Building of the Day
The landscape of Weeksville Heritage Center is a natural system that ever-changes. Its contemporary evolution—which starts with becoming shaped and influenced by the site’s history—culminates in a landscape that escapes design awards and conceptual intent to assert a life and poetry of its own. This presentation and panel discussion about releasing this special landscape of freedom will explore the process of opening its interpretation to new imaginings that make Weeksville a truly living site.
Weeksville Heritage Center is a multidisciplinary museum dedicated to preserving the history of the 19th century African American community of Weeksville, Brooklyn – one of America’s many free black communities. The primary purpose of the new structure and landscape is to serve as a gateway to the historic houses on the premises—remnants of the 19th-century free African American community of Weeksville—with state-of-the-art exhibition, performance, and educational facilities, as well as to provide a green oasis for visitors and the local community.
Architect: Caples Jefferson Architects