DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit's new 22-acre Ralph C. Wilson Centennial Park officially opened this weekend, marking the completion of an eight-year project that transformed the city's riverfront with a $50 million investment.
Watch Faraz's full story on the park's opening in the video below
The park, formerly known as West Riverfront Park, was reimagined in 2017 before receiving the major gift from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation in 2018 that made the project possible.
"You don't always see this, you don't always get this, but this is what Detroit needs," said Alise King, lead singer of The Alise King Experience, who performed at the opening weekend festivities.
King, who describes herself as a proud East Sider, expressed her excitement about being part of the historic opening alongside other performers, including the Jacksons.
"It means the world to be on the same building, the same flyer as the Jacksons. Oh my God. So it means the world. It's one thing to be a part of something, but to be a part of history, the feeling is unexplainable," King said.
The new park features a play garden, sports house, water garden, and event spaces, adding to Detroit's award-winning Riverwalk. King emphasized the importance of having safe community spaces where families can gather.
"When you have parks like this, they work as a safe haven for the community to say, hey, you can bring your family here. You can bring your kids here. You can bring your dog here. It's saying it's giving a bigger, a better Detroit, saying we're improving," King said.
Mary Wilson, life trustee of the Wilson Foundation, said the park represents her late husband's vision coming to life.
"Detroit deserves it. People from all over the world will come and see this park because it took great teamwork. Because it took community helping design it, community helping build it," Wilson said.
Wilson shared that her husband would visit the site daily during development and would be proud to see the community collaboration that made the park possible.
"He would just be so proud. Because it's all about teamwork. He created teamwork in everything he did. And his life was about bringing people from all walks of life together," Wilson said.
Detroit Riverfront Conservancy CEO Ryan Sullivan said the park provides the organization's largest platform for public engagement, with plans for another opening in the spring.
"This gives us the largest platform that we have ever had to engage with the public and welcome them. So, we have a lot planned for the next year, including another opening in the spring," Sullivan said.
The opening weekend featured Harvest Fest with 35 food trucks and live entertainment, drawing thousands of visitors to experience the new waterfront destination.
To learn more, head to https://www.detroitriverfront.org/events/calendar/2025/10/25/ralph-c-wilson-jr-centennial-park-grand-opening
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