Coventry Living Room Project coming this summer to Pekar Park

A Coventry Living Room design session. [photo: Cole Ware]

The Coventry Living Room Project is a placemaking initiative that seeks to create an interactive, welcoming, outdoor gathering space for the community in a spot that is currently underutilized—Harvey Pekar Park, at the corner of Coventry Road and Euclid Heights Boulevard.

Led by neighborhood resident Cole Ware, in partnership with the Coventry Village Special Improvement District and the Coventry Neighborhood Group, planning began in fall 2022 and continued through winter 2023.

Ware hosted an online forum, two community design sessions, and had dozens of conversations with community stakeholders.

Based on the feedback generated by the planning process, Ware reports that the Coventry Living Room will be designed as an inclusive space for the whole community, offering shade from the sun, greenery, public art, and a variety of seating options, all separated from the busy nearby intersection.

“Between now and this summer, we turn to the work of bringing that vision to reality by writing grants, finalizing approvals, staining wood, and potting plants," said Ware. "It will be a team effort—an effort that will reward us with a space that builds the type of trust that turns a neighborhood into a community. It’s a vision well worth working toward."

To learn more about this project, including how to get involved, visit coventryvillage.org/neighborhood-news/what-is-the-coventry-living-room-project or contact Ware at ware.cole@gmail.com.