The Rebirth Of Selena Sloan Butler Park

After seven months and a $1.6 million grant, Selena Sloan Butler Park in the Old Fourth Ward is open again.

Representatives of the National Recreation and Park Association, in partnership with Parks Build Community, held a ceremony earlier this month to reintroduce the 3.36-acre site to the community.

Named for Selena Sloan Butler, a key figure in the struggle for racial equality in American education and co-founder of the National Parent-Teacher Association, the park was heavily damaged in by tornadoes in 2008.

The revitalization effort include an active use plaza – equipped with picnic tables, park benches, alternative outdoor games and game tables, picnic/grill area, upgraded playground equipment, corner plaza, multi-purpose field, refurbished tennis and basketball courts, walking track and a community garden.

In honor of Selena Butler’s memory, NRPA also partnered with the National PTA and several local elementary schools on a tile design project. Students from Hope Hill and Cook elementary schools, as well as The Intown Academy painted tiles expressing what parks and recreation mean to them. All 40 of the tiles were installed into two separate walls surrounding the Butler Park Community Center and unveiled during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.