(Image: Murase Associates)
(Image: Murase Associates)
In 2006, what was once the Colman School parking lot on the corner of 25th and S Massachusetts Street was turned into a simple grassy field with a tall wall hiding it from the community. Now, nine years later, the project to renovate the park and dedicate it to Jimi Hendrix has begun.
What once was hidden will become a source of pride among the neighborhoods that surround the park according to Kim Baldwin, Seattle Parks project manager.
In fact, one of the main focuses of this project is “connection to the community.” Baldwin expects it to become a gathering place for people to “celebrate the neighborhood.”
(Image: Murase Associates)
The park’s rock and roll design is inspired by Hendrix, who grew up near the area. For example, the park’s entrance and main path will be alongside a long guitar-like structure. The Jimi Hendrix Park Foundation also hopes to host music events at the park as well as cultural events and activities for the community. They hope to, through the park, “beautify Seattle, motivate youth and others to achieve in music and art, and strengthen the cultural pulse of the Emerald City,” according to the group’s website.
The renovations are already underway with construction starting earlier this spring. April marked the beginning of underground utility work, and above-ground demolition will be the next step.
As construction begins, the Jimi Hendrix Park Foundation continues working towards its fundraising goal of $1.5 million. The first stage of construction will not include the wave wall feature and canopy structure — future stages of construction will follow. Without issues in construction or funds, the park is planned to open with its first wave of features in September 2015.
You can learn more and support the park effort at jimihendrixparkfoundation.org.
(Image: Murase Associates)
Hey great work.. I loved this post..Thanks for sharing this information
Looks like a cool park, but is there anyone who remembers that Jimi Hendrix hated Seattle (grew up in Renton) and got the hell out just as soon as he could?
Pretty sure he went to the Mann School and then across the street to Garfield. Also lived on 27th and Washington for some time.
correct! With Bruce Lee & Quincy Jones nonetheless! They both also crossed paths with Clint Eastwood as he spent one year of high school here in Seattle!
Hendrix seems to have live lots of places in Seattle at various times. The unassuming little house across the street from me in Madrona is one of them. You’d never guess it from the manicured, yuppified little Craftsman that it is now, but he lived there too.
No there is not uniformed person! Jimi did not never ever live, grow up, or grow down in Renton! Jimi never hated Seattle! People like you take so many things out of context throughout your lives that you think you know and are an authoritarian on subjects that with comments such as the one I am replying to make you look and sound like a fool!
No there is not uniformed person! Jimi did not never ever live, grow up, or grow down in Renton! Jimi never hated Seattle! People like you take so many things out of context throughout your lives that you think you know and are an authoritarian on subjects that with comments such as the one I am replying to make you look and sound like a fool!
Reply ↓i dont know why response was not sent to @Captain Smashtastic
No there is not uniformed person! Jimi did not never ever live, grow up, or grow down in Renton! Jimi never hated Seattle! People like you take so many things out of context throughout your lives that you think you know and are an authoritarian on subjects that with comments such as the one I am replying to make you look and sound like a fool!
Reply ↓
Its people like you @Captain Smashtastic that make The Big 6 Media Conglomerates and Their Evil Entities Control The World with their lies and deceptions! You go and make some out of your A** comments that when people in the know read them RIGHT AWAY KNOW THAT U ARE FULL OF ISHHH!
Why aren’t these comments censored Justin?:
I’ve seriously been wondering if Omari has changed his handle and learned how to turn off CapLock…?
Seattle didn’t have much of a music scene at the time. San Francisco and London were more receptive and had more opportunities. I don’t think it was anything against Seattle per se.
@jc Wow! Another uniformed! how dare you say seattle did not have much of a music at that time! LMAO!
This entire project is a farce! It may someday complete but in order for that to happen it must commence and actually start first! Janie , The Park Foundation, The African American Museum and KISW 99.9 FM SHOULD ALL BE ASHAMED OF THEM SELVES NOT TO MENTION INDICTED! December 5, 2011 The Rolling Stone Magazine reported that ground has broken and the construction was underway and the park was on schedule and slated for 2012 unveiling! As sure as I know Sir Mr. B.B. King has passed on this mid may 2015 weekend I am here to tell you that not only has the park not opened but they have yet to break ground yet! (4 the non listeners, non believers, and just straight up uninformed here is the link to the R.S. article I speak of! ~~~~> http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/jimi-hendrix-park-to-open-next-year-20111205
so to keep the lies rolling stoned here is another link from thee utmost authority on rock n’ roll! (my A**) This time in 2014 stating yet once again that The HENDRIX PARK HAS FINALLY BROKEN GROUND! (once again – my A**!) ~~~~~> http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/jimi-hendrix-park-finally-breaks-ground-in-seattle-20140807
This looks hideous. Let’s build a Kurt Cobain roller coaster next. Honor our artists but let’s not embarrass them. This is just gross. My view.
I’m so proud of Seattle for finally—finally!—rightfully honoring its most famous native musician. Now let’s get a second statue of Jimi for the park and regular live concerts there!
I love visiting Austin and seeing all the tributes (statues, centers, stages) dedicated to artists native to the city or who are now connected to the city. As soon as you arrive there, you are welcomed by music and reminders of its musical impact on the world. Seattle has the same impact but it is so much less recognized! I think it would be AWESOME if Seattle had heritage markers and other tributes to its jazz heritage and legends along Jackson Street and many, many more tributes to its incredible jazz and rock legends across the CD and Capitol Hill. Wouldn’t it be cool if visitors could pay tribute to and learn more about all of the amazing artists who created music here?
ANOTHER DOWNTOWN FRAUD ON / IN AFRICATOWN. FIRST, MY BROTHER TOM GARRETT PLAYED SAX, JIMI GUITAR, DONALD FLEEKS KEY BOARDS, FRED RAWLINS BARITONE SAX AND GEORGE GILL PLAYED DRUMS IN COMBO NAMED “POMERELS”. THEY PRACTICED IN OUR DOWNSTAIRS PARTY ROOM AND PLAYED GIGS AROUND TOWN AND ON NATIVE AMERICAN RESERVATIONS. JIMI JOINED THE ARMY , LEFT SEATTLE AND WAS A PARATROOPER AT FORT CAMPBELL KENTUCKY.
ON APRIL 4, 1968 THE DAY MARTIN LUTHER KING WAS KILLED, I WAS ALSO STATIONED AT FORT CAMPBELL KENTUCKY ON MY WAY BACK TO VIETNAM. SINCE FT. CAMPBELL IS ONLY 50 MILES FROM WHERE DR. KING WAS SHOT. WE WERE MOBIL[ZED TO GO TO RIOT CONTROL IN MEMPHIS WHICH I OBJECTED TO BECAUSE OF KKK ACTIVITY AGAINST BLACK SOLDIERS AROUND THE FORT. AS A RESULT I WAS TARGETED BY THE ARMY AND FBI AS A “BLACK PANTHER” AND “BLACK MILITANT” EVEN THOUGH I WAS FORCED INTO THE “WHITE MILITANT” US ARMY???
I WAS EVENTUALLY FRAMED AND SENT TO THE FEDERAL PENITENTIARY AT KANSAS 4 MONTHS FOR “FAILURE TO STAND AT ATTENTION”??? IRONICALLY MY PARENTS WERE FROM TOPEKA KANSAS WHERE THE HISTORIC BROWN VS. BOARD OF EDUCATION ANTI-APARTHEID SUPREME COURT CASE ORIGINATED??? IT WAS THERE IN KANSAS IN A PRISON CELL WHERE I LEARNED ABOUT MALCOLM X FROM MY CELL MATE JAMES DOCTOR FROM HARLEM NEW YORK. [ WAS A QUICK LEARNER BECAUSE OF MY BACK GROUND AS A THE FIRST SMALL (144 POUNDS) “SCRAMBLING “HIGH SCHOOL AND ALL CONFERENCE COLLEGE QUARTER AND ALL CONFERENCE SHORT STOP IN BASEBALL AS A FRESHMAN AT SOHRELINE CC NEAR SEATTLE IN 1964-1966. THE REST IS HISTORY……. THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES, Omari Tahir-Garrett, VIETNAM VETERAN, WORLD TRAVELER, HISTORY TEACER / MAKER AND SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE POSITION 9
Website: omariforcitycouncil
WHY JIMI HENDRIX PARK IS A FRAUD
ALL OF JUDKINS PARK IS JIMI HENDRIX PARK INCLUDING THE “I-DO LID PARK, SAM SMITH PARK AND COLMAN PLAY FIELD PARK!!! FURTHER MORE JIMI HENDRIX CHILD HOOD HOME WAS TO BE MOVED TO THE AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MUSEUM AND CULTURAL CENTER BUT WAS BLOCKED BY THE URBAN LEAGUE LEECHES CEO JAMES “GUNSLINGER” KELLY. AS A RESULT JIMI’S HOME WAS MOVED TO RENTON WHERE IT WAS DISMANTLED AND IS BEING SOLD AS COLLECTORS PIECES. I LIVED I LONDON, ENGLAND FOR 5 MONTHS A JIMMI IS MUCH MORE CELEBRATED AND APPRECIATED ALL OVER EUROPE THEN IN SEATTLE HIS HOME TOWN. SAMMY DRAIN ARE GUITAR PLAYING DESCENDANT THAT ALSO PLAYED WWITH JIMI IS A HERO IN EUROPE FOR GETTING SEATTLE TO ESTABLISH JIMI HENDRIX PROCLAMATION HERE IN JIMI”S HOME. WHILE SELF HATING KNEE-GROES (COLONIAL MINDED AFRICANS TRAINED TO DO TRICKS ON WHITE COMMAND LIKE WELL TRAINED BIRD DOGS,SEE NORM RICE, LARRY “NO REPARATIONS” GOSSETT, ROBERT “WAMU VICE” FLOWERS, RICHARD McKIVER, CHARLES “THE DEMOCRAT” RAWLLINS, JAMES “GUNSLINGER KELLY, PAM “DOWNTOWN ANTI KASHAMA” BANKS, BOTH McKINNEYS,HERM AND SAM ETC.) RAISE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR PARKS WE DON’T OWN OR CONTROL. THIS WHILE UNARMED “RED INDIANS”, BLACK MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN ARE MURDERED IN THE STREETS BY ARMED GOVERNMENT CRIMINAL AGENTS HIDKNEE-GROES HAVE NOT CONCEIVED OF, DEVELOPED AND GROWN ANY “AFRICAN AMERICAN” CULTURAL ECONOMIC INSTITUTION OR ANY MONEY MAKING LEAST OF WHICH IS “WHITE” PEOPLE???. WEB DUBOIS “TALENTED TENTH” SELF-HATE IS A VERY REAL OBSTACLE THAT MUST BE ELIMINATED “BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY” FOR AFRICATOWN / BLACK PEOPLE TO PROGRESS LIKE CHINATOWN??? YES, ON THE PL;ANTATION, “THE MORE THINGS CHANGE, THE MORE THEY REMAIN THE SAME”??? Omari Tahir-Garrett, VIETNAM VETERAN, WORLD TRAVELER, HISTORY TEACHER AND CANDIDATE FOR SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL POSITION 9.
Website:OmariForCityCouncil