Isaiah
09-17-2004, 03:10 PM
In 1991, the General Service Administration’s construction of a Federal office building at 290 Broadway in lower Manhattan unearthed the largest colonial-era cemetery for enslaved Africans in America. The remains and artifacts of more than 400 seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Africans were removed, examined and subsequently reinterred near their original resting place.
These events brought into sharp focus not only the history of slavery in New York, but also the important contributions that free and enslaved African men, women and children made to the birth and growth of America’s economy and culture. As a permanent commemoration of this little-known history, GSA agreed, in 1991, to fund the creation of a memorial at the site of the Burial Ground.
Since late 1997, a competition for a memorial design has been underway. More than sixty design teams responded to a call for proposals. Five prospective designers were selected in 2002 to further develop their designs in preparation for a final round of judging. To provide guidance to the designers in their efforts to develop their initial designs, a series of five public meetings, one in each of New York’s boroughs, was planned.
Public Forums Held
The National Park Service and the General Services Administration conducted a series of public forums to introduce five finalist design proposals for a Memorial to be constructed at the African Burial Ground site. Those attending the meetings, from June 12th through the 17th, were given an overview of the Burial Ground's significance and the design selection process, and invited to provide written and spoken feedback to the designers to assist them as they revised and refined their respective designs in preparation for a final round of evaluations.
Final Design Proposals on View
After hearing from those who attended Public Forums, or viewed the designs via the internet, the designers spent the rest of the summer revising their designs. The products of those revisions are now on view through October 8th at these six locations throughout New York City:
Manhattan
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
515 Malcolm X Blvd
New York, NY 10037
212-491-2200
290 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
(212) 637-2970
Queens
Langston Hughes Community Library & Cultural Center
100-01 Northern Blvd
Corona, New York 11368
(718) 651-1100
Staten Island
Fort Wadsworth Visitor Center, Bldg. 120,
Staten Island, NY 10305
(718) 354-4500
Bronx
Meister Hall Lobby
Bronx Community College
University Ave & W. 181st St.
Bronx, NY 10453
(718) 289-5100
Brooklyn
Brooklyn Historical Society
128 Pierrepont Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 222-4111
Models of the proposed designs can be seen at the Schomburg Center through September 29th. From September 30 through October 8th, they will be on display at 290 Broadway. Response forms are available at each location so that you can tell us what you think of each design and what you believe would constitute an appropriate memorial treatment of the site.
You can also view the designs and submit your comments online by selecting from the list of designs below and then completing the response form provided.
1. Joseph DePace, Joseph DePace Architect, New York, NY
2. Katherine Dean, GroundWorks, New York, NY
3. Rodney Leon, AARRIS Architects, New York, NY
4. Cheryl McKissack, McKissack & McKissack, New York, NY
5. Eustace Pilgrim, Eustace Pilgrim & Christopher Davis, New York, NY
Please submit your comments using the African Burial Ground Memorial Response Form.
You may either return the form electronically or print it out and mail it to us.
Please mail completed response forms to:
Sarah Dixon
National Park Service
200 Chestnut Street, 3rd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19106
http://www.africanburialground.com/
PEACE!
ISAIAH
These events brought into sharp focus not only the history of slavery in New York, but also the important contributions that free and enslaved African men, women and children made to the birth and growth of America’s economy and culture. As a permanent commemoration of this little-known history, GSA agreed, in 1991, to fund the creation of a memorial at the site of the Burial Ground.
Since late 1997, a competition for a memorial design has been underway. More than sixty design teams responded to a call for proposals. Five prospective designers were selected in 2002 to further develop their designs in preparation for a final round of judging. To provide guidance to the designers in their efforts to develop their initial designs, a series of five public meetings, one in each of New York’s boroughs, was planned.
Public Forums Held
The National Park Service and the General Services Administration conducted a series of public forums to introduce five finalist design proposals for a Memorial to be constructed at the African Burial Ground site. Those attending the meetings, from June 12th through the 17th, were given an overview of the Burial Ground's significance and the design selection process, and invited to provide written and spoken feedback to the designers to assist them as they revised and refined their respective designs in preparation for a final round of evaluations.
Final Design Proposals on View
After hearing from those who attended Public Forums, or viewed the designs via the internet, the designers spent the rest of the summer revising their designs. The products of those revisions are now on view through October 8th at these six locations throughout New York City:
Manhattan
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
515 Malcolm X Blvd
New York, NY 10037
212-491-2200
290 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
(212) 637-2970
Queens
Langston Hughes Community Library & Cultural Center
100-01 Northern Blvd
Corona, New York 11368
(718) 651-1100
Staten Island
Fort Wadsworth Visitor Center, Bldg. 120,
Staten Island, NY 10305
(718) 354-4500
Bronx
Meister Hall Lobby
Bronx Community College
University Ave & W. 181st St.
Bronx, NY 10453
(718) 289-5100
Brooklyn
Brooklyn Historical Society
128 Pierrepont Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 222-4111
Models of the proposed designs can be seen at the Schomburg Center through September 29th. From September 30 through October 8th, they will be on display at 290 Broadway. Response forms are available at each location so that you can tell us what you think of each design and what you believe would constitute an appropriate memorial treatment of the site.
You can also view the designs and submit your comments online by selecting from the list of designs below and then completing the response form provided.
1. Joseph DePace, Joseph DePace Architect, New York, NY
2. Katherine Dean, GroundWorks, New York, NY
3. Rodney Leon, AARRIS Architects, New York, NY
4. Cheryl McKissack, McKissack & McKissack, New York, NY
5. Eustace Pilgrim, Eustace Pilgrim & Christopher Davis, New York, NY
Please submit your comments using the African Burial Ground Memorial Response Form.
You may either return the form electronically or print it out and mail it to us.
Please mail completed response forms to:
Sarah Dixon
National Park Service
200 Chestnut Street, 3rd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19106
http://www.africanburialground.com/
PEACE!
ISAIAH