New amenities to include plaza, pavilion, public art
INDIANAPOLIS – Today Mayor Joe Hogsett joined Indy Parks and local stakeholders to announce a $5 million investment by the City of Indianapolis towards improvements of the Kennedy-King Memorial Site at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park. The park is located in the Kennedy King neighborhood just north of downtown Indianapolis and serves as the historic space where Senator Robert F. Kennedy notified a crowd of the assassination of Dr. King. This popular park also features the Landmark for Peace memorial, Still We Reach exhibit, a playground, outdoor pool, and performance shelter.
State Representative Greg Porter, Tracy Ellis-Ward with Pacers Sports and Entertainment, and Whitney Childress of the Friends of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park provided remarks during the event as well.
“This site has long served as an inspiration for Indianapolis; with today’s announcement, it will become an even more beautiful and inspiring location,” said Mayor Hogsett. “Fifty-five years ago, Senator Robert Kennedy informed a crowd of Indianapolis residents of Dr. King’s assassination. What followed was a community effort to maintain peace, restore hope, and importantly, continue Doctor King’s work. Today, we honor that Indianapolis story through investing in a more beautiful and welcoming park.”
Using a $5 million City bond, Indy Parks will further develop the Kennedy-King memorial site within Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park. The project will be celebrated as the Kennedy-King Commemorative Site and will soon feature additional improvements near 19th Street down the center of the park toward the existing Landmark for Peace Memorial. New amenities will include:
- Celebration and event plaza
- Eternal flame artwork with interpretative panels
- New pavilion area along the walkways
- Expanded parking
- Connection to the new pedestrian pathway (along North Park Avenue)
- New walkways and seating areas
“Indy Parks is dedicated to creating places and experiences that inspire, and as we enhance Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park we are building upon the park’s legacy and ensuring its future,” said director of Indy Parks Phyllis Boyd. “This investment will completely reshape areas of the park and will give neighbors and visitors more space to gather, reflect, and of course play.”
Today’s announcement builds on recent major investments in the parks system. Earlier this month, Mayor Hogsett and Indy Parks joined Lilly Endowment to announce an $80 million investment by the Endowment into 42 individual parks. Mayor Hogsett’s Circle City Forward initiative is funding over $300 million in improvements to parks, public facilities, neighborhood streets and thoroughfares, and trails and greenways. And, $16 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding are upgrading playgrounds throughout Indianapolis. Find a map of the improvement locations here and a list of parks improvements here.
“When you come to this park, you know you are in a beloved, sacred space,” said City-County Councillor Duke Oliver. “The legacies of Dr. King and Sen. Kennedy live on in each of us and live through the work, park programs, and investments going on in this cherished park.”
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