South Bend celebrates completion of MLK Jr. Dream Center building
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South Bend Mayor James Mueller joined city, council and state representatives on Friday to celebrate the completion of the Martin Luther King Jr. Dream Center project with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
Participants marched from the Civil Rights Heritage Center to the MLK Jr. Dream Center in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated on the same day 57 years ago.
“Today makes clear that Dr. King’s dream is still alive and well in South Bend,” Mayor James Mueller said. “I am proud of our community for working together to build the dream and look forward to revitalizing this neighborhood and uplifting our community for generations to come.”
The new Dream Center replaces the torn down 1973 MLK Center and the current location was formerly home to Linden School, a historically Black grade school.
Event spaces, an audio-visual broadcasting studio, a computer lab, a commercial kitchen, convertible indoor sports courts, locker and fitness centers are some of the amenities community members can expect to enjoy at the new 40,000-square-foot location.
First announced in Mueller’s 2021 State of the City Address, design and programming for the “Build the Dream” project was informed by community feedback obtained at various points from December 2021 through March 2022. Community members also made up the Community Action Group mobilized by the city for the project’s success.
Currently, more than $27 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, grants, sponsors and donors have been invested into the MLK Jr. Dream Center and the city’s efforts to revitalize the Linden Avenue corridor.
“Together, we celebrate the 50-year legacy of community empowerment, inspiring change and hope,” Venues Parks & Arts Executive Director Jordan Gathers said. “From the King Center to the MLK Jr. Dream Center, we continue to shape a better tomorrow. Building on a foundation of strength, unity and progress, we honor the past and dream bigger for the future.”
While the Dream Center building is complete, final site improvements are still underway and programming is not open currently. Programs and staff can still be accessed at Kennedy Park and The O’Brien Center on the city’s south side.