North Carolina Freedom Park in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...

is a park on Lane Street downtown between the

Executive Mansion Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dire ...

and the Legislative Building. Designed by Phil Freelon and the firm Perkins + Will, who helped design the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture, It opened August 23, 2023. The Park was Constructed by Holt Brothers Construction of Raleigh, North Carolina which was founded by Torry Holt and Terrence Holt. The park includes the North Carolina Victim Assistance Network’s Crime Victims’ Memorial Garden, which was already in the location. The total project cost of $5 million was funded partly from a Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant of $1.9 million.

History

The North Carolina Historical Commission approved the design October 30, 2019.

Concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...

walls based on the state's red

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

will create walkways and will include quotes from famous Black people such as

Maya Angelou Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, popular poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and ...

, John Hope Franklin,

Julius Chambers Julius Chambers, F.R.G.S., (November 21, 1850 – February 12, 1920) was an American author, editor, journalist, travel writer, and activist against psychiatric abuse. Life and works Julius Chambers was born in Bellefontaine, Ohio on November 2 ...

and Pauli Murray. The state bought the site in the 1960s and used half of it for parking, green space and a memorial to crime victims. Gavin Hogg, a lawyer from

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, bought 4 acres in 1831 for $400. On that site, which now includes the State Archives and Records Center, Thomas Devereux Hogg, who owned 18 slaves according to the 1850 census, built a house in 1850. It is not known whether the slaves lived on the site, but researchers in 2021 were attempting to determine whether they did and what happened to them after Emancipation. Researchers are also looking for evidence of the house that was on the site and possibly an earlier house. On October 7, 2020, a

groundbreaking Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are o ...

was held for the Beacon of Freedom, a 50-foot-tall orange metal art work to be lighted at night. At that time, $3.2 million had been raised, and the

North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, State government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...

approved $1.5 million in funding on June 26, 2020. The completed sculpture was delivered from

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

in September 2022. Perkins + Will landscape architect Allen Pratt said pathways and low walls with inspirational quotations would serve as a "journey to the Beacon". The quotations are intended to inspire people to research the history behind them.

References

External links

{{coord, 35.7835, -78.6374, type:landmark_region:US-NC, display=title Parks in Raleigh, North Carolina 2023 establishments in North Carolina