City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: OCTOBER 3, 2012
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: RASHAD M. YOUNG, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of Selection of the Artist Team For Public Art for the Contrabands and Freedmen’s Cemetery Memorial.
BODY
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ISSUE: Consideration of selection of the artist team for public art for the Contrabands and Freedmen’s Cemetery Memorial.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
(1) Receive the recommendation of the Alexandria Commission for the Arts;
(2) Schedule a public hearing on Saturday, October 13; and
(3) Following the public hearing, approve the artist and design proposal (Attachment 1) for the Contrabands and Freedmen’s Cemetery Memorial, as recommended by the Alexandria Commission for the Arts.
BACKGROUND: The Freedmen’s Cemetery was established in 1864 as a burial ground for African Americans who fled slavery, seeking a safe haven in Union-controlled Alexandria during the Civil War. Between 1,700 and 1,800 people were buried in the Cemetery during the five-year period the federal government managed the Cemetery.
Over the years, the Cemetery was compromised and hundreds of graves were lost. A gas station and office building were constructed on the site. It was generally unknown that a burial ground survived under the commercial development until historical research revealed the presence of the Cemetery in 1987.
Within the last 12 years, community interest and archaeological investigations to identify and protect the graves have resulted in an appreciation for the Cemetery and its long forgotten story. With financial support from a settlement with the Federal Highway Administration regarding the construction of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, the City acquired the Cemetery site in 2007 in order to remove the buildings, reclaim the Freedmen Cemetery, and create the Contrabands and Freedm...
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