The motor is running to begin a project that will turn the bayfront area surrounding the USS Midway Museum into a 10-acre Freedom Park.
The $65-million plan was approved by the Port of San Diego commissioners in early February 2024.
The first stage of the project will be the demolition of the Navy’s former headhouse. That cement structure atop the current Navy Pier is just north of the Midway, a decommissioned aircraft carrier converted into a museum in June 2004.
The headhouse demolition is scheduled to begin in spring of 2024.
Four acres of the Navy Pier will become the first phase of Freedom Park, which is set to include lawn areas, native plant gardens, a “Parade of Veterans” amphitheater and other features.
The conversion of Navy Pier will reduce the number of parking spaces currently available from 442 to 100.
It’s anticipated that the park will eventually curve around the Midway Museum and include portions of Tuna Harbor where the Bob Hope Memorial and the “Kissing Statue” are located.
“The Midway is already a tremendous destination on our bayfront with more than a million visitors each year,” Port chairman Frank Urtasun said in a statement. “Freedom Park will connect the history of Navy Pier with the service of the Midway and link both to the existing veteran and military memorials in Tuna Harbor.”
The entire project is expected to be completed by late 2027 or early 2028. SDSun
