Flint opens Park honoring St. John Street Neighborhood History
October 29, 2026
Renae King
Originally published on: ABC12 News
FLINT, Mich. (WJRT) - The City of Flint is celebrating the completion of a new park honoring a historic neighborhood that was demolished more than 50 years ago.
The project was funded primarily through a $1 million Michigan Department of Natural Resources grant, along with city funding
Community members and leaders gathered earlier today for a ribbon-cutting at the St. John Street Neighborhood Memorial Park. The neighborhood was once home to a thriving, racially diverse community of Black and immigrant families.
Thousands of residents were displaced in the early 1970s when the area was cleared for I-475 and industrial expansion. The new $1.2 million park features a historically themed playground, walking paths and a pavilion for community events and educational programs.
City leaders say the project will preserve the neighborhood's legacy while creating a new space for families to gather.
"It means everything to us to have this site here," said James Wardlow, president of the St. John's Street Historical Committee. "It'll serve as a model for other communities that have undergone the same circumstances that the St. John community went through."