A massive stone wall will remain a design feature of the new National Underground Railroad Freedom Center on the riverfront.

        The wall, 78 feet tall and 150 feet wide, had been criticized by the Urban Design Review Board and some members of City Council because it has no windows and nothing to break up the facade. The wall is the eastern side of the building, facing Walnut Street.

        Architect Alpha Blackburn said there are no windows on the wall because galleries are on the other side and the light in those rooms has to be carefully controlled.

A rendering of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center shows the blank, 150-foot wide stone wall that will face Walnut Street. (Underground Railroad Freedom Center) | ZOOM |

        Project Designer Chris Linn, who works for Boora Architects of Portland, Ore., said his team considered several changes to the wall but recommended sticking with the original design.

        “The wall keeps the building strong and is expressive of the (Freedom Center's) story — it doesn't add anything ornamental or false,” Mr. Linn said. “We think the stone is beautiful.”

        Some changes at street level will make the wall more attractive to people walking by, Ms. Blackburn said.

        A huge stone cut-out — 7 1/2 feet by 5 feet — with an inscription will be placed at eye level. Landscaping will help break up the wall, she said.

        “We looked at several ways to deal with the wall, and every one diminished the power of the design,” Ms. Blackburn said.

        Review board members, meeting Wednesday, agreed.

        Senior Project Manager Henry Brown said design documents for the museum are about 50 percent complete, so it was important to get the board's approval. The board will make a recommendation to Cincinnati City Manager John Shirey.

        “We need to get on with the bidding,” Mr. Brown said.

        Construction is to begin in summer 2002. The museum is a tribute to the network of African-Americans, abolitionists and their allies who helped slaves escape from the South to freedom in the North before the Civil War.

        The 150,000-square-foot building is being paid for with a combination of private and public funds. It is scheduled to open in spring 2004.
       

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