CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Landmarks Commission has voted unanimously to approve the final designs of the African American Cultural Garden in Cleveland.
What You Need To Know
- The design was uanimously accepted by the commission
- The garden will represent the African American journey in the United States
- A start time has yet to be announced on when construction will resume
The first phase was built back in 2016, but Ubiquitous Design, the team working on this project, ran into some fundraising difficulties. Daniel Bickerstaff, the Founder and Principal Architect of Ubiquitous Design, spoke to the Commission about the project.
“We’ve since submitted construction documents for the completion of the project,” said Bickerstaff. “During this period of time, from 2016, we made some significant changes with regard to some cost savings, but the design intent has remained intact.”
The goal of the African American Cultural Garden is to represent the hardships and perseverance of African Americans in the United States over the years. There will be three pillars that represent the past, present and future.
Karl Brunjes, a city planner for the Cleveland Landmarks Commission, explained what the garden will represent.
“Well the design actually represents the African American experience in America. Using symbolism and metaphors that link these three pavilions representing the past, the present and the future, which creates an understanding of the transatlantic journey and their journey through the United States,” he said.
The Landmarks Commission considers factors like landscape and materials being used when approving a design. Brunjes said the commission was impressed with the design.
“When something is of that quality and the way the commission members expressed it, it just made a lot of sense and was appropriate,” he said.
Brunjes said that Bickerstaff called the design a “labor of love” and that the garden will show the journey that African Americans have had in the United States.
“It is a moving piece of architecture and it will enhance the cultural gardens as a whole. It’s going to create a destination for people for contemplation, for understanding of the African American experience,” he said.
The start date of construction and completion of the project have yet to be announced, but it will be located at 890 Martin Luther King Boulevard in Cleveland.
