At a ceremony of February 29, officials broke ground on Destination Crenshaw, an ambitious open space and public art project celebrating African-American culture.

The 1.3-mile project, which will flank the section of the Crenshaw/LAX Line which runs at-grade between 60th Street and Vernon Avenue, is broken into four nodes.

Improvisation, located at Slauson Avenue, will include three-dimensional art elements and a new Crenshaw monument to mark the southern boundary of the project area. 

First, located at 54th Street, will include two new pocket parks and a new satellite office for the Los Angeles City Council's 8th District. 

Dreams, located at 50th Street, will center on the iconic Crenshaw Wall, adding a new parklet above the public art display and a pocket park on the opposite site of the street.  

Togetherness, the northern boundary marker at Crenshaw Boulevard and Leimert Park, will include a pocket park, an observation area, and a public art display.

The completed project will include 11 parks, a public amphitheater, and new street trees.

Destination Crenshaw's design team includes Perkins and Will and Studio MLA.

Completion is expected in late Fall 2020.

Planning for Destination Crenshaw began after the controversial decision to place the Crenshaw/LAX Line at-grade along a long section of Crenshaw Boulevard as a cost-saving measure.  The project has been billed as a way to turn "insult into opportunity."

Los Angeles City Councilmember Herb Wesson, who is currently campaigning for a seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, has recently proposed a northern extension of Destination Crenshaw to Obama Boulevard.