so many years, the sculpture has been a place for caregivers to sit beneath it and enjoy the view of the river while little ones played on the playground.”

The sculpture provided shade with a wrapping structure that mirrored the bench beneath it. At the top, carved birds looked skyward. A window in the trunk of the sculpture allowed a clear view to the river.

Its design was, “a nod to the sculpture’s location on the Esplanade. While it’s a man-made park, it’s also in a natural environment,” McRae explained. “We get lots of local and migrating birds who visit the Esplanade and nest in its trees.” Mitch Ryerson, an experienced woodworker and professor of Furniture Design at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, has crafted many outdoor structures across the city.

His Log Climber and a custom wood bench can be found nearby at the Esplanade Playspace. Ryerson is currently designing structures for a playground at Danehy Park in Cambridge.

The playground will be built for children and adults of all abilities and is set to be completed at the end of next summer.

Stoneman Playground, built in 2001, was one of the first projects between TEA and the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), a public-private partnership celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Last year, Stoneman underwent a renovation to replace worn-out equipment, improve accessibility, and incorporate nature and music-themed elements. The rotting base of the Bird Sculpture was discovered during these renovations.

TEA and DCR will work with Ryerson to reincorporate salvageable pieces of the Bird Sculpture into the Esplanade and also plan to include other local artists in a new design.

“We really look forward to working with different teams at DCR and continuing our partnership with Mitch Ryerson to determine what will come next,” McRae said.

Along with public art and green space, the Esplanade offers educational, cultural, and recreational programs.

This winter, TEA ran an outdoor fitness series, Frost Fit, in partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield. “Hatched: Breaking Through the Silence,” was an immersive light and sound experience that celebrated TEA and DCR’s partnership and closed at the end of February.

More programming, including outdoor dance and fitness classes, is planned for the spring.