Constructed by the WPA during the Jim Crow era, John Chavis Memorial Park served as a community anchor for Raleigh’s South Park and a major destination for African-Americans from Atlanta to Washington D.C. In 2012, the City embarked on a two-year community-led master planning process which resulted in an ambitious long-term vision for the future of the park.

In 2015, in collaboration with the community and the City, Clearscapes and Surface678 led a highly interactive Strategic Implementation Study to translate the goals of the master plan into a vision that celebrates the history of the park and carries its stories forward for a new generation.

The first phase creates a new “heart of the park” with a series of flexible indoor and outdoor mixed-use spaces to support a wide range of day-to-day activities.  This phase includes a 40,000sf multi-story community center that links the different levels of the park, an adjoining community plaza that is integrated with the building to accommodate special events and features a 7,000sf splash pad, conversion of a 2,500sf historic carousel house into a community gathering space, and a destination playground.  The ‘call and response’ form of the building speaks to the history of the park and is highlighted by an art glass mural integrated into a dynamic art sunshade by artist David Wilson.