The Minister Franklin D. Florence Civil Rights Heritage Park is a project honoring Rochester’s civil rights history and the legacy of Minister Franklin D. Florence. Located in Baden Park in Northeast Rochester, this space will serve as an educational and cultural landmark, inspiring future generations through stories of resilience, activism, and community strength.

The development of the Master Plan is underway, led by SWBR with input from the community. Your voice matters — stay updated and contribute your ideas to shape the future of the park.

Together, we can ensure that the stories of Rochester’s civil rights movement are told, honored, and carried forward for generations to come.

Anticipated project schedule

^{*The City and its project partners continue to actively fundraise for additional construction funds
Project schedule subject to change.}
Project history

In 2017 a group from Rochester’s Spiritus Christi Anti Racism Coalition (SPARC) toured several civil rights sites throughout the South. While in Birmingham, Alabama, the group was particularly moved by Kelly Ingram Park. Kelly Ingram Park contains emotionally powerful sculptures depicting the civil rights struggle in Birmingham, and served as an assembly spot for activities of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and other groups in the civil rights movement. Today, the park hosts several family festivals and cultural entertainment events throughout the year.

The tour inspired SPARC to establish The Black Community Focus Fund, Inc. (BCFF), a 501 (c)(3) organization to help raise funds to turn the dream of building a Rochester Civil Rights Heritage Site into a reality. The Civil Rights Heritage Park has been named in honor of Minister Franklin D. Florence. Minister Florence was a recognizable figure in Rochester following the 1964 riots, and notably founded the civil rights group FIGHT. Some of the initiatives spearheaded by FIGHT were challenging Kodak to eliminate discriminatory hiring practices and organizing protests to bring awareness to absentee landlords, in hopes of improving housing conditions. Minister Florence passed away in Rochester on February 1, 2023 and the creation of the Civil Rights Heritage Park in Minister Florence’s name seeks to encourage people in the community to continue telling their stories.

The selected site, Baden Park, is located within the 14605 community also known as the Upper Falls Neighborhood. It is a location that played a significant role in the history of the civil rights movement in Rochester. The black population of Rochester had grown exponentially during the 1950’s and 60’s, with many relocating to the area from the South in hopes of better socioeconomic conditions. The black community was instead met with many of the inequities that they sought to leave behind. The new arrivals were unfairly denied housing throughout the city and funneled into the Upper Falls neighborhood on land that, a portion of which, evolved into Baden Park. A three-day uprising in 1964, commonly known as the 1964 Riots, which Minister Florence characterized as a rebellion, began here sparked by poor housing conditions, lack of employment opportunities and political racial tensions.

Project description

The Project seeks to enhance the existing amenities at Baden Park with the creation of a space that commemorates the history of the civil rights movement in the United States with a specific focus on Rochester. 

Project team

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