New community space opens in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood

CHICAGO - A new community space is breathing fresh life into Chicago's historic Bronzeville neighborhood.

The South Side Sanctuary, a 13,000-square-foot outdoor green space, opened its doors to the public on Tuesday, offering a vibrant hub for wellness, community pride, and economic revitalization.

Located in the 4700 block of South Martin Luther King Drive, the South Side Sanctuary features a performance stage, picnic areas, outdoor classrooms, and a market space. The project was funded by a $712,000 Public Outdoor Plaza grant from the City of Chicago's Department of Planning and Development.

The Sanctuary promises to provide integrative wellness activities, including yoga, sharing circles, and wellness workshops. It will also focus on entrepreneurship and innovation, hosting pop-ups, farmers markets, and skills-based training in partnership with organizations such as Polished Pebbles and Revolution Workshop. Additionally, arts and culture will be highlighted through public art displays and music education programs.

This initiative serves as a national model for revitalizing vacant spaces, demonstrating a commitment to community investment.

"Today is a demonstration of my administration’s commitment to investing in the people of Chicago," said Mayor Brandon Johnson at the opening ceremony. "These plazas are the result of our leveraging historic federal funding and through our Road to Recovery program. The funds are helping us to invest in young people, community safety, mental health and wellness, arts and culture, and more quality of life amenities for our communities. And furthermore, we are revitalizing communities with our $1.25 billion housing and economic development bond. It's the largest housing and economic development for our people in the history of Chicago."

For more information on community programming, visit southsidesanctuary.org.