Two decades of dormancy ended for a park in Hawthorne on Saturday when it reopened following a complete and community-minded overhaul.
Bicentennial Park was shuttered in the late 1990s for ongoing illicit activity. The tennis court and gazebo space has now been transformed into a park, complete with a playground, a splash pad and 60 newly planted trees.
Input was sought from local residents, and their engagement in the park's reopening was important, said Viviana Franco, the executive director of From Lot to Spot, the organization that sparked the revitalization.
"You know, they felt so empowered that somebody was asking them," Franco told KPCC.
From Lot to Spot is working on developing other green spaces – including a walkway in Boyle Heights – by the end of this year.