Chavis Memorial Park
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City of Raleigh Unveils Renovated John Chavis Memorial Park

Skylar Smith

RALEIGH, NC – Raleigh Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources will be unveiling the new and improved John Chavis Memorial Park on Saturday, June 12, 2021. Project Manager, Luke Wallenbeck, and Park Director, Grady Bussey, are overjoyed to see the park come to completion after several years of planning and construction.

Chavis Memorial Park
 with a full-size indoor gym. (Photos: Skylar Hefner)
Chavis Memorial Park
Park now has a new two-story community center …

“The beauty is, now since the world is better with COVID, it’s given us a better opportunity to serve our young people in our community,” said Bussey.

The improvements project scope includes a new two-story community center with a full-size indoor gym, elevated walking track, fitness center, and numerous classroom and meeting spaces. A renovation to the original Carousel House will allow for interior event space, and exterior bathroom access. Linking these two buildings together is a new central plaza with an integrated water feature and a large playground for all ages and abilities.

Large glass collage mural created by local artist David Wilson titled “Chavis Reclaimed” (Skylar Smith)
Chavis Memorial Park
A new central plaza with an integrated water feature and large playground linking Community Center & Carousel (Skylar Smith)

One creative aspect of the space is the large glass collage mural created by a local artist David Wilson titled “Chavis Reclaimed.”

The 29-acre park began in 1937 to serve the recreation needs of African-Americans during racial segregation. The park took on incredible significance as it was the only recreation facility between Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, Georgia of its size and range of amenities that African-Americans could use.

Despite its inauspicious beginnings, John Chavis Memorial Park continued to provide vital green space and recreational opportunities in an otherwise urban environment throughout the Jim Crow era and following integration. In 2016, the National Park Service recognized the value of the park by adding it to the National Register of Historic Places.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held Saturday, June 12, 2021, at 10:30 am. The park is located at 505 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Raleigh, NC 27601. More information about the park’s history, creation, and renovation can be found on the project website, www.raleighnc.gov. For more information regarding Raleigh Parks, go to www.raleighnc.gov/parks.