Henrietta Lacks Educational Park
1002 Harford Road
Neighborhood: Johnston Square
Transforming a neglected park into a community anchor
In 2017, Parks & People broke ground on Phase I of Henrietta Lacks Educational Park (formerly Ambrose Kennedy Park), then a blighted 1.75-acre park located between Latrobe Homes and Johnston Square Elementary School. At the time, three-quarters of the park was paved with broken asphalt. The remainder of the park contained two basketball courts in poor condition, patches of browning grass, and a small community pool.
Parks & People worked alongside residents and partner organizations to transform Henrietta Lacks Educational Park from a dream into a reality. Henrietta Lacks now offers walking paths, a landscaped amphitheater, flowering shade trees, a playing field, a swimming pool, a splash pad play space, and two new basketball courts—a $1.2 million investment. Read more about the completion of Phase I here.
Our role
Parks & People joined the project team in June 2016 and led the project design and implementation with partner BCRP. In 2017, Parks & People broke ground on Phase I of Henrietta Lacks Educational Park.
Parks & People worked alongside residents and partner organizations to transform Henrietta Lacks Educational Park into a community park all can enjoy.
Partners
Baltimore City Recreation and Parks
Rebuild Metro
Rebuild Johnston Square
Saint Francis Academy
CityScape Engineering
Before
After
Before
After
Construction
Address: 1002 Harford Road
Neighborhood: Johnston Square
Project Type: Post Demo Project
Residents within a 0.25 mile radius: 4,600
Size: 1.75 acres
More to come!
Henrietta Lacks Educational Park Phase II, initiated in 2023, will expand the western side of the park to incorporate a skate park, outdoor classroom, garden, and tennis/pickleball courts.