Joe Taylor Park began humbly in 1976, when several houses were demolished and combined with vacant lots to create an open space.  It was named Baxter Green until 1992, when it was renamed for Joe Taylor, a city police officer who was shot and killed in 1986.

The park reconstruction and expansion was made possible thanks to public and private support and input from community stakeholders in the Baxter neighborhood.  Funding for the park came from a Capital Improvement Fund Bond, a Community Development Block Grant and a gift from the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation through Friends of Grand Rapids Parks, who also established an endowment to help ensure the park can be maintained and improved over time.

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