The first park was named after Arthur Hall’s Ile Ife Black Humanitarian Center. It is located at Germantown Avenue and 10th Street in North Philadelphia. Arthur Hall, the late renowned dancer and choreographer, invited Lily Yeh to build an art park on the abandoned lot next to his building in 1986. Yeh recruited the help of Joseph (JoJo) Williams, a neighborhood resident, a talented drummer, builder and a jack-of-all-trades. Drawn to their activities, many children from the area participated in their park building project. In 1997, Philadelphia Green, a branch of Pennsylvania Horticulture Society, began providing them with greening materials and technical support. PHS encouraged and assisted their urban greening effort ever since and thus contributed significantly to the growth and success of this project in the following two decades.

With the help of JoJo and adults from the neighborhood, Yeh designed and painted the three story high mural “Ile-Ife Guardian Bird” with a mythic owl beaming rainbow colored light and life to plants, fish and animals under its gigantic wings.