The area around the mural for civil rights leader John Lewis in Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn neighborhood is set to change.
On Friday, Channel 2′s Audrey Washington was at Lewis’ mural getting an exclusive look into the future of the area dedicated to Lewis and what the area will offer.
The parking lot at the base of the mural will be transformed into a memorial park for Lewis. The park will have seating and greenery and an ever-burning light for people to reflect on the late Civil Rights icon and longtime congressman.
The park has been in the works behind the scenes for some time and will be officially dedicated to Lewis on July 30, according to Jerome Edmondson, co-chair of The Good Trouble John Lewis Memorial Park.
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Renderings, designed by a team of students at SCAD, show a transformed version of the park.
“We can not let this vision die. This is the corner that changed America,” Edmondson said.
Wilma Sothern, who is with the Central Atlanta Progress Association, says the park will work well to complement the area.
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“We’ve got the HERO Mural that’s been seen around the world,” Sothern said. “Sitting here, reflecting, in a park space, I think is perfect.”
Business owners in the area have made several nuisance complaints stemming from crowds who tend to gather in parking lots near the mural. They have sought ways to change the area and decided that a park was the best solution.
“We’re gonna get into some good trouble and change this whole corner for good,” Edmondson said. “Instead of people coming here and taking pictures on a lot with an abandoned building now, they have a place to reflect and take on those values that John Lewis left in us.”
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