Hall’s Hill / High View Park (HHHVP) Gateway Park and Sculpture (Current)

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Subject of Research: Hall’s Hill / High View Park (HHHVP) Gateway Park and Sculpture (Current)
Story: The Hall’s Hill/Highview Park and Sculpture is a strategically located gateway to the Hall’s Hill/Highview Park (HHHVP) neighborhood located at the south corner of N. Cameron Street and Lee Highway in Arlington County, VA. HHHVP is, “the oldest enclave in Northern Virginia that was settled shortly after the Civil War by newly freed slaves. The community’s origin derived from two distinct names. Halls Hill, initially singled out as the upper section of the community, originated from a portion of the estates of William Marcey and Bazil Hill, who sold most of his land to his freed slaves for about sixty cents an acre and from whom the community takes its name; High View Park, was referred to as “the bottom of the hill” or lower section of the community, until 1965 when it was renamed to include the entire area because of its spectacular view of the County. High View Park has maintained its identity as one of the few surviving predominately Black communities in Arlington County for over 100 years, and holds the distinction of fostering at least four generations of Black families whose roots date back to the founding of the community” (HHPNCPC 1994:i).

The development and beautification of this site was made possible through funding by the Arlington County Neighborhood Conservation Program (NCP) and is the first of its kind to include public art (No author 2004). Arlington County’s NCP began in 1964. NCPs are initiated by the community who “lead a grassroots-based process to develop Neighborhood Conservation Plans” (ACPP n.d.). HHHVP has a long history of community activism and awareness. Their first HHHVP NCP was adopted in February 13, 1965 and updated in 1994. An NCP prioritizes community-identified concerns (i.e. street conditions, land use/zoning, housing, public facilities) to assist the County Board in better implementation of County bond funds used for neighborhood improvements (ACPP n.d.).

The first gateway park, just north of the current intersection of Lee Highway and N. Culpeper Street, was the result of the 1965 NCP. The 1960s community revitalization and beautification project included three totem poles “that captured the eyes of residents and visitor.” Unfortunately, the totem poles were partially destroyed by vandals shortly after they were erected. However, the remains of the poles have never been removed as a reminder of the community's trials and tribulations” (HHPNCPC 1964:4). Several members of the John M. Langston Civic Association have also been members of the HHHVP NCP planning committee, which provided a credible voice on the needs and wants of the community to the County. In 1994, the impetus for a replacement park was the HHHVP NCP committee who voiced neighborhood desires to modernize the community “gateway” at the intersection of N. Cameron Street and Lee Highway. Three pivotal neighborhood representations were required for the new park design: family, the Hall’s Hill legacy within High View Park, and community involvement (Green 2019).

Artist Winnie Owens-Hart, a HHHVP native, was commissioned to create representative artwork that captured the community’s longstanding values. Owens-Hart is an accomplished ceramics artist and Professor of Ceramics in the Howard University Department of Art. As designed, the HHHVP park includes two sections, Memory Bricks on the west side of N. Cameron and The Family sculpture on the east side. The inclusion of public art within this beautification effort was facilitated by ArtsWorks, a County summer employment program for creative youth (ACPAP n.d.-2). Memory Bricks is an installation art work that includes over 800 handmade, personalized bricks that were made by student apprentices Jeffrey Augustine, Tristan Benjamin, Marie Cosgrove-Davies, Alexandra Krafchek, Delanta Neal, Julia Siple, and Jeannette Yue.

Under the direction of Owens-Hart, [the] seven apprentices created decorative bricks and organized three community events where residents could also customize their own bricks. Images of Sankofa (a West African symbol representing learning from the past), churches, and bibles were inscribed into the bricks as well as names of HHHVP residents and ancestors. These images are visual reminders of the neighborhood’s past and now line the oval walkway on the west side of the park (ACPAP n.d.-2).

Community response to the project was tremendous; two standing-room only brick-engraving sessions were held at the Langston Community Center (Green 2019). Owens-Hart also designed The Family sculpture to symbolize the “strong sense of community” embodied in HHHVP (ACPAP n.d.-1). The Family is, “a monumental steel sculpture of a man, woman, and child with clasped hands. Arranged in a triangular configuration, this grouping symbolizes unity among families and residents of the neighborhood. The woman’s skirt is beautified with patterned relief, representative of traditional African scarification. Within this design is Braille text that acknowledges the vital role families play in the neighborhood. Five letters, HHHVP, stand on the west side of the park and provide prominent neighborhood identification” (ACPAP n.d.-1; Green 2019).
People: Winnie Owens-Hart
Place: Intersection of Lee Highway and N. Cameron Street

Media: HHHVP Park Form.docx.pdf