City Hall Plaza Renovation

Renovation of City Hall Plaza is scheduled to begin Tuesday, Oct. 14, and is not expected to impact public access to Gainesville City Hall or the Old Library Building. Part of Lot 5 will be impacted. Project updates will be posted regularly to this webpage.

The Gainesville City Commission approved the plaza reconstruction in 2023 to address maintenance issues with the ponds, built in the 1960s. The redesign removes the ponds to create more functional space to accommodate as many as 2,400 people in the plaza, and adds green space, seating, landscaping and lighting. Improvements also are planned for both the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Garden and the Sister Cities Monument Garden.

Plaza reconstruction will begin in the southeast corner, with the MLK Jr. Memorial Garden targeted for completion in advance of the federal holiday in January. The existing monument to Dr. King and ADA-accessible entrance will remain, with two new entrances added to the north and west. 

Project rendering - click to view enlarged, ADA-accessible image.(PDF, 19MB)

Updates

Oct. 10 update

The current project timeline highlights are:

  • September 2025: City Commission approves the final plan
  • Oct. 14, 2025: Construction kick-off
  • January 2026: Substantially complete or complete the King Memorial Gardens in time for MLK Day celebration
  • April 2026: Planned completion