Although Purpose Park is tucked into a quiet street in the Hawthorne neighborhood of Indianapolis, you really can’t miss it when you come upon it.
Emerging from the ground at the entrance of the pocket park is a bright yellow 1964 Pontiac Bonneville car planted vertically in the ground. You’ve probably never seen anything like it — and especially nothing like it in the middle of an otherwise normal residential neighborhood.
At one time a vacant lot, this spot found a new life in 2014 when it was transformed into a space for neighbors to gather, kids to play and the community to flourish. Instead of an abandoned area, neighbors now have a beautiful place to call their own. Raised beds produce vegetables for the neighborhood. Fruit trees and vines decorate the park, as well as a casita that is used for community performances. Butterflies enjoy the native shrubs that line the park. Wooden stumps circle a fire pit that the community uses for campfires.
And that big car planted in the ground? It’s not just a photo op. (Although, what a cool photo op it is.) The underside of the Bonneville has been smoothed, and serves as an ideal projection screen for neighborhood movie nights.
If you want to see what happens when a community pulls together to create something great, make your way over to the west side of Indy and visit this this pocket park with a purpose.
Purpose Park
58 N. Holmes Ave., Indianapolis
