Norfolk’s Barraud Park Shows Off $4.5 Million Face Lift

By Rosaland Tyler
Associate Editor
New Journal and Guide

Barraud Park is showing off a $4.5 million facelift after its grand reopening celebration on Saturday Sept. 26.

Tennis great Arthur Ashe perfected his serve at this park, which was funded by the City of Norfolk to serve the African American community during the Jim Crow era. Mayor Kenneth Cooper Alexander, Ph.D., members of city council, and the Department of Parks and Recreation will host a special ribbon cutting and grand reopening celebration that will highlight the park’s recreational and entertainment facilities.

Thanks to Barraud Park’s long-time inclusive racial policies, Ashe is the only Black man to have won the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, or Australian Open. He is one of only two Black men to win any Grand Slam singles title, the other being France’s Yannick Noah, who won the French Open in 1983. Ashe also led the United States to victory for three consecutive years (1968–70) in the Davis Cup. Ashe commuted from Richmond to play matches and practice at the site because segregation laws prevented him from using Whites-only facilities in Richmond.

In 2024, Norfolk City Councilwoman Mamie Johnson solicited ideas from residents about upgrading the tennis court where Ashe and others had practiced.

She told New Journal and Guide Chief Reporter Leonard Colvin then that the city would spend $4.5 million for the project and had already invested in upgrading the shoreline along the Lafayette River as part of flood mitigation. The 17-acre site is located in the Barraud Park neighborhood, adjacent to the Lindenwood and Cottage Heights communities near  Tidewater Drive.

Now, visitors can stroll through the newly renovated park. The renovation includes newly constructed sports courts, enhanced green spaces, shelters and other updated amenities designed to serve residents of all ages, abilities and interests and create opportunities for people to play, gather, connect and enjoy the outdoors.

Launched in 1928, Barraud Park also welcomed other well-known athletes including Hampton Roads’ own boxer Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker, who participated in the city’s boxing program located in a small structure in the park. That program has been relocated to the Park Place area. Trailblazing boxing Coach Gloria Peek worked out of Barraud and made history as the first woman to coach male boxers at the 2012 Olympics.

For more information about Barraud Park, visit www.norfolk.gov/BarraudPark. Connect with Norfolk Parks and Recreation at www.norfolk.gov/parksandrec and on social media @NorfolkParksRec.