(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The City of Chicago celebrated with community members the transformation of a 20-year vacant lot in Bronzeville.
The new outdoor space at Martin Luther King Drive in East 47th Street in Bronzeville offers the community a green space to enjoy.
The ribbon cutting ceremony for the South Side Sanctuary plaza featured an opening from the King College Prep High School marching band and included local vendors, selling food, drinks and merchandise.
“By bringing neighbors together in this space, we will spear foot traffic for local businesses, support our young people and we will create safer communities,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson, who attended the event celebrating the transformation of a vacant lot.
Trotter Alexander, a Chicago-based artist created the murals on the external fences and center stage of South Side Sanctuary.
He says color is the first thing he wants people to notice when they walk into the plaza.
“I guess I’m a very flamboyant person, and I wanted to bring that flamboyancy, especially here. Because, when I think ‘sanctuary,’ I want a lot of color and I want a lot of abstraction – just a lot of art.”
The project is one of 11 plazas created through the city's Public Outdoor Plaza program.
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