In 1987, Alexandria's city historians discovered that a Civil War-era burial ground lay beneath a gas station on a busy street in south Old Town. The burial ground held the remains of African Americans who fled slavery, but did not live long in freedom. Neglected and nearly forgotten, the burial ground was transformed in 2014 into a cemetery memorial. Today, the site commemorates Alexandria's enslaved community and reconnects the interred with their descendants, many of whom still live in Alexandria.

Working with landscape architect AECOM and sculptor Joanna Blake, H+R designed bas reliefs, 3D maps, grave markers, paving and a listing of the interred based on the only surviving record of those buried here—the Gladwin Record. "Living Descendant" markers are added when genealogical research reveals family connections. To learn more about the dedication, please click here.

OBJECTIVE To use interactives, artifacts and large-scale immersive graphics to evoke the 1940s heyday of the Luray Depot as a bustling center of trade and transport, when steam locomotion was king. A key goal was to use period-evocative graphic motifs and finishes that complemented the historic depot, while achieving a timeless and polished exhibit. Interpretation brings together a floor railroad map with custom art based on Depression-era travel posters, a centerpiece model railroad, digital interactives and historic photos to re-imagine a time when the Depot represented the very heart of this rural Virginia town.OBJECTIVE To use interactives, artifacts and large-scale immersive graphics to evoke the 1940s heyday of the Luray Depot as a bustling center of trade and transport, when steam locomotion was king. A key goal was to use period-evocative graphic motifs and finishes that complemented the historic depot, while achieving a timeless and polished exhibit. Interpretation brings together a floor railroad map with custom art based on Depression-era travel posters, a centerpiece model railroad, digital interactives and historic photos to re-imagine a time when the Depot represented the very heart of this rural Virginia town.