Celebrating a Community’s African American History
John Chavis Memorial Park, Raleigh, North Carolina
Through an intensive cultural heritage planning process, Signature Design crafted an interpretive master plan with a celebratory and memorable visitor experience encompassing the newly renovated historic park.
Services
Interpretive Planning
Robust Community Engagement Program
Exhibit Design
Graphic Design
Content Research & Writing
Interactive Website Content & Oral Histories
Production Documents
Construction Administration
Design Approach
Opened in 1938, John Chavis Memorial Park was originally built by the WPA (Works Progress Administration) for Raleigh’s Black population as a “separate but equal” facility, but its popularity rapidly spread. As one of the few places Black Americans could gather together in public during segregation, the park became a significant and special place to the local, regional, and even national Black community.
Our purpose for this cultural heritage interpretive plan is to create a cohesive vision and approach for interpretation at John Chavis Memorial Park. The plan defines outcomes for interpretation—what visitors should understand about the park’s rich heritage, natural features, and community stories, as well as how these stories might inspire visitors to action.
The plan organizes interpretive stories into a series of key messages. These messages are presented as the “big ideas,” or the most important broad take-away messages for visitors. The interpretive plan then makes recommendations for interpretive elements within the built environment, digital and interactive features, and future programming and events to reach patrons of all ages.
