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Memorial Design Competition for Historic Cemetery02-21-08 | News

Memorial Design Competition for Historic Cemetery

Slaves that fled the South during the Civil War often headed north behind Union lines. These freedmen, or ?EUR??,,????'??contrabands,?EUR??,,????'?? sought refuge in towns like Alexandria, Va. In January 1864, the Army established a cemetery for the freedmen in Alexandria. Over the next five years some 1,800 African Americans were buried here; at least 800 were children under five.

George Washington University/Alexandria archaeology field school students excavate a trench floor at the old cemetery.

In 1869 when Union occupation of Alexandria, Va. ceased, the ?EUR??,,????'??slave cemetery?EUR??,,????'?? established there by the U.S. Army reverted to private ownership. The cemetery was called ?EUR??,,????'??Freedman?EUR??,,????'???s Contraband,?EUR??,,????'?? as many of the slaves who ended up buried there had fled their bondage ?EUR??,,????'??illegally.?EUR??,,????'??

The cemetery was ?EUR??,,????'??rediscovered?EUR??,,????'?? in 1987 by Alexandria historian T. Michael Miller, and in 1997 Lillie Finklea and Louise Massoud formed the Friends of Freedmen’s Cemetery to protect the site and increase awareness of its historic importance. This led the city to purchase the cemetery in 2007, remove a gas station and other buildings and start archaeological digs to identify grave sites. The archaeological team also came across a spear point dating back at least 13,000 years. A rededication ceremony was held in May 2007.

Now the site is destined to be the “Contrabands and Freedmen’s Cemetery Memorial” with a design competition open to architects, landscape architects, artists and other interested parties?EUR??,,????'??+everyone except steering committee members, city employees, and employees of EarthTech and EDAW are eligible to enter.

The design criteria developed by the city and steering committee encompass five categories: site requirements; site constraints; historic interpretation; relationship to neighborhood and context; and site functionality. Details pertaining to all elements of the design competition are at www.alexandriava.gov/freedmens.

Submissions for the competition are due by 5 p.m. April 25, 2008.
Evaluation of entries will be made from May to June. In July there will be an announcement and notification of a winner and two finalists. The award for first place is $10,000. Second and third place entrants will receive $5,000 and $2,000.

The construction budget for the project is between $1.5 million and $2 million. The city maintains sole responsibility for the implementation of the memorial’s design.