On April 15, 2025, with the approval of the Raleigh City Council, the John P. “Top” Greene Community Center officially became the John P. “Top” Greene African American Cultural Center.
The renaming effort was championed by the South Park East Raleigh Neighborhood Association (SPERNA) and the John P. “Top“Greene (JPTG) Community Advisory Group (CAG). The name change signifies a renewed and deepened commitment to highlight and support the surrounding African American communities through cultural events and programs, as well as interpretive exhibits.
Named after John P. “Top” Greene, a noted community leader, the center is a 1.32-acre park property located at 401 Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard within the historic South Park neighborhood of southeast Raleigh. The Center is slated for redesign and expansion as part of the 2022 Parks Bond.
Planned improvements to the property include a comprehensive center renovation as well as a new standalone building on the campus with associated site and stormwater enhancements. Center renovations and the new building will feature enhanced program space, interpretive displays, a genealogy lab, and a sound studio. The campus will also serve as the trailhead for another Parks Bond Referendum initiative, the South Park Heritage Trail. The Trail consists of a 2.6-mile interpretive loop through portions of downtown Raleigh featuring the city greenway, local parks, cultural landmarks, and South Park neighborhoods.
The John P. “Top” Greene African American Cultural Park will serve as a source for the larger citywide initiative to:
- Identify and preserve historic and cultural assets within Southeast Raleigh communities
- Enhance those assets by making them more visible and accessible
- Support the ongoing revitalization efforts of downtown Raleigh
- Engage residents and visitors with a unique community resource
- Promote an appreciation of the area’s rich history and ongoing importance to Raleigh