The city of Seneca is rich in history that is deeply rooted within the African American community of the upstate. Many sacred site are interwoven throughout its county lines. The Blue Ridge Community Center specifically is positioned within a micro-region that we have designated ‘The Seneca Sacred Region.’ Within this region lies churches, cemeteries, museums, schools, libraries, and community centers - places in which the African American community here identify with and cherish as a symbol of community, heritage, and culture.

I chose to design the parcel of land adjacent to the Blue Ridge Community Center - a once active all black school. The design intent for the Basin at Blue Ridge is to create a segue from the active community field to the east and the Cemetery to the west of the site. Here, a scale model of the Seneca River, a culturally significant landform to the communities that have been here for decades, flows down the site to ‘The Basin.’ This model resembles the movement through time and history, resembling the landform in which Seneca derives its name.

The interwoven paths are painted with swaths of native grass meadows. Toward the middle of the site is a brick and sand playground, pulling from the historic materiality of place. Acting as a threshold at the highpoint of the site, ‘the sacred alley’ stands as a transition point from the activated lower portion of the site to the cemetery. Here, a latticed brick structure, playing with views and shadows, creates a space for visitors to transition between sites. This is a space of calmness, reflection, and thought.

The Basin is a place where members of the community can gather, reflect on the past, honor sacred memories, and foster the creation of new ones.