Inwood Sacred Center Memorial
New York, NY
SITE HISTORY
Cross-section of 10th Ave and 212th Street. Inwood African burial ground would be out of frame to the left.
Image source: Photo by Geo C. Dodd. Scrapbook of Reginald Pehlam Bolton via Dyckman Farmhouse Museum.
1917 map by Reginald Bolton with location of slave cemetery and indigenous ceremonial pits marked.
Image source: American Geographical Society Library, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries via Dyckman Farmhouse Museum.
MEMORIAL
Honoring the Past, Shaping the Future
The memorial is a testament to historical reverence and communal healing. It has been thoughtfully designed to immerse visitors in a narrative steeped in cultural heritage and collective.
Inspiration Rooted in Tradition
The Inwood Sacred Center and African Burial Ground Memorial will be a powerful testament to the historical injustices endured an overcome by the Lenape and African people by reclaiming the site as a place for cultural, spiritual, and communal engagement. Sassafras is steeped in Indigenous and African culture. For the Lenape, the three-lobed leaf is a potent symbol of healing and the Indigenous homeland, which has inspired the intricate sculptural interpretations of Sassafras leaves that adorn the facade, the sidewalk memorial garden window, and the entrance of the Sacred Center. The streetscape offers community engagement opportunities for the memorialization through tree plantings and plantings in the tree wells.
Drawing inspiration from the Praise House tradition - a sacred space for the community gathering, ceremony, and resistance - the interior design echoes African American ceremonial practices, particularly the rhythmic ritual of the Ring Shout, a repository for cultural traditions. The interior is a sanctuary for ancestral reliquaries and voices where stories once silenced can find resonance.
A Journey Through Memory
Visitors are invited to descend a gently sloping ramp into a gathering space reminiscent of the Praise House. This pathway is not just physical but symbolic - a passage through time and memory from the physical world to the spiritual world. The poignant words, “I am here, I am home,” are imbedded in the wall and repeated in several languages. These words are a powerful reminder of the seven individuals’ return to their spiritual and literal origins at the site.
Sacred Spaces of Reflection
At the heart of the interior memorial lies the Sacred Center room: a communal area that fosters engagement and introspection. The room’s flooring contains an abstraction of a Cosmogram - an ancient circular symbol revered for its spiritual significance - ground the space in tradition and inviting contemplation. The exterior garden features a circular burial mound designed for the reflection and remembrance in full view of the sacred interior space. Its deliberate fissure speaks to the unfolding narrative of untold stories and histories, urging each visitor to consider the complexities of past injustices and ongoing reconciliation.
A Memorial for All
The memorial beckons all to engage with its story - a narrative woven with threads of resilience, remembrance, and respect for those who came before. It stands as a beacon of hope and a call to action, urging us to honor the past while shaping a future that is grounded in collective memory and justice.
An Engaging Participatory Experience
The design invites each visitor to reflect on the legacies of the enslaved African people who contributed to the cultural tapestry of New York City and to honor the Lenape people dispossessed by colonial expansion. This dual acknowledgement fosters a sense of active participation and engagement, transforming the audience from passive observers to integral keppers of history.
PLANS AND VIEWS
Client: BRC and Dyckman Farmhouse Museum
Collaboators:
Peggy King Jorde, King Jorde Cultural Projects Consulting
Elizabeth Kennedy, Principal of EKLA, Elizabeth Kennedy Landscape Architect
Joe Baker, Executive Director of The Lenape Center
