Reviewed by: Pat Byington
New Montgomery butterfly park proposed, honoring cancer survivors + victims
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A proposed butterfly park in Montgomery could bring a multi-million-dollar peaceful sanctuary and educational botanical garden to Maxwell Boulevard.
The proposal was shared during a general information session at this week’s Montgomery County Commission meeting by the Joy to Life Foundation, an organization started in 2001 by Joy and Dickie Blondheim. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the foundation has raised millions of dollars that stay right here in Alabama to provide crucial breast cancer screenings like mammograms, ultrasounds and MRIs to women in need. The park would serve as a lasting tribute to survivors and those lost to the disease.
Plans revealed for proposed butterfly park in Montgomery
Dubbed Genesis Park, the driving force behind the proposed Montgomery butterfly park is its role as a quiet, soothing memorial to breast cancer victims and survivors. Butterflies hold deep symbolism in the cancer community, representing transformation, hope, rebirth and the enduring beauty of life through life’s most challenging transitions.
Dickie Blondheim shared that he has been thinking about bringing a butterfly park to Montgomery for more than a decade, and he believes now is the time to make it happen. The project carries an estimated cost of upwards of $25 million, which Blondheim believes can be raised over the next two years.
The proposed layout calls for:
- A focal point dome serving as the architectural centerpiece of the development.
- 20,000 square feet of enclosed space, with half dedicated to an enclosed botanical garden housing butterfly species from around the world to offer interactive learning opportunities for local students.
- A 200-foot circular granite memorial wall engraved with the names of breast cancer survivors and victims, with capacity to add more names over time.
There are hundreds of butterfly parks across the world that attract hundreds of thousands of visitors annually, making this a major potential tourism draw for the area.
Potential site across from Montgomery Whitewater
Project leaders have zeroed in on a prime site to maximize accessibility for visitors. Lee Sims, a Montgomery-based architect for the development, noted that the location is the most important part of the site selection because it needs to be where people are coming and going.
Sims said the area near Montgomery Whitewater will be “as good as it gets,” citing its easy accessibility from Interstate 65 and its position roughly a mile from downtown Montgomery’s civil rights attractions. Currently, the proposed site sits across from Montgomery Whitewater along Maxwell Boulevard. The proposal comes at a transition period for the corridor, as Montgomery Whitewater is currently closed for the season ahead of potential operational changes.
While the organization has not yet acquired the property, leaders remain confident in moving the project forward. We’ll be following the developments with this butterfly park proposal closely as plans continue to take shape!
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