LARP Senior Lecturer II Mike Davidsohn and Five College Associate Professor of Architecture Naomi Darling led a group of students to develop conceptual design proposals for the W.E.B. Du Bois Boyhood Homesite in Great Barrington, MA. The team included BSLA juniors Rhapsody Espiritu, Grace Kirkpatrick, and Trisha Bhattacharya, along with MARCH/MLARP second-year student Krashang Giri Goswami and Mount Holyoke College Architecture Studies senior Isabel Collina. In a presentation to Chancellor Javier Reyes last week, students shared site plans that reimagine the homesite as a living memorial where visitors can reconnect with Du Bois' life and legacy.
Click here to learn about the W.E.B. Du Bois Center at UMass Amherst.
Conceptual Masterplan of the Du Bois Homesite by Grace Kirkpatrick. "A Walk Through Time'" is a reverse timeline of Du Bois' life starting with his death in Ghana and ending at the memorial of him and his birthplace. The concept was developed by Grace Kirkpatrick, Rhapsody Espiritu, Trisha Bhattacharya, and Mike Davidsohn. Site plan key:
- The End of the Story
- The Walk through Time
- The Moment of Illumination
- The Viewfinder
- The Homestead Memorial
- Forest
Landscapes surrounding the homesite include a wetland, corn field, residential properties ("neighbors") and Route 41/S Egremont Rd.
'Moment of Illumination' at the W.E.B. Du Bois Homesite. This perspective by Rhapsody Espiritu represents a large space for visitors to contemplate and learn more about W.E.B. Du Bois' philosophies and work.
Perspective of the W.E.B. Du Bois Homesite created by Krashang Giri Goswami with the design concept and development by Naomi Darling and Isabel Collina. This memorial proposal titled, "Within the Boyhood Home: memorializing the house footprint," is inspired by the footprint of the Du Bois' boyhood home. Sculpted granite blocks are used to create a spatial moment with seating to allow for learning and contemplation.