On a recent warm evening at Phil Chacon Park, the hot summer day gave way to cooler breezes as the sun set behind distant clouds. A handful of families with young children enjoyed the big playground, including the red and gold jungle gym shaped like an Asian dragon.
A little more than a year since its re-opening, Phil Chacon Park is thriving as its advocates hoped it would. But the success of the park’s renovations was not guaranteed.
Located on the southeastern side of the International District, where the neighborhood blends into Trumbull Village, the park had fallen into neglect before closing in 2022. Some feared that despite the makeover, the 20-acre space would once again descend into its previous squalor…