Council Votes to Name Park for Hendrix

The Seattle City Council this week passed a resolution supporting the naming of a park for rock-n-roll legend Jimi Hendrix.
The resolution supports the naming of the Colman School Lot, located in Seattle's Central Area, to recognize Hendrix's cultural contributions. The park is adjacent to the Northwest African American Museum at the Urban League Village, which is scheduled to open next year.

"This recognition is long overdue. The city of Seattle has yet to establish a fitting tribute to honor the significant historical and cultural contributions of Jimi Hendrix, one of our most famous native sons," said Councilor Jean Godden, the resolution's sponsor.

While the final decision is up to Parks Superintendent Ken Bounds, the resolution encourages the Parks Naming Committee and the parks superintendent to consider naming this park in his honor.

"Jimi Hendrix played an integral role in music and the arts. He is one of a number of musicians that our city can be proud of. This would be a lasting symbol of recognition for a very deserving artist that would allow his legacy to 'rock on'," said Councilor David Della, co-sponsor of the resolution.

The resolution also calls for city assistance in relocating a bronze statue of Hendrix now located on Broadway in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. The statue is owned by Hendrix fan and founder of AEI Music Network, Michael Malone. Malone has offered the statue to the city of Seattle, so it can be integrated into the park design. The resolution urges city agencies to provide resources so the Hendrix statue can be placed in the park.

Hendrix grew up in Seattle's Central District, where he taught himself to play the guitar as a teenager. Despite not knowing how to read or write music, Hendrix became a 20th-century rock-n-roll legend in his short-lived but long-celebrated musical career, pioneering electric guitar through an innovative combination of fuzz, feedback and controlled distortion that created a revolutionary musical form. Hendrix was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.