Tulsa, OK

John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park

Mayor Kathy Taylor, Tulsa City Councilors and community leaders broke ground yesterday, Monday, Nov. 17 at 10 a.m. on the John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park at 2nd Street and Elgin Avenue. The groundbreaking is hosted by the John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park Inc. Board of Directors.

Taylor said this is an event that is long overdue.

“Tulsa officials, Greenwood District leadership and the community at large pulled together to secure funding to make this historic moment a reality,” Taylor said.

Dr. Franklin will be part of the program following the groundbreaking at the Greenwood Cultural Center.

Tulsa Dedicates New Downtown Park

Mayor Kathy Taylor, together with officials from Land Legacy and the Oklahoma Centennial Commemoration Commission, dedicated the H.A. Chapman Centennial Green as Tulsa’s newest city park on Friday, Nov. 7. The downtown park is located on the south side of Sixth Street between Main Street and Boston Avenue.

“Thanks to this unique partnership including the City, Land Legacy and the philanthropic community, downtown Tulsa now has a wonderful new public amenity,” Mayor Taylor said. “The H.A. Chapman Centennial Green is a crown jewel in our ongoing efforts to revitalize downtown Tulsa.”

The park features an oval green lawn, a red oak Centennial Tree, and brick-like concrete pavers surrounding the grassy area. The park is named “H.A. Chapman Centennial Green,” and the lawn is named the “Walton Family Lawn.” H.A. Chapman and the Walton Family assisted Land Legacy in acquisition of the property and pledged funds toward its development. Land Legacy is a nonprofit land conservation organization; for more information, see www.landlegacy.com.

A fountain was built at one end of the park, and a small amphitheater was built at the other end. Features to be added soon include a fountain sculpture and an amphitheater wall. At the Friday dedication, Tulsa architect and artist Shane Fernandez unveiled a model of a sculpture to be placed atop the park’s fountain. The sculpture, to be constructed of steel and glass, is an artistic representation of an oil derrick, paying tribute to Tulsa’s “oil capital” history.

A Vision 2025 project celebrating Oklahoma’s centennial, the H.A. Chapman Centennial Green has opened just in time for Tulsa Parks’ 100th year in 2009. Vision 2025 funding for the park included $378,000 for design, $3.8 million for construction, and $1.2 million for land purchased from Land Legacy. Land Legacy bought the property for $2.4 million and sold it to the City of Tulsa for half price.