Creating a more beautiful and inviting space for all people to gather, have fun, explore nature, and relax.
PLEASE NOTE: Construction on Malcolm X Park will begin Sept 19. The park will be closed in its entirety while this work is underway. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.
In 1978, Black students organized and staged a takeover of the park, demanding that it be owned by the community, not the city, and renamed for the human and civil rights activist Malcolm X. Their latter demand was granted, and in the following decades Malcolm X Park provided a safe space for neighborhood children to play and connect with the Fall Kill Creek, as well as a gathering area for community events.
In recent years, deferred maintenance has limited the park’s ability to meet the public health, social, and recreational needs of Northside residents. The good news: Work has begun to restore it and add exciting new features. The park was adopted by The Hudson Valley ReEntry Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting formerly incarcerated people and their families. In 2017, the ReEntry Network spearheaded numerous clean-ups and initiatives, including creating a new sign for the park, which honors the history and legacy of the site.
Informed by input shared through a community engagement process, future plans call for repaving the popular basketball courts and replacing the court-side bleachers. Construction will begin soon, and new improvements include pathways, seating, grills, play equipment, a pavilion, basketball court resurfacing, a community-painted mural and new plantings. The mural and quotes by Malcolm X are envisioned to inspire others to follow his legacy. New trees and native landscaping will also help to enhance the water quality of Fall Kill Creek, which runs alongside the park. Portions of the park may be closed while this work is underway.
The “new” Malcolm X Park will be a more beautiful and inviting space for all people to gather, have fun, explore nature, and relax. By strengthening the park’s connection to the Fall Kill Creek, it also will be an outstanding place for schoolchildren to engage in hands-on lessons about this Hudson River tributary, explore the creek’s wildlife, and join in efforts to keep it clean.
The City of Poughkeepsie, which owns the park.
Other partners include The PARKnership, Scenic Hudson and New City Parks. The architecture firm MASS Design Group created preliminary designs for the project.
The project will occur in phases, as funding becomes available. The first phase will begin in 2022.
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