Thursday, the City of Jacksonville revealed design plans for the highly-anticipated Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing Park in the historic LaVilla neighborhood. The park is located at 120 Lee Street, the birth site of Jacksonville natives James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson. The Johnson brothers wrote and composed what is now known as the Black National Anthem, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” at their home in LaVilla between 1900 and 1905. As one of the first cultural landmarks to be developed as part of the greater LaVilla redevelopment strategy, Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing Park was carefully designed to honor the contributions of some of Jacksonville’s most renowned citizens, as well as encourage the next generation of artists and thought leaders to make their marks on this historic space.⁣⁣

Preliminary design and engineering plans for the park are underway and are expected to be complete by summer 2021. Park construction will then be bid out following the City of Jacksonville’s procurement process, and final design and contractor selection is expected to be complete by Fall 2021. Construction is expected to be complete by fall 2022, with the park open to the public shortly thereafter.⁣
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Community input has been critical to the LaVilla revitalization process thus far, and the City and its partners look forward to continuing that dialogue. On Tuesday, Oct. 13, the Jessie Ball duPont Fund will facilitate a virtual community town hall for interested members of the public to learn more about design plans for Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing Park. This event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP at jbd.fund/park.⁣

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