A new temporary pop-up park in Akron is now open for visitors. It's part of an effort to get more people to the north side of Akron’s downtown.
Funded by the Downtown Akron Partnership and the Knight Foundation, the pocket park is on North High Street, catty-corner to the Akron Art Museum.
It has custom-made benches, vibrant lighting and a view of a newly-designed mural by the University of Akron's Art Bomb Brigade.
The entire park fits into what are normally just a few parking spaces on the street.
"Before it was just kind of plain sidewalks. It wasn’t really well lit. And we’ve just kind of brought in some of those enhancements to kind of test it, see how it’s taken," said Sharon Gillberg, who is with the Downtown Akron Partnership.
The park is part of the "Space Lift" program to enhance downtown public spaces.
Gillberg said the minipark will only be around for the summer, but certain aspects like the lighting installations could become permanent.
The first "Space Lift" project debuted in May with a mural painted on the street near the Northside Marketplace.
A future project is planned for Lock 3. It's called Lock Next.
Copyright 2021 WKSU. To see more, visit WKSU. 9(MDA5NTM4MTIyMDE0MTg3NDc2MTVlZjdmNQ001))