After nearly three months, 599 out of 936 people chose “Rooted” by Model of Architecture Serving Society (MASS) and Sculptor Dana King

Jha D’ Amazi, Principal MASS, director Public Memory and Memorials Lab

R O O T E D is a process and a promise for Market Street Park, transmuting an exclusionary past into a new civic heart for Charlottesville; a collective commitment to the ongoing work of justice, dignity, and belonging. Inspired by the mighty Baobab tree — its life-giving fruit and pan-African symbolism for wisdom, longevity, and interconnection — a central pavilion rises amidst the park’s mature canopy as a beacon for community care.

Radiating from the tree, seasonally stewarded gardens alternate with intimate brick niches for casual exchange, cultural celebration, or quiet contemplation. Together we can build a vital sanctuary, forged from the materials of an inherited present, to envision a true commons, sprouting from shared roots.

The R O O T E D concept is proposed at five scales:

• PARK-Primary walkways across the park are reconfigured to reflect the FAWOHODIE Adinkra, a West African symbol representing independence and responsibility.

• PLAZA-The plaza weaves together gardens and gathering space with an ANANSE NTONTAN Adinkra, the "spider's web,” representing wisdom, creativity, and the complexities of life.

• PAVILION-The BAOBAB tree honors the presence and persistence of Black descendants of American enslavement, with seven passageways inviting all to enter a shared space of possibility.

• PEOPLE-On the tree’s interior, HANDPRINTS of community members honor the project’s collaborative effort and collective realization.

• PLANT-Enlarged BAOBAB FRUIT & SEEDS extend the project’s message of hope to community-selected locations throughout the city.

Read the ROOTED fact sheet