Help Shape Historic Shockoe Bottom’s Future!
Shockoe Bottom in downtown Richmond was once the epicenter of the U.S. domestic slave trade. Its network of auction houses, prisons, workshops, and a burial ground made up the largest slave market after New Orleans.
Today, Shockoe Bottom is a patchwork of mostly vacant lots and surface parking. Plans to redevelop the district have been controversial—most recently, public and political opposition fought off the mayor’s proposal to construct a baseball stadium in the heart of the Bottom. This proposal has since been replaced by the mayor’s plan for a museum atop the Devil’s Half-Acre/Lumpkin’s Jail site, a small sliver of the historically significant land in Shockoe Bottom.
These projects are not appropriate to convey the magnitude of human suffering that occurred here, nor do they maximize the opportunity for healing, understanding and economic development.
A plan for a memorial park seeks to balance reflection and remembrance with equitable economic development. The result of a community process led by the Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project, the concept has recently been refined by UMass Amherst professors Max Page and Joseph Krupczynski with the Center for Design Engagement (CDE). which was broadly supported during a public presentation in June, 2016.
The CDE design proposal is now available for public review and input. Key graphics are captured in the slideshow below, and the full design proposal is available for download.
photo by: The Center for Design Engagement
The CD*E design proposal for a Shockoe Bottom Memorial Park seeks to recognize and reinvigorate this landscape as a Site of Conscience, a sacred site, and a place that can help build economic opportunity for all Richmonders.
photo by: The Center for Design Engagement
Aerial view of the project site showing proposed new uses and existing elements.
photo by: The Center for Design Engagement
Aspects of the vision include creating a commons called Shockoe Square that would serve as a gateway to Shockoe Bottom’s memorial sites, provide space for interpretation, outdoor films, music and drama performances, and include a visually and symbolically striking “grove of light” installation.
photo by: The Center for Design Engagement
The proposal also includes a memorial landscape at the African Burial Ground that would incorporate Shockoe Creek, and an elevated footpath to convey respect and provoke reflection in this sacred place.
photo by: The Center for Design Engagement
Other features include a digital interpretive wall that would be a dynamic canvas for a variety of works, including art, films, and the names of the enslaved.
photo by: The Center for Design Engagement
The proposal also suggests local universities unite to form a new Center for Building Arts and Sustainable Development to help young people and formerly incarcerated individuals gain vocational skills. Additional recommendations also include creating a community benefit fund and a land trust to ensure that historic preservation work, educational investment, and affordable housing occur alongside commercial development.
Please complete the form below to provide comments to the plan’s authors.
Thank you for helping us shape the future of Shockoe Bottom, a true National Treasure.