South Bend honors MLK with march, sneak peek at new Dream Center

SOUTH BEND, Ind.--- The public got their first look at the brand-new MLK Dream Center Friday.

It's not officially open just yet, but the community still came out to march Friday morning to honor the civil rights leader the facility is named after, since Friday marked the 57th anniversary of Martin Luther King Junior's death.

The morning started with a march from the Civil Rights Heritage Center on Washington Street to the Dream Center on Linden Avenue. Community leader Lynn Coleman led the group of dozens, after multiple speakers shared words and prayers with the crowd.

"This is an opportunity for us to celebrate both the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, and at the same time, celebrate the completion of the building of the Dream Center in our community," Coleman said. "As I look at this crowd, the people that are out walking: Black, white, young, old, clergy, city officials, that are out here to celebrate. This is absolutely incredible. We got students from high school here."

The MLK Dream Center replaces the original King Center at the very same site, torn down a couple years ago to make way for the expanded, state-of-the-art facility. It includes a huge gym, indoor track, computer lab, fitness center, studio, a free financial empowerment center, a commercial kitchen, event space, and more!

Originally estimated to cost the city about $11 million, the total investment now exceeds $27 million. But what many say is 50 years in the making is finally here on South Bend's west side.

The hope is this will only inspire further investment on Linden Avenue and beyond.

Chief Community Officer Maurice "Moe" Scott was director of the original King Center for about 20 years, helping push the city to get to this moment, which he says is a response to community input.

"They came out and they told us, 'we want more gym space, we want an art studio, we want a music studio, we want a track that we can walk on, a fitness center.' And so, it's really what the community wanted, and so the city said, 'Okay let's make it happen,' and here we are," Scott said.

Scott said they hope to officially open by mid to late May this year. Only members can access the resource, but membership is free.