Jimi Hendrix Park Close To Construction

Jimi Hendrix Park is located in Hendrix’s hometown in Seattle’s Central District, adjacent to the Colman School, which now houses the Northwest African American Musuem.

The Dec. 1 meeting at the museum was held to “review the park’s preferred design and help prioritize elements in the design,” according to the website for Seattle Parks and Recreation.    

The 2.5-acre park was renamed after the guitarist in 2006 and it was opened to the public June 28 of that year. Over the past year the Jimi Hendrix Park Foundation and consultant Murase Associates have held public meetings about the plan to transform the park into a community gathering space.

New improvements may include “lyrical stepping stones, rain drums [and] a sculpted butterfly garden,” according to the foundation’s website. The Seattle Parks and Recreation website describes the park as “a place where individuals of diverse backgrounds can gather, enjoy educational programming, celebrate cultural heritage and experience community pride with youth and adults.”

Murase Associates’ preferred schematic design for the park was unveiled in August featuring a combination of a spiral flower shape and a guitar. The park is set to feature sound walls and a small stage, according to Seattle TV station King 5.

The budget for the development includes a $20,000 donation from the guitarist’s sister Janie Hendrix; $500,000 from the Parks and Green Spaces Opportunity Fund; a $76,800 Neighborhood Matching Fund award for design and construction documents; and $50,640 in donated time and materials to facilitate the design process.

The project’s design timeline is between 2011-2012. Phase 1 of construction is scheduled to begin in 2012, which would have marked Hendrix’s 70th birthday.

For more information, click here for the Seattle Parks and Recreation’s website.

Click here for the Jimi Hendrix Park Foundation’s website.