Groundbreaking kicks off construction of Freedom Park at Navy Pier

Rhea Caoile
·1 min read
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Above: A Feb. 14 report from KUSI’s Dan Plante on the new bayside project.

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Construction of the largest veterans‘ park on the West Coast is set to kick off with a groundbreaking ceremony at San Diego’s Navy Pier Thursday.

The USS Midway Museum and the Port of San Diego are hosting the ceremony at 8:30 a.m. to celebrate the construction of Freedom Park, a multi-year joint project expected to open in 2028.

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According to the port, Freedom Park will extend nearly 10 acres from the west end of Navy Pier to the Bob Hope Memorial.

The project was approved in 2023 by the California Coastal Commission. In February, the Port of San Diego’s board of commissioners approved a contract of about $7.4 million to demolish a building at the entrance of the pier and make way for the construction of the park. The total cost of the project is estimated to be about $65 million.

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Freedom Park will feature monuments and a memorial dedicated to John Finn, the first Medal of Honor recipient in World War II and a San Diego native, as well as a garden featuring plant species native to California and a low seat wall with mounded turf intended for sitting, enjoying a picnic or other activities.

Rendering of the new "Freedom Park," which will be constructed next to the USS Midway Museum. (Courtesy of the USS Midway)
Rendering of the new "Freedom Park," which will be constructed next to the USS Midway Museum. (Courtesy of the USS Midway)

The ceremony on Thursday is set to include guest speakers, the unveiling of a model and video rendering of Freedom Park and a sledgehammer ground breaking.

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