INDIANAPOLIS – Today Mayor Hogsett and Indy Parks announced a $5 million investment for improvements to the Kennedy-King Memorial Site at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park.
The park, located in the Kennedy King neighborhood just north of downtown Indianapolis is where Robert F. Kennedy historically notified a crowd of the assassination of Dr. King.
The park features the Landmark for Peace memorial, Still We Reach exhibit, a playground, outdoor pool and performance shelter.
“This site has long served as an inspiration for Indianapolis; with today’s announcement, it will become an even more beautiful and inspiring location,” Mayor Hogsett said. “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.”
With the $5 million investment from the City of Indianapolis, Indy Parks will improve the Kennedy-King memorial site. The site will be a Kennedy-King commemorative site with new amenities including:
- 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,” Director of Indy Parks Phyllis Boyd said. “This investment will completely reshape areas of the park and will give neighbors and visitors more space to gather, reflect, and of course play.”
This project is an addition to the $80 million Lily Endowment investment to Indy Parks that Mayor Hogesett announced earlier this month.
“When you come to this park, you know you are in a beloved, sacred space,” City-County Councillor Duke Oliver said. “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.”
