GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The process of redoing Rosa Parks Circle started in 2019. Pandemic problems and inclement weather mean it is opening up much later than anticipated. June 1st, however, the fence surrounding it came down.
It mostly looks the same.
“It started wearing at some of the material we had here. The concrete started chipping and looking ragged,” Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation Project Manager Karie Enriquez said.
Originally, concrete was used for the steps to the "eclipse" to cut costs. But the new granite replacing it is exactly what the artist, Maya Lin, wanted. She hand picked it out from a quarry in California.
“Unfortunately that concrete went in, and Grand Rapids is a completely different town than it was 20 years ago,” Enriquez said.
In the last 20 years, Rosa Parks Circle has become an important gathering space. It only seemed right to redo what needed replacing.
“It’s taking the Maya Lin vision, and bringing the material up in quality,” Enriquez said.
Maya Lin's work of art in Downtown Grand Rapids was never going to be changed completely. The upgrades aren't super noticeable unless you look for them, unless you know what things looked like before.
The City of Grand Rapid's Parks and Recreation Project Manager says—there's no love lost towards anyone who says it looks "the same."
“It doesn’t hurt my feelings at all. And I get it right? The vision that Maya Lin had, you look at it now. It probably looks very similar to how it did 20 years ago when the concrete was new, when everything was new,” Enriquez said.
The pandemic delayed the construction, first. Rosa Parks Circle was supposed to be finished months ago.
“With shipping delays, manufacturing delays, fabrication delays, all of those delays, pushed things back a little bit. But we have it now,” Enriquez said.
Also delaying the project— the new granite installation.
“It’s decomposed granite, which is a new material. It has a binder in it. The binder doesn’t work if it’s rained within 72 hours, or if the weather gets below 40 degrees. This spring.. all of those have happened,” Enriquez said.
A long Michigan spring meant that construction wasn't possible. But now, it's open for anyone to enjoy—going forward.
"It's like Grand Rapids' living room," Enriquez said.
