Photos: See photos of renovated Greene Square in Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS — From hosting U.S. presidents to serving as a site for the local farmers market, Greene Square has experienced no shortage of important events during its 173-year history in downtown Cedar Rapids.

On Friday, May 20, the public is invited to take part in a celebration to ring in a new era for the park, located at 400 Fourth Ave SE.

At 10 a.m., city officials are opening a 40-year-old time capsule buried at Greene Square in 1976. That's followed by a 1 p.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony and sculpture dedication. At 2 p.m., the park's fountains are set to be turned on.

The city's oldest green space has undergone $1.9 million in renovations to restore its presence as the downtown cultural center and serve as a link between the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art and the Cedar Rapids Public Library. Renovations began last year.

Among the new amenities are a variety of seating areas, several tables, open green space, new trees, Wi-Fi capability, a drinking fountain and bicycle rack. The two most notable features, however, are a new fountain spray pad and an impressive stainless steel sculpture by California artist Bruce Beasley, who plans to attend Friday's dedication ceremony.

See also: Q&A with the man behind Greene Square sculpture

Mark Stoffer Hunter, historian for The History Center, also plans to attend and answer questions about the items discovered in the time capsule.

He speculates the box contains historic Czech artifacts, old issues of The Gazette, and popular items often included in time capsules like coins, photos and letters from people at the time. Stoffer Hunter, who knows Cedar Rapids history like the back of his hand, was on hand as an 11-year-old when the capsule was buried.

Greene Square was first envisioned as a public park in 1843 by early Cedar Rapids settles George Greene and Nicholas Brown. It has gone by many names over the years and is now to be known simply as Greene Square.