You could call it a groundbreaking, but it was more of a concrete breaking, cracking into the Manchester Parking Lot near Central Bank Center and Rupp Arena as the audience broke into a hearty round of applause.
It takes some imagination to picture the spot where officials and supporters were standing as a bustling park. Allison Lankford, the park’s executive director agrees – for now.
"Sometimes when you're standing in the middle of this parking lot, it's so hard to envision how this could become a beautiful park," she says. "But if you think about parks like Central Park or Bryant Park in New York, that is what we're creating right here in the heart of downtown Lexington."
Another nickname organizers have adopted for the 11-acre destination: Lexington’s living room. Complete with a large permanent stage meant for local and touring acts, children’s play areas, water features, a dog park, art installations, and Town Branch itself flowing up into the space.
Key fundraiser and chair of the park’s board of advisors Ann Bakhaus says the project, which will bridge downtown and the Distillery District, is more than just another beautification initiative.
"This will be the most transformational project that ever happened to Lexington and it will live for generations to come," she predicts.
Bakhaus says, while the $39 million fundraising effort took place over years, the park itself was an "easy sell" once the idea took off.
As for the ribbon cutting for the park, don’t look for that ceremony until summer 2025.
