The Shockoe Project is a collective vision to elevate African American histories in Richmond, Virginia. During the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the city of Richmond served as a hub for the trafficking of Africans into America. More than 11,000 people were brought into the city between 1727 and 1769. Once Congress outlawed the importation of slaves, the city then became a significant market for the Domestic Slave Trade. Between 1790 and 1860, it is estimated that more than one million enslaved people were sold from Virginia to the Lower South. These facts place Richmond—and more specifically the historic district surrounding Shockoe Creek—at the center of the story of enslavement in the United States.

The site today is a complex tangle of transportation and utility infrastructure that has erased this contentious history. Located above the buried Shockoe Creek and within the FEMA 100-year floodplain, the landscape is also subject to frequent, and sometimes severe, inundation. As such, the master plan proposes an ecological and cultural reclamation of the site. A sensitive organization of building program and public space allows for phased development that meets the site’s stringent regulatory and environmental constraints. The result is a performative landscape that is grounded in this critical story and place.

The master plan for the 10-acre campus is anchored by a memorial to the enslaved people sold and traded. A system of paths guide visitors to the National Slavery Museum, the Shockoe Institute within Main Street Station, and the archaeological site of Lumpkin’s Slave Jail. A 1,200-foot long pedestrian bridge helps frame and organize the interpretive spaces on site—its curves are an abstract reference of the morphology of the buried Shockoe Creek below as well as the circuitous journey of Africans and African Americans who once traversed this landscape.

Divided by Broad Street, the 10-acres is organized into a South and North Campus. On the south, the Shockoe Institute immerses visitors in the stories that shaped and continue to shape local Black history, while the revealed archaeology of Lumpkin’s Slave Jail uncovers the tragic realities of enslavement in the city. These exhibits are surrounded by varied interpretive and public landscapes—a savanna, a riparian garden, and an event lawn—that enrich the narrative and pedestrian experience.

On the north, the National Slavery Museum is a space for collections and exhibitions that focus specifically on elevating the voices of the enslaved and their descendants. The memorial to the enslaved sits at the base of the museum, and a reflecting pool and gathering area are sited near the edge of what was once the city’s first African Burial Ground.

This project aims to create a grounded site that honors the journey and experiences of enslaved people. It integrates a historic cultural landscape within the constraints of a modern urban site and provides a space for remembrance, reflection, research, connection, and reclamation.

LOCATION:
Richmond, VA

CLIENT:
City of Richmond

PROJECT TEAM:
Baskervill - Architect
VHB - Civil Engineer
BlueNest - Structural Engineer
Greeley & Hansen - Floodplain Manager
Riggs Ward Design - Interpretive Designer
Brocade Studio - Community Engagement Specialist
Siddal Communications - Graphic Design/Branding
James River Institute for Archaeology - Archaeologist
Kim Chen, Ana Edwards, Dr. Gregg Kimball, Dr. Lauranette Lee, Dr. Lynn Rainville - Historians
DEGO Design & Architectural Visualization - Visualization Specialist

MEDIA:
VPM

AWARDS:
2024 Phil Freelon Professional Design Award, National Organization of Minority Architects
2024 Merit Award, Contextual Design Category, AIA Richmond
2024 Design Award Citation, Unbuilt Architecture Category, AIA Virginia