Hawthorne Park - Philadelphia

As part of its plan to rebuild a blighted neighborhood just south of Center City, turning it into Martin Luther King Plaza, the Philadelphia Housing Authority will construct a new public park, Hawthorne Park.

PHA has agreed to turn over a square block of its property at 12th and Catherine Streets to the City of Philadelphia for development and maintenance of Hawthorne Park, a $2.15 million park paid for by the state, the city of Philadelphia and several foundations.

The neighborhood used to be the site of an old style public housing high-rise project, but now features a combination of new public housing and high-end private market homes. Park construction will be complete in 2010.