The Remembrance Structure

One example of Menokin’s method of “dynamic preservation” is the Remembrance Structure, designed by Reid Freeman of REID architecture, and completed in 2018. This pavilion was erected above the archaeological footprint of an 18th-century field slave dwelling. 

The structure does not have permanent foundations to allow future research and to not disturb the site. Its wood framing demonstrates the timber-building techniques used at the time the dwelling was constructed, and the structure is wrapped in a translucent agricultural fabric. With the aid of solar lighting, the pavilion glows at night in memorial of the enslaved residents of the former plantation. 

The Remembrance Structure serves as a platform for open conversations about the role that slavery played in early colonial plantations and our nation’s past, as well as its legacy in our communities today.

The Remembrance Structure designed by REID Architecture received Design Merit awards from AIA Virginia in 2018 and the Society of Registered Architects (SARA) of New York in 2019. Awards also included the prestigious 2021 Coda Awards Merit Award, 2020 AIA New York State Design Honor Award, and the 2018 ARCHITIZER A+ Awards Special Mention.

Watch architect Reid Freeman and Genealogist Tom Duckenfield tell the story of the Remembrance Structure at Menokin

See a photo essay on how the remembrance structure was built in real time here