Help make a beloved Phoenix park better
With 32 acres of open space, walking paths, dog parks, a state of the art playground and cultural facilities, Margaret T. Hance Park is a hallmark in the renaissance of downtown Phoenix.
Built atop the Interstate 10 tunnel and opened in 1992 as Deck Park, the community gathering spot is getting lots of attention lately.
The most recent addition to the park is Fiesta Bowl Play, an $8.6 million, 20,000-square-foot mega playground that opened Dec. 15, 2020. It has a giant sand area, shade canopy, rock-climbing slope, splash pad and plenty of desert landscaping. It was the park’s first significant face-lift in over 20 years. It won’t be the last.
The Hance Park Conservancy, a nonprofit that promotes improvements and redevelopment of the park, is hosting Noche en Blanco, a fundraiser to boost awareness of the park’s importance to downtown communities and cultures.
The Oct. 30 event on the park’s east lawn is in partnership with the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department to raise funds for the conservancy and the Hance Park Revitalization Project, a $100 million master plan to make Hance the “Central Park of Phoenix.”
What to expect at Noche en Blanco
Now in its sixth year, Noche en Blanco is a dinner, multicultural performance event and fundraiser. It was inspired by Dîner en Blanc (”Dinner in White” in French), a tradition that started in Paris over 30 years ago. Guests will be welcomed by long rows of tables draped in white linens, with strings of lights illuminating the evening sky. Guests are encouraged to dress in white attire.
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego will kick things off with a toast at sunset. Performers include the Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra and groups that call Hance Park home, including the Japanese Friendship Garden, Irish Culture Center, Mariachi Fusíon, The Nash Jazz Club and the Arizona School for the Arts.
Proceeds from donations and ticket sales will support park events and improvements.
“It is a celebration of multicultural arts and music and just people coming together,” said Dorina Bustamante, event chair and member of the park’s board of trustees. “We want to raise awareness about not just the park itself, but all of the amazing arts and cultural venues, all the historic neighborhoods and the accessibility to light rail. This is a park for all people.”
What’s next for Margaret T. Hance Park?
The fundraising campaigns to benefit the park’s master plan are coordinated by a public-private partnership called the Hance Park Partner Coalition, which comprises the city, the Phoenix Community Alliance and the Hance Park Conservancy.
The coalition raises money from public and private sources, and Phoenix has dedicated $15 million of voter-approved Phoenix Parks and Preserve Initiative funds toward the master plan.
People can follow the plan’s progress by reading the Hance Park newsletter on https://www.phoenix.gov. The latest update, on Feb. 26, revealed enhanced landscape plantings, additional trees on the south side of the park and a new set of steps on the north side for visitors entering from the Culver Street parking lot. A rendering of the final site plan that was updated in December 2020 is also available.
Leah Fregulia, president of the Hance Park Conservancy, said it’s important for the implementation of the master plan to be an open and public process involving
all the communities that use the park.
Representatives from Evans Churchill Neighborhood, Roosevelt Historic Neighborhood and Midtown are just some of the many community members who have contributed their voice to the project.
“I think that public and private partnerships are just so essential to accomplishing any community priority that needs additional fundraising and guidance beyond our city government or our public entities,” said Fregulia, CEO of the Arizona School for the Arts adjacent to the park. “We can’t just look to government to solve all the needs in our community.”
While the coalition has not announced what additions are next, Fregulia said visitors can expect an amphitheater on the east side of the park that will serve as a gathering spot and performance space. The city also will be sending out a request for proposals to potential vendors who want to be part of the park. Other ideas under discussion include more gardens and groves of trees.
“The plan will largely be implemented based upon what makes sense, what’s possible and what kinds of funds we have available. And then likely sponsors who want to sponsor particular aspects of the park will help us determine which phases or which elements of the park are coming,” Fregulia said.