Construction on North Carolina’s N.C Freedom Park which broke ground in late 2021 is finally close to completion. After 20 years of planning, the long-awaited development is now currently on schedule to open by mid-2023.
Thus far, a 50-foot tall, steel Beacon of Freedom has been mounted, which will serve as the park’s centerpiece. It was brought recently to Downtown Raleigh on a flatbed truck from Denver, Colorado.
Park board member, Reginald Hildebrand said the beacon would be a symbol representing the struggle for freedom. He said it was intended to give hope to those in the country trying to seek, define or secure freedom.
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Designs for the N.C Freedom Park
The newly installed 50-foot beacon at the N.C Freedom Park is uniquely designed to depict a large flame. Therefore, the stainless steel centerpiece was painted orange just like fire. The steel sculpture was built to glow and emit light in two ways. During the day, the metal piece reflects the sunlight, but at night it will be set alight using electricity.
Besides the beacon, the N.C Freedom Park will feature five walkways, with LED walls framing each path. These walls will be inscribed with words of freedom from black Americans who yearned and fought for equality across generations. What’s more, QR codes will be used for all the quotes on the park’s walls. This will give visitors more information on the source of each quote, including the photos of the speakers.
According to Hildebrand, a variety of quotes were selected for the N.C Freedom Park, which represents several groups of people. The selection ranges from enslaved persons and Union soldiers to civil rights leaders and presidents. Additionally, visitors will also get to see the words of late the Fayetteville native, George Floyd, “I can’t breathe.”
Perkins&Will architecture firm was in charge of designing the Freedom Park and their team was led by the late Phil Freelon. One of Perkins&Will’s landscape architects, Allen Pratt, described the pathways as a journey to the Beacon at the center.
