Breaking Ground "The Mentor" The Muhammad Ali Center Newsletter Summer 2002It was an event marked by colorful multi-cultural performances local pride, heartfelt gratification-and even a few magic tricks by the Champ himself. June 11, 2002 was a day that Lonnie and Muhammad Alihad "anticipated for many years." in the sizzling summer heat of Louisville, amidst a crowd of over 200 people, Mayor Dave Armstrong-along with Lonnie and Muhammad Ali, and Chairwoman Ina Bond- broke ground for Phase I of the city's new facility.
Phase I of the Muhammad Ali Center will encompass a $7.5 million, 450-space parking garage owned bythe Parking Authority of River City (PARC) and a one-acre public plaza. The plaza will include an atriumfrom historic Main Street, dramatic upper level views of the Ohio River, and will be connected to the city's Belvedere and Riverfront Plaza via a new pedestrian bridge across Sixth Street; the plaza will also contain an outdoor amphitheater. Phase II of the project-which will begin in about a year-consists of the five-and-a-half story Muhammad Ali Center. The groundbreaking site is different than originally announced. Rather than being built atop the existing Riverfront Plaza garage just across the street, the Center will be developed on property that had been dormant for years and which the City had gained control of in February 2002. As a result of this change, the design of the Center was also altered in order to take advantage of the increased ground space gained from the new location. This opportunity led to a revised capital project cost of $41 million and a re-design that better blended with the downtown architecture. Though the amount of square footage dedicated to the Center's exhibits has not changed at all, the exhibits will now be housed on two floors instead of three, making them more accessible to vistors. Lonnie Ali, speaking for the couple said, "The first turn of dirt will lay the groundwork for a striking piece of architecture that will become a great addition to the community" and "be an active center for conflict resolution and individual motivation and development which the rest of the world can share." "It will become a place where its physical space has no boundaries," said Ina Bond, Chairwoman of the Muhammad Ali Center, and "it will reach and inspire people everywhere, and make a difference in this world." When completed, the Center is expected to attract 400,000 visitors a year to the City. Mayor Armstrong said the Center "will be the crowning jewel in downtown development."
