Abolitionist Place
Brooklyn, NY | 2024 | 1.15 acres
Abolitionist Place, formerly Willoughby Square, is a 1.15 acre, street-level, public open green space in Downtown Brooklyn. It commemoriates the 19th century abolitionist activity in Brooklyn. Abolitionists Harriet and Thomas Truesdell lived at nearby 227 Duffield Street, which is believed to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad.
The green space is ringed on all sides by a dense and dynamic, high-rise, mixed-use cityscape. The challenge for the lighting design was to create a safe and restorative nighttime oasis within the brightly lit environs while protecting residents from light trespass. Key to the design were highly-shielded DOT -approved fixtures coupled with playful and festive cantenary lighting.
