The realization of Abolitionist Place was driven by the voice and activism of the community. The new park is part of the Downtown Brooklyn Redevelopment Plan to reinvigorate the neighborhood and serves a highly diverse, rapidly growing Brooklyn neighborhood. Through community advocacy, the park was named to commemorate the 19th century abolitionist movement with a focus on the Underground Railroad and its ties to Brooklyn and the contemporary importance of this legacy.
Before the United State’s Civil War, Brooklyn was an active hub of the abolitionist movement; a movement to end the practice of slavery. The town’s waterfront trade with Southern states made it a convenient stop for escaped slaves traveling the Underground Railroad. The site itself is adjacent to a residence where prominent abolitionists lived.
A Park that Welcomes All
The design of the 1.15-acre Abolitionist Place is flowing and organic, accessible, and inclusive – creating a space that is open on all edges – atypical for NYC parks. The design and program for the park was developed through an extensive community and stakeholder process to ensure the park reflected the aspirations of those who live and work nearby. Creating an inviting space where all are welcome was a paramount priority for the community. To accomplish this, many of the design features contribute to the activation of park’s street edges. The invitation to visit the park begins with the streetscape that includes ample bike parking and seating while significantly increasing the urban tree canopy.
Located half a block from the vibrant Fulton Street Mall, Abolitionist Place is designed to maximize usability for a wide range of visitors, from families and longtime residents to workers and shoppers, through flexibility and openness, programming and spatial variety, and seasonal landscape interest. Gently mounded gardens create places of respite and horticultural interest, while a central lawn, play area and hill, and interactive water feature provide places for children of all ages. A crushed stone plaza has moveable tables and chairs for lunchtime users, and the dog play area brings everyone together. The layering of these spaces makes the park seem bigger than its 1.15 acres, and supports users of all ages, desires, and needs, who now fill the park every day.
A Park that Celebrates Freedom
To honor the history of the site and the Abolitionist Movement, the landscape architect worked with the client team to integrate Percent for Art site-specific installations by the artist Kenseth Armstead into the park design. The commemorative design builds on the work of In Pursuit of Freedom, a multifaceted public history initiative created by a partnership between Brooklyn Historical Society, Weeksville Heritage Center, and Irondale Ensemble Project that explores the everyday heroes of Brooklyn’s anti-slavery movement.
Armstead’s proposed installations are *True North – Every Negro is a Star* which signifies the thousands of Africans that escaped via the Underground Railroad. The Corten steel sculpture is perforated to create a point of light for each of these lives. Facing the night sky, the observer is transformed from a passive to active participant searching for freedom within nature’s celestial map. *Conductors* presents four figures in the African diaspora that assisted the formerly enslaved achieve self-liberation, allowing park visitors to engage the abolitionist on a human scale. These art pieces are currently being fabricated for installation.
• Other landscape architecture offices involved in the design of the landscape:
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• Architecture offices involved in the design:
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• Other credits:
Civil/Site Structural Engineering and Geotechnical Engineering & Survey & Environmental Engineering: Langan
Lighting Design: Tillett Lighting Design Associates
Electrical Engineering: Wesler-Cohen Associates
Water Fountain Design: Delta Fountains
Irrigation: Northern Design
Soil Scientist: Craul Land Scientists
Arborist: Paul Cowie & Associates
Cost Estimating: Siteworks
Expediting: Milrose Consultants
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