The City of Seattle finally broke ground on the long-planned Jimi Hendrix Park, marking a two-and-a-half acre stretch of land adjacent to the Northwest African American Museum in Seattle's Central District to honor its hometown guitar hero.
Rolling Stone reports the park's organizers, the Jimi Hendrix Park Foundation, envision the park as being a place where people of different backgrounds will find the motivation to explore music and art, while celebrating Seattle's cultural heritage, experiencing community pride and appreciating the programming of the museum next door.
The bulk of the construction will take place in 2015.
City officials, volunteers of the park committee and area residents were all present at the ceremony. At the groundbreaking, Scott Murase – the design principle of Murase Associates of Seattle, which will be working on the park's second phase – exclaimed, "Let the Experience begin!"
"Every project endorsed by our family which bears Jimi's name is meaningful to us, but this park holds special significance," the rock legend's sister, Janie Hendrix – who is also the president and CEO of Experience Hendrix, LLC – commented. "Seattle will always be Jimi's home. This very area is where Jimi grew up, where his dreams were cultivated and his creative energy awakened, in many ways. So to see this amazing place of beauty, dedicated to Jimi and his artistry, blossom into reality is indescribably fulfilling. Having been involved in each facet of the park's creation, I can honestly say that this musical garden is a fitting representation of Jimi's imagination. It is truly inspired."
Meanwhile, the Jimi Hendrix documentary, “Hear My Train A Comin’”, which aired on PBS last year, has earned two Emmy nominations for the upcoming August 25th ceremony.
The film about the life of the guitar legend was nominated for "Outstanding Picture Editing For Nonfiction Programming", as well as for "Outstanding Sound Mixing For Nonfiction Programming."
Available on DVD and Blu-ray, the package features an array of special features highlighted by never-before-released film footage, including performances filmed at Miami Pop, the July 1970 New York Pop Festival and the September 6, 1970 Love & Peace Festival at the Isle Of Fehmarn in Germany—the final performance by Hendrix.
Hosted by Seth Myers, the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards will air live on NBC, Monday, August 25th at 8:00pm ET/5:00pm PT from the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE In Los Angeles.
See also:
Jimi Hendrix documentary earns two Emmy nominations
Jimi Hendrix biopic All Is By My Side trailer released
Official Jimi Hendrix sculpture to be unveiled
Jimi Hendrix album banned in Malaysia 47 years after release
Search Jimi Hendrix at hennemusic
