Patriots Square Park was an urban park

Urban park

An urban park, is also known as a municipal park or a public park, public open space or municipal gardens , is a park in cities and other incorporated places to offer recreation and green space to residents of, and visitors to, the municipality...

 located in downtown Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

. The space has been redeveloped as part of the larger CityScape

CityScape (Phoenix)

Cityscape is a highrise mixed use development in Downtown Phoenix consisting of residential, retail, office, and hotel components. The project covers three downtown Phoenix city blocks and is located between First Avenue and First Street, and between Washington and Jefferson streets...

 office and retail project; large portions of the park were demolished as of the spring of 2009. Before the CityScape project broke ground in the fall of 2007, Patriots Square Park was a 2.5 acre (1 hectare) mixed-use park containing open space, an outdoor performing arts stage, and food concessions. The park also served as a decorative cover for a public parking structure located underground which still remains and is in use.

Patriots Square Park was the location of a number of community celebrations such as the Arizona Asian Festival and Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo is a holiday held on May 5. It is celebrated nationwide in the United States and regionally in Mexico, primarily in the state of Puebla, where the holiday is called El Dia de la Batalla de Puebla...

 celebrations. The park is also listed as one of the Phoenix Points of Pride

Phoenix Points of Pride

The Phoenix Points of Pride are 33 landmarks and attractions within the Phoenix, Arizona, city limits that are claimed to represent the best features of the city for both residents and visitors...

. It was originally constructed in 1976 and named in honor of the fighters of the American Revolutionary War

American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

, and redesigned in 1988 by Alexander and Associates, including the parking structure. In the years between then and the CityScape project, the space fell into slight disrepair and was frequented by transients.

Redevelopment

Often maligned as being underused and forgotten, Patriots Square Park became a fixture in local news in 2006 when RED Development's ambitious CityScape plan was expanded to include the park, approved by the Phoenix city council. The CityScape project is a large-scale urban redevelopment project that includes retail, hotels and high-rise construction. http://downtownphxrising.org/

Initial reports of the park being subsumed into the private project were met with sharp criticism, with angry residents raising objections over the city's actions. In spite of official statements claiming the plan was key to revitalizing the park, residents rallied against the perceived loss of park-space, and forced RED Development and the city to redraw the plans, unveiled at a public forum. Reaction to the redesign, while viewed as a minor victory by some opponents, was still largely negative.

The park officially re-opened on November 4, 2010, with a free concert over two days headlined by Macy Gray

Macy Gray

Macy Gray is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress, famed for her distinctive raspy voice, and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday and Betty Davis.Gray has released five studio albums, with her fifth studio album, The Sellout,...

 and Third Eye Blind

Third Eye Blind

Third Eye Blind is an American alternative rock band formed in the early 1990s in San Francisco. The songwriting duo of Kevin Cadogan and Stephan Jenkins signed the band's first major label recording contract with Elektra records in 1996 resulting in two multi platinum albums. The band's lineup...

.

External links

• Official site City of Phoenix parks page
• http://www.savepatriotspark.org/ Citizen group opposed to the redevelopment