A playground on the Esplanade will soon have a complete makeover, courtesy of years of organizing and a gift of over $1 million from former football superstar Rob Gronkowski.

Planners are currently in the design stage of renovating the Charlesbank Playground.

The proposal to accept Gronkowski’s gift and rename the playground in his honor was signed into law by Governor Charlie Baker on July 25, a necessary step since the Esplanade is managed by the state. That leaves no real obstacles between the donation and a realized modern playground.

The effort to renovate the Charlesbank Playground dates to before the pandemic.

Up until the end of the last month, planners were just waiting for the state legislature to approve changing the name to the Gronk Playground, something Esplanade Association executive director Mike Nichols said they were “very supportive of, in light of the very significant gift.”

Gronkowski reached out to the Esplanade Association with a $1.2 million proposal in 2019, and organizers jumped at the opportunity. Gronkowski is well known for charitable work both personally and through the Gronk Nation Youth Foundation, a group focused on promoting fitness and community.

“Back before the pandemic, they’d indicated that he had a desire to make a lasting gift to the city of Boston for all the support it had given him during his professional career. He was particularly interested in helping kids and had at one point spent time at Massachusetts General Hospital recovering from an injury. He saw the esplanade and I think always had it in his mind that it could be a great place for kids,” he said. The current playground is still functional but is dated by modern standards for public play areas. The Esplanade Association expects that Gronkowski’s gift will fully fund the renovation, and the state has agreed to do the actual replacement if the Esplanade Association maintains the park once it’s completed. Functional equipment from the old playground will be kept in storage and used for parts to keep the state’s many play facilities in good condition.

The Foundation’s priorities of community and physical health are the focus of the new design, aiming to encourage fitness while remaining accessible for a wide variety of visitors.

“We’re probably headed toward something fitness-themed, but whimsical for kids and families,” said Nichols. “The Gronk Nation Youth Foundation has ensured that we’re promoting inclusive play, elements that would welcome in all manner of different ages, ability levels and physical conditions. We want to build a connection between kids and physical fitness.”

Beyond those themes and some suggestions of a large slide or references to the Duck Boats and Charles River, the design of the new playground is still up in the air.

Planners don’t expect the new facilities to exceed the borders of the current equipment, instead using the same space to greater effect.