The City of Columbus will have the very first park dedicated to social justice thanks to the First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ of Columbus. The park will sit on the corner of Broad Street and Cleveland Avenue. PFW has provided a conduit grant to the Special Improvement District (SID) for the Discovery District to be able to contribute to the sculpture which will be the center piece place of quietude and contemplation
“Our focus is to have it as a community park,” said Tom Worley the Park Planning Group Chair. “Our hope is to open the park next summer.”
The new green space is part of the 2010 Downtown Columbus Strategic Plan. This plan is part of the city’s effort to continue to improve the downtown area. The park will fall into the Creative Campus, an area that includes the Columbus Art Museum, the Columbus College of Art and Design, and Columbus State Community College. The park will be named after Rev. Dr. Washington Gladden. Gladden was a minister at First Congregational Church UCC during the turn of the 20th century. Not only was he heavily involved in the church, he was very involved with the community. Rev. Gladden was an advocate of many causes including racial equality, religious tolerance, workers rights, the right to clean drinking water. By naming the park after Rev. Gladden, the church hopes to honor his memory and encourage others to fight for their community the way he did.
