‘Looking to the future.’ Construction underway on NC Freedom Park in downtown Raleigh
Land between the North Carolina governor’s mansion and the state legislature is being transformed from a gravel parking lot into the state’s Freedom Park to highlight the African American experience in North Carolina.
Years in the making, the park has entered the final stage of the project: construction. The park, centered around a large piece of public art called the Beacon of Freedom, is expected to be complete in 2023.
The ground work is underway as construction equipment has been seen daily on the site. A concrete gazebo-like structure is now gone, along with one of the large trees. Underground work is replacing the drainage pipes that run from the Executive Mansion to the Legislative Building on Wilmington Street.
“I have been involved since 2005, and we went through the design and planning stage twice, then pre-construction, raising money, getting permits, then construction,” said Reginald Hodges, a Freedom Park board member. “And construction technically is the last phase, and we’re excited to be in that stage.
“Fairly soon you’ll see things above ground,” Hodges said.
But first, the board will meet with state archaeologists to discuss recent discoveries — what was left from a previous owner — below the surface of the future park. This fall, state archaeologists used ground-penetrating radar to see what lies beneath the gravel lot, which is bordered by Wilmington, Jones, Lane and Blount streets.
The work revealed part of a stone foundation wall from the 1850 house owned by Thomas Devereux Hogg, a businessman who enslaved 18 people in Raleigh, according to the 1850 census. The stone was covered with layers of clay, dirt, gravel and the former parking lot.
Mary Beth Fitts, assistant state archaeologist, said the foundation they uncovered was part of the north wall of the house, and the stone was likely brought in via a railroad from the local rock quarry.
It is not clear if they lived there or elsewhere on land in Raleigh owned by the Hogg family, who bought the block in 1831 for $400.
Fitts said while the Hogg family paid for the house, enslaved people built it.
“The wall itself is a testament to the skill and labor of the enslaved folks who made it,” she said.
State archaeologists will remove the foundation and make a 3-D model of it, and also look to see if there are any artifacts from the foundation’s construction nearby. Fitts said they are consulting with the Freedom Park board to see what they want to do with the artifacts.
Hodges told the N&O that the board hasn’t discussed it yet.
“It would be nice if some part of it could be incorporated into the park,” Hodges said.
Most of the house foundation was demolished, Fitts said, because the area is a storm drain easement.
State Archaeologist John Mintz said an earlier map of the area showed there was once a well across the street where the Legislative Building is now.
Construction timeline
NC Freedom Park will share the block with the State Archives and State Records Center buildings. The state bought the land in the 1960s but only developed about half of it. The Freedom Park project is being built with a mix of public and private funding.
It broke ceremonial ground in October 2020, the same year that $1.5 million in state funding came through from the General Assembly. The total project cost of $5.4 million also includes $1.9 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Holt Brothers, a Black-owned company, became the general contractor this past fall.
Dave Finch, director of operations for Holt Brothers, said ground construction will begin after the grading and utility installation is complete. An Osage orange tree was removed because of grading and drainage, but Finch said the six remaining large trees should stay, and more will be planted.
Finch said that global supply chain issues, inflation and worker shortages affects the project, but that it is staying in its current timeline this year.
“It’s an awesome project. We’re extremely excited to build this park for Raleigh and the state ... and shine light on the contributions of African Americans to this state,” he said.
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Looking to the future
The park was designed by the late architect Phil Freelon, whose firm, Perkins and Will, also designed the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.
The design includes the Beacon of Freedom at the center of the park, as well as low walls along diagonal pathways that will feature a textured surface with “words and images telling the Freedom story,” according to the park website.
The park will incorporate the existing North Carolina Victims Memorial into the design, as well as areas of reflection and gathering.
The North Carolina African American Heritage Commission will be the park’s steward once it is completed. Director Angela Thorpe told the N&O in September that “African American history, our ancestors, their lives, their stories are always around us.”
Thorpe said the archaeological work on the Freedom Park site “reinforces that Black history is literally everywhere.”
Hodges, the park board member, said he is most excited that Freedom Park is about looking forward.
“We’re so glad that our park is going to be something that’s going to have inspiration and quotes looking to the future,” Hodges said.
This story was originally published May 9, 2022 at 5:45 AM with the headline "‘Looking to the future.’ Construction underway on NC Freedom Park in downtown Raleigh."
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