Virtual Belmar Park Event To Honor Santa Monica's Black Community

SANTA MONICA, CA — The City of Santa Monica will host a virtual grand opening celebration to unveil Historic Belmar Park, Santa Monica’s newest open space on Feb. 28 at 3 p.m.

The recreation space is an expansion of Santa Monica's parks and reflects on some of Santa Monica's earliest members of the Black community, where residents lived from 1900 to the 1950s, the city announced.

“We are proud to open Santa Monica’s newest open space, Historic Belmar Park, and to unveil the culmination of the Belmar History + Art project, a community-driven effort to explore, celebrate and shine a bright light on the site of Santa Monica’s former thriving African American neighborhood,” Mayor Sue Himmelrich said in a statement. “I hope we will see many Santa Monicans young and old join the virtual celebration and that every resident will find time to safely enjoy Historic Belmar Park for recreation and to steep yourself in a painful part of our local history.”

The virtual event will officially open the 3.5-acre multi-purpose sports field complex adjacent to the Civic Auditorium. The concept of a field in the Civic Center was raised throughout the early and mid-1990s and ultimately included in the 2005 Civic Center Specific Plan. Years of work by many community members followed; plans for the construction of a synthetic turf sports field near 4th and Pico gained momentum in 2015. A groundbreaking occurred in summer 2019.

“This is a joyous moment for the legions of community members who advocated for this great new facility for youth and adult recreation,” said Maryanne LaGuardia, Vice Chair of the Santa Monica Recreation and Parks Commission. “This is many years in the making and a much-needed addition to our local network of parks, fields, and open space. When the pandemic is behind us, I look forward to seeing a fully activated Historic Belmar Park!”

The new park showcases an outdoor exhibition that includes the public art installation “A Resurrection in Four Stanzas,” created by artist April Banks and historical panels created through the work of historian Dr. Alison Rose Jefferson. This is the culmination of the Belmar History + Art project, a collaboration between the City of Santa Monica and community leaders to mark the site of this historical injustice and tell the stories of the historically Black community members who lived there until they were displaced in the 1950s.

“It is encouraging to be a part of this project dedicated to sharing the history and memories of our community that were overlooked for many years,” said Robbie Jones, local historian, activist, and Belmar History + Art community advisory committee member. “This park and the dedicated artwork represent the displaced Santa Monica families and offer a starting point for the healing process of our Black community.”

The city will unveil the artwork and historical panels during the virtual event and will also include a Time Capsule burial dedicated to a collection of this early history as well as remarks by Project Historian Dr. Jefferson and Project Artist Banks.

Face masks and social distancing are required when visiting Santa Monica and the Historic Belmar Park and art installations, officials said.

To register for the virtual grand opening celebration, visit santamonica.gov/historicbelmarpark. A recording of the virtual event will also be rebroadcast on CityTV Channel 16 on March 1 at 8 p.m., and available on the City's YouTube channel. To learn more on the Belmar History + Art Project, visit santamonica.gov/arts/belmar.

The City of Santa Monica has also launched an effort to prioritize housing opportunities for Santa Monicans and their descendants who were displaced by the construction of the Civic Center complex. To learn more about this work, visit santamonica.gov/righttoreturn.