Miller Park was the spark for Chattanooga in the 1970s that the Tennessee Aquarium was for the city in the 1990s.
Now, with an $8.5 million renovation on the park that was built in two phases for just over $1 million now underway, it may be instructive to recall how the green-space in the middle of the city's downtown was viewed when it was announced in 1973.
The park, then-Mayor Robert Kirk Walker said at the time, would "not only furnish rest and recreation to our people in the downtown business area but will be a great step in the beautification of our community." He described a place of "trees, grass, flowers and other objects of beauty," possibly including fountains and statuary, comprising "a true beauty spot of the downtown area."
Several years later, Joy Walker, the wife of the then-former mayor and the park's first program coordinator, described the vision of park namesake and benefactor Burkett Miller.
"For 20 years," she said, "[he] looked down from his office window in the Volunteer Building at the block in front of the Federal Building, parts of which were showing the blight of urban decay, and dreamed of a park encompassing the entire block [of then-Ninth, 10th, Georgia and Market streets]. Over the years, he shared his vision with others."
The idea apparently gained some traction in 1964. Indeed, a newspaper editorial at the time referred to talk "about open spaces, attractive vistas, fountains and green places" in the block. But it was nearly a decade later before work started.
After Miller Park's dedication in late 1976, with its corner at Ninth Street and Georgia Avenue still housing the First Federal Savings and Loan Association building, it became the "beauty spot" the former mayor spoke of. Chattanooga newspaper archives describe a wide range of activities in the park, including craft shows, theatrical performances, health tests and near year-round weekday entertainment. Photographs show dozens of people watching midday performances or listening to music.
Through the years, though, things changed. Entertainment became sparse, Miller Plaza across now-M.L. King Boulevard became more of a lunch hub and the original park became a semi-regular hangout for homeless individuals. The block was no longer getting the regular use it deserved.
The renovated - and now-closed park - is anticipated to be completed largely at street level and will include an amphitheater along 10th street, restrooms and a rocky outcropping at the corner of M.L. King and Georgia Avenue. It is expected to reopen July 3, 2018.
We hope the renovated park will again become the attractive hub it was when it was completed 41 years ago.