Let's Talk Albemarle: Court Square
Let's Talk Albemarle: Court Square
This project seeks to provide the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors with community feedback on the Court Square public space, markers, and memorials, and how it could be intentionally programmed public space.
Albemarle County's Court Square is a public space, a public good intended to be accessible and available to any member of our community. The elements within a public space articulate how the space should be used and the markers and monuments within Court Square tell a story about who we are and what we, as a community, value.
Today, the Court Square property is home to several markers and monuments, including tributes to American Presidents and Confederate soldiers, commemoration of exploration, a heroic ride, and memorialization of a local lynching. Each of these markers were placed under specific circumstances, but no cohesive vision or master plan for this public space has been articulated. The legislation granting local authority over monuments and memorials for war veterans by the General Assembly earlier this year presents an opportunity for the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors to establish a vision for the space.
To do this in a way that represents our community's values, we need you to get involved.
The story that a building tells through its design may be as important to the community it serves as its function. By shaping our thoughts about ourselves and our institutions, it will directly affect our efforts to work productively together.
- Justice Stephen G. Breyer (United States Supreme Court, 1994-present)
Introduction
Over the past several decades, Court Square - Circuit Courthouse Grounds, has become host to memorials and historic objects in Albemarle’s history. This important public space has not been curated to craft a narrative and to do so, we need your help. As a community, we need to have conversations about what's important to us, what do we want this space to say about us, what do we want to project today and moving forward, and how do we do that at Court Square.
We started this project in-person in February 2020. The engagement process was designed to be collaborative and interactive. Due to the restrictions in place to reducee the transmission of COVID-19, the process was paused in mid-March. We are pleased to launch this digital project hub to continue the Court Square Community Conversations.
Please join us for a series of educational tours, listening sessions, and community panels from June through July to tour this space, develop a shared understanding of its history, and explore together what the future could hold.
Read on to view all the opportunities to participate.
Panel Discussions Q&A
Expanding the Narrative at Highland
Dr. Sara Bon-Harper, Executive Director of James Monroe’s Highland and Ms. Jennifer Stacy, member of Highland’s Descendant Advisory Panel, will lead a discussion on their work to represent a multivocal history, one in which many voices combine to tell one set of stories. This event will be moderated by Dr. Louis Nelson, Vice Provost for Academic Outreach and Professor, Architectural History.
Court Square as a Public Space
A conversation about the meaning and importance of Court Square as a public space, with Elgin Cleckley, Assistant Professor of Architecture, Education, and Health at UVA, Justin Reid, Director of Community Initiatives, Virginia Humanities, Dr. Kirt Von Daacke, Assistant Dean, Associate Professor of History UVA, and Betsy Baten, Albemarle County Historic Preservation Committee. This event will be moderated by Dr. Andrea Douglas, Executive Director Jefferson School African American Heritage Center.
Discussion of the cultural landscape of Court Square and the historic significance and design of its current markers and monuments.
Community Conversations
July 8th Conversation
July 8, 2020 at 6 pm
A guided conversation with community members sharing their stories about memorialization, public space, and Court Square. Attendees will learn from and share with others to enhance our collective understanding.
July 24th Conversation
July 24, 2020 at 12 pm
A guided conversation with community members sharing their stories about memorialization, public space, and Court Square. Attendees will learn from and share with others to enhance our collective understanding.
Questionnaire
Share Your Experience
We have created this questionnaire to provide a direct opportunity for you to share your thoughts, concerns, and vision around the Court Square property and the way we interpret that as public space.The...
Virtual Tour
Court Square Virtual Tour
A virtual tour of the Court Square public space and an opportunity to share your reflections from the tour.
Project Update
7/30/20
All commenting opportunities on this platform are now closed. All public comments remain visible and you may click through to read them.
The comments have been submitted to the Board of Supervisors for review.