Exterior © Albert Vecerka-Esto & The Freelon Group-HOK
We had some good guesses for this week’s Where in the World is TravelGumbo, but believe it or not, no one offered the correct guess.
The National Center for Civil and Human Rights opened on Monday, June 23rd 2014 in Pemberton Place, adjacent to the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola. This area is in Downtown Atlanta, just north of Centennial Olympic Park. The Center links the American Civil Rights Movement to human rights movements around the world and features a series of interactive exhibits by playwright George C. Wolf.
The curving of the walls is meant to suggest the joining of hands. The building design architect was Phil Freelon. One of his many projects,was the African Diaspora in San Francisco. He’s also head of the design team for the under-construction $500 million Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture Museum in Washington.
Credit – Gene Phillips Photography
The water feature in the back features quotes from Margaret Mead and Nelson Mandela. The center has three floors dedicated to different subjects and you enter through the second floor.
Interior © Albert Vecerka-Esto & Rockwell Group
CR Gallery Lunch counter simulator Photo: Studio Fitz
The second floor is dedicated to the Civil Rights Struggle in the US during the 40’s through the 60’s. One of the exhibits attempts to recreate the experience of a sit-in at a Southern lunch counter during the student sit-in movement. You put your hands on the counter while wearing headphones as you hear insults and threats, similar to what demonstrators heard. A stopwatch measures how long you can sit without moving your hands from the table.
Interior © Albert Vecerka-Esto & Rockwell Group
The third floor in the museum looks at current human rights issues around the world. Included are mirrors you stand in front of and choose different traits that describes you. When you tap on a label, an image appears in a mirror, showing someone else in another part of the world who faces discrimination for having your same trait.
Interior © Albert Vecerka-Esto & Rockwell Group
The first floor features a continuously rotating collection of personal papers and items from Atlanta native Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Currently on display until May 3rd, 2015 are:
- Handwritten notes from Dr. King’s speech on Selma, 1965
- Dr. King’s Diary from Albany Jail, 1962
- A letter from President Lyndon Johnson to Dr. King, 1963
- Dr. King’s address on the Civil Rights Act of 1964
I took my photos that i posted for WITW 109 from Centennial Olympic Park Dr. What amazed me is where they placed the front of the building.Below is a photo from the Center.
I was in Atlanta at a convention a couple of years ago, and passed by that site daily…had no idea what they were building behind the fence! Looks like an interesting site…