Webster Park is officially out and Barack and Michelle Obama Park is in, after Saint Paul’s City Council signed off on the new name at its Jan. 7 meeting. The small, school-adjacent green in the Summit-University neighborhood will now match the name of the Barack and Michelle Obama School next door, and the updated title will start showing up on city maps, permits, and youth sports schedules.
The council approved Resolution 26-5 as part of its regular meeting agenda, according to the City Council. That vote came after the Parks and Recreation Commission recommended the renaming in October, wrapping up a multi-step process to update the city’s official park listings.
The nearby Webster Magnet School was renamed Barack and Michelle Obama Service Learning Elementary in 2009, according to Saint Paul Public Schools. Local reporting notes that the park had carried the Webster name since the mid-1970s, after the school opened, and that earlier maps show a Marshall junior-high footprint on the block now occupied by the school and park, as described by MyVillager.
Park Features And Neighbors
Barack and Michelle Obama Park includes a full basketball court, a playground, a picnic area, soccer and softball fields, and two pickleball courts, according to the City of Saint Paul. The greenspace serves as the outdoor play yard and athletic area for the adjacent school and regularly hosts neighborhood leagues and after-school programs.
Why The Council Backed The Change
Council sponsor Anika Bowie presented the renaming as an inclusion and identity move for Summit-University, and the council’s resolution states that the new name "would strengthen the shared identity of this community resource." The full text of Resolution 26-5, including its WHEREAS clauses, is available in the council’s legislation file, per the City of Saint Paul.
What To Expect Next
The resolution does not set a public dedication date or a specific timeline for new signs. Parks and Recreation staff handle signage, field reservations, and related permits and can be reached through the department’s online park listing. Residents looking to book fields or find program information can contact Parks Customer Service using the details on the city park page.
The rename closes the long-running gap between the school’s name and the park’s name and continues a broader trend of tying neighborhood public spaces more closely to local schools and their communities. Regular park users and neighborhood groups will be keeping an eye out for updated signage and any adjustments to field reservation listings under the new Barack and Michelle Obama Park name.
