ALLENTOWN, Pa. — City officials, community leaders and a representative from the Bezos Earth Fund on Saturday unveiled renderings for a renovation of Franklin Park, a 1.1-acre neighborhood space west of 14th Street between Chew and Turner streets, according to The Allentown Parknership.
The plan calls for two playgrounds, a pavilion with restrooms, community garden beds, a full-size basketball court, a splash pad, exercise equipment, seating and game tables, a bike station, an open lawn and more than 40 trees, the Parknership said.
The project is funded by a $4 million grant from the Bezos Earth Fund’s Greening America’s Cities initiative to the Parknership, the city’s official charitable partner for its Parks and Recreation Department. The Bezos Earth Fund announced the grant in a July 7 release naming Allentown as one of eight cities sharing $100 million in second-round funding under the initiative.
“So earlier this summer we were able to announce the next group of cities that will be receiving support through this initiative,” said Diana Johnson, senior manager of Greening America’s Cities at the Bezos Earth Fund. “We have eight cities in total, and we are very thrilled that Allentown is one of those cities. Through a $4 million grant from the Bezos Earth Fund, the Allentown Partnership and the city of Allentown will lead the transformation of Franklin Park into a greener, cooler, and more welcoming space.”
The design unveiling preceded Saturday’s “Party in the Park,” a community celebration from noon to 3 p.m. coordinated by Ripple Community Inc. with Cohesion Network, Community Bike Works, Ripple Church and other neighborhood groups, drawing more than 200 neighbors for food, games, entertainment and neighborhood resources, according to the Parknership.
“This park is going to help us move that dial from resident to neighbor,” said Darian Colbert, founder and executive director of Cohesion Network, one of the groups behind Saturday’s event. “And there’s a difference. People just reside in the community, but once they see investments, seeing they’re no longer neglecting them, we’re out there engaging them, we get to move that dial from residents to neighbors, and then people get to be neighborly.”
“This is a demonstration of the ability of city government to work with philanthropic organizations and nonprofits alongside residents to meet the needs of our entire community,” Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk said. “Franklin Park shows us what happens when community organizations, city government, philanthropy, and others work alongside residents to achieve a shared vision. The park improvements are a huge win for the neighborhood, but the biggest success is empowered residents who know that they have a partner in improving the place that they live.”
The park serves more than 16,000 residents within a mile in one of the city’s most heat-vulnerable areas, the Parknership said. It was once home to Franklin Elementary School, which operated from 1888 to 1967, and has since served as a community gathering space, according to the release.
For more than 20 years, residents and groups have organized in the neighborhood under the Our Franklin Park coalition, which now includes more than 10 organizations, according to the Parknership.
“This $4 million investment gives us an extraordinary opportunity to build on years of community stewardship and create a park that better supports the way people already gather, play, and connect here,” said Sherri Binder, executive director of Ripple Community Inc.
“This is going to be a phenomenal park when it’s done,” said Ruffian Tittmann, the Parknership’s executive director. “I think it’s really an amazing asset for the residents here and a real example of what’s possible when we bring together our municipal government, community partners, and residents, and then philanthropic efforts on top of it. So I’m thrilled.”
The grant is the largest the Parknership has received since it was launched in 2024, according to the organization.