After several years of work, multiple meetings with the Community Redevelopment Agency requesting funds and numerous responses for community input, the Knight Creative Communities Institute was able to debut the beginning improvements of the long-awaited Bicentennial Square at Tallahassee City Hall.
Members from the recent KCCI Catalyst classes and city government brought fans, were offered lemonade and sweet tea and were vying for every possible space of shade as they fought against the June 23 heat to enjoy the officially named square, on the north side of City Hall between Adams Street and Duval Street and across from the Hayward House restaurant.
“Bicentennial Square celebrates Tallahassee as a creative capital city with elements that enhance connectivity and invite residents and visitors to enjoy this welcoming public space,” Tallahassee Mayor John E. Dailey said.
The morning event marked the completion of Phase 1, which includes new planters, an “I (heart) TLH” sculpture that doubles as a bike rack, and new colonnade lighting to enhance safety.
“It gives me a lot of pride in Tallahassee and makes me very proud of the work of our Community Catalysts and the grassroots voices that came together with the city leadership that helped guide it … we really wanted to create a place that is welcoming for all,” KCCI Executive Director Betsy Couch said.
What we know about Bicentennial Square
The project has its roots in September 2023, when KCCI announced that the 2024 Community Catalyst placemaking initiative would be “creating a vision for a downtown bicentennial park in honor of Tallahassee’s 200th anniversary.”
From there, the project gained momentum in March and April of 2024 when the institute began the planning process for their master plan and when they also released a survey to gain feedback from the community.
Last August, KCCI presented a vision of the future park which offered shade, informational kiosks, benches, bike racks, and the possibility of a 24-hour public restroom in the heart of downtown.
At the CRA meeting in October 2024, the board unanimously voted to give the city of Tallahassee $516,000 to fully fund Phases 1 and 2 of the project.
Bicentennial Square still has two phases before it will be fully completed. Some more work needs to be done before KCCI can move ahead. Bicentennial Square is set to be completed in 2026.
(This story was updated to add new information and clarify other information.)
Arianna Otero is the trending and breaking news reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com and follow her on X: @ari_v_otero.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Ta-dah: Bicentennial Square at Tallahassee City Hall is ready for its close-up
Reporting by Arianna Otero, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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