Cover image: "Prairie" at Parc Aretha Franklin
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Long-time Paris resident and friend Joseph Langley recently posted a message on Facebook saying that he discovered a new park in Paris that was named after Aretha Franklin.

Intrigued, I sprang into action to research the park and plan a visit.

The Mairie (town hall) of the 20th arrondissement is touting Parc Aretha Franklin as the biodynamic anchor for a complete revitalization of the new Python-Duvernois quarter.  This will include construction of new housing and rehabilitation of current social housing, extension of the Louis Lumière community center, rehabilitation of existing day care, health, and sports centers, and creation of new commercial spaces.

Three social housing buildings slated for rehabilitation
(viewed from Parc Aretha Franklin)
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Louis Lumière Community Center
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Last Friday, Tom and I made our way to the eastern edge of the lower half of the 20th arrondissement to see the park for ourselves. 

Though it was opened less than a month ago, the vegetation was quite lush.

Vegetation at Parc Aretha Franklin
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Flora adjacent to water basin
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Lawn and trees
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Still, there were plenty of signs informing visitors that the lawns were not ready for use.

Lawn growing - this zone is temporarily not accessible
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Parc Aretha Franklin is being opened in three phases. 

Phase I - the area we visited - was inaugurated on July 18, 2024.  It consists of a 900 square meter water basin, 

Water basin and surrounding flora
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Water basin
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Water lilies
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a basketball court/soccer enclosure,

Water basin and basketball court/soccer enclosure
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Basketball court/soccer enclosure
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Basketball hoop and backboard
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a large playground for children,

Playground
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Giant giraffe and sliding board
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ping pong and board game tables,

Ping pong tables
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Board game tables
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an exercise trail complete with training equipment,

Exercise trail with training equipment
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Exercise trail with woman training
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Woman training on Stairmaster
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a long stretch of "prairie,"

Prairie adjacent to rue Serpollet entrance
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and flower beds.

Flower bed and bench
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Flower bed
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There are numerous upright chairs, reclining chairs, and benches along pathways and on lawns to accommodate people who wish to relax and socialize.

Picnic table
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Lounge chairs
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"Bench block"
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Thanks to motion-sensitive lighting, Parc Aretha Franklin is accessible 24 hours a day.  The playground and basketball court areas are not illuminated after 10 PM.

By the time work is finished, the park will be roughly three times the size it is now. 

Phase II of construction continues behind a white fence that faces the social housing buildings shown above. 

Phase II construction area
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Construction of buildings for commercial use has begun behind a wire fence at the eastern border of the park.

Construction workers preparing a barbecue lunch
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I have not been able to find out whether any namesakes other than Franklin were considered for the park.  At present, no photos of her are posted on the signage.

Eric Pliez, Mayor of the 20th arrondissement, announced that the entire park will cover 2.7 hectares and be planted with 220 trees. 

During his pronouncement, Pliez rhetorically asked, "What better name for the park than the legendary Aretha Franklin"? He referred to her song "Respect" as a "global emancipator" and said that the 20th arrondissement is proud to have a park that bears her name because of her civil rights activism in the U.S. during the 1960s.  He specifically cited Franklin's offer to pay Angela Davis' bail and active participation in the Free Angela movement.

He ended his announcement by saying the following (English translation):

"To name a park 'Aretha Franklin' today is to honor a woman whose heritage cannot be summarized in a few words, but also, it is to firmly remind [us] that racism has no place either in Paris or in France."

To watch Pliez deliver his presentation of the park (in French), click HERE.

Parc Aretha Franklin sign
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