After 10 years — longer than his meteoric music career — a park to honor Seattle native Jimi Hendrix is finally nearing completion. The fully designed Jimi Hendrix Park will open August 27th.

The 2.5 acre green space at 25th Ave and S Massachusetts was established in 2006 on the site of the former Colman School. A large fence had cordoned off much of the area as plans have inched forward to add facilities, design elements, and historic identifiers.

Thanks to a fundraising campaign and a $200,000 award from King County, The Jimi Hendrix Park Foundation has funded the last phase of construction of a shelter and Hendrix-inspired design elements. The park, which is adjacent to the Northwest African American Museum, will remain fenced off to allow grass to grow throughout the spring and summer.

The park’s rock and roll design is inspired by Hendrix, who grew up near the area. The entrance and main path will be alongside a long guitar-like structure. The Jimi Hendrix Park Foundation also hopes to host music events at the park and “beautify Seattle, motivate youth and others to achieve in music and art, and strengthen the cultural pulse of the Emerald City,” according to the group’s website.

Hendrix t-shirts are now for sale to help sustain the park foundation.

Once the park is complete, it will only be a comparatively quick seven years until light rail arrives just steps away at the Judkins Park Station. Construction on station is slated to begin by mid-2017. It will be the western-most station on the 10-stop East Link line which will connect to the Link line at the International District/Chinatown Station.

(Image: Murase Associates)