Eddie Van Halen Park and Edward Van Halen Memorial Park are among the names being considered for a new park which will soon be under construction in the legendary VAN HALEN guitarist’s former hometown of Pasadena, California.
The park, located at 701 East Union Street (between El Molino Avenue and Oak Knoll Avenue), will have open space for informal recreation, relaxation, and community gatherings; children’s playground with shade structures; public restrooms; a 48-space parking plaza; and a dog run.
Now through Friday, September 24 at 4:00 p.m., Pasadena city officials are asking the community to review the all names that are being considered and vote for their preferred choice.
Votes will be tallied and presented to the Recreation and Parks Commission for discussion and, subsequently, a recommendation of the park’s official name will be presented to City Council for its consideration.
Park naming criteria: Pasadena will adopt a name for the new park that meets at least one of the criteria established in the City’s Public Park and Recreation Facility Naming Policy. The criteria are as follows:
* Geographical location of the park of facility;
* Natural or geological features proximate to the park or facility;
* Cultural or historical significance to the City or surrounding neighborhood;
* Name of an individual who has made a significant contribution to the community, country, state, or field of parks and recreation.
Last October, a City Council meeting was held in Pasadena where a memorial honoring Eddie was discussed.
City manager Steve Mermell was directed to come up with ideas for how to best honor the musician, who died earlier that same month at the age of 65.
In the first three weeks after Eddie‘s death, the city was bombarded with requests to pay tribute to the guitarist “to recognize both his local connection to Pasadena, as well as the impact that his artistry had on music,” Mermell wrote in a report.
“Recognizing Van Halen the band and/or individual members should be considered,” according to the report. “With his passing, Eddie Van Halen‘s international recognition as a musical artist is noted for the significant impact he had on the Rock & Roll genre and his legacy is a source of hometown pride for the city.”
Following Eddie‘s death after a long battle with cancer, fans left flowers at his childhood home on Las Lunas Street in Pasadena. Additional flowers, candles and fan mementos were placed on Allen Avenue where Eddie and Alex scratched their band’s name into the wet cement of a sidewalk when they were teenagers.
VAN HALEN was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2007.
Rolling Stone magazine ranked Eddie Van Halen No. 8 in its list of the 100 greatest guitarists.
The park in Pasadena’s Playhouse District is pictured below in a rendering provided by city officials.
