KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City, Missouri, residents will have a chance each of the next two weeks to weigh in on a proposed name change for the J.C. Nichols Fountain and adjacent J.C. Nichols Parkway.
The KC Parks and Recreation Board of Commissioners has scheduled a community engagement session for 6 p.m. on June 18 at the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center, 3700 Blue Parkway.
Another session will be conducted at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, June 24. This will be a virtual session and details will be released at a later time.
Both sessions will take place before the KC Parks board’s next scheduled meeting on June 30, when commissioners expect to hear an formal resolution on possibly renaming the fountain the “Dream Fountain” and renaming the road in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The KC Parks board will continue to gather input through at least July 9.
Commissioner Chris Goode proposed renaming the fountain in a letter to the board at Tuesday’s meeting.
Nichols, a famous developer who is credited with envisioning the Country Club Plaza, has been criticized for his redlining tactics, which were designed to keep black and Jewish families segregated.
The Kansas City community remains unusually segregated by race to this day due in large part to those policies supported by Nichols.
The idea has steadily gained popularity this week, drawing support from multiple civic groups Friday.
The Plaza has become a frequent protest sight, including the last few weeks since George Floyd’s murder at the hands Minneapolis police officers.
J.C. Nichols Parkway separates the Plaza from Mill Creek Park, where the fountain is located on the northeast corner of the intersection with West 47th Street.
Questions may be directed to KCParksEngage@kcmo.org.
