What Is a Pocket Park?

Hurricane Michael devastated Marianna, Florida in 2018. Now, we’re building a pocket park to aid the recovery effort.

But what is a pocket park?

Paul Donofro Jr. is a second-generation architect who planned this pocket park, which we will build on Lafayette Street in the city’s historic downtown district.

In this video, he explains the definition of a pocket park.

“These empty lots where buildings formerly were, are a lot of times converted into little pocket parks,” he says.

“It’s just like the name says — most of the time, it’s confined on two sides by adjacent buildings, and in the rear by an adjacent building, so it’s literally like a pocket.”

After Hurricane Michael destroyed Northwest Florida, Danny Lipford pledged a $50,000 media gift to the city, in addition to helping to build a park on the former site of an office building.

This pocket park, called Lafayette Landing, will serve as an entertainment and small events venue, in addition to a public gathering place.

Read more about our “Hope for a Hometown” series — with exclusive articles, videos and a photo gallery from this special project.