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Hoosiers Had Role in Museum DesignIndianapolis architect Walter Blackburn designed the three connected, curvilinear pavilions of the new $110 million National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati.
"It was Walter's last big project" before he died in 2000, said Alpha Blackburn, president and CEO of Blackburn Architects. "We sought the job. We really wanted it so badly. From a social standpoint, it was our most important commission."
The rough-hewn exterior stone suggests "how rugged and difficult the struggle for freedom was and is," Blackburn said. "The curvature of the walls will remind people the path to freedom was not straight, and remind them of the circuitous route slaves had to travel to find their way north to freedom. The paths don't stop at the building, but go through it, showing once slaves found their freedom in Cincinnati they often continued on their way to Canada."
The center anchors a four-acre site on the north bank of the Ohio River. The city's central skyline provides a backdrop for the buildings. The center's huge windows and open spaces provide spectacular views of the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge linking Cincinnati and Covington, Ky.
Blackburn got her first look at the center's exhibits on slavery Aug. 1.
"In a way, this is like hosting a family conclave and telling the family secrets so everybody can rec
more: www.indystar.com/articles/2/17003... (35)
August 15, 2004 | Viewed 24,395 time(s)
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