This project involved the redesign of a visitor’s center at Graceland Cemetery in Chicago.
The project brief, needless to say, warranted a modified design approach, one driven by modesty, sensitivity, and clarity.
The site for the center was located at the southwestern entrance of Graceland, specifically at the intersection of the two streets – Irving Park Road and North Clark Street – which form the respective southern and western borders of the cemetery. This condition, coupled with the nature of the visitor’s center as a place of reflection and solemnity, drove the architectural discussion from that point onward.
Thus, as the design developed, of greatest concern was the the condition of the site as a boundary – a boundary, it would seem, between the urban chaos of the city and the quiet calm of the cemetery. It was understood that both sides of the boundary would be affected by any proposed design intervention, so the project shifted slightly to consider both street and cemetery.
And so, the ultimate form of the design saw opportunity in the fence that surrounded the cemetery. This datum line was taken and modified only enough to provide a recessed plaza for pedestrians, relieving tension at the busy intersection while also altering the quality of space through which one would pass through to enter the cemetery. Simultaneously, this boundary line became the shield behind which the sanctuary of the visitor’s center would lay, keeping the intervention minimal, sufficient, and consistent.
The plaza would be kept simple, separated from the visitor’s center by a tall, windowless Corten-steel wall which would lean gently toward the plaza. This wall would form the southern boundary of the center but would only become part of the explicit enclosure for the right half of the space, on the left it would simply act as a dividing wall between the street and a small garden.
The visitor’s center itself would be broken into two main spaces; on the western side would be a quiet gathering space for visiting families, and on the eastern side, with the largest view to the cemetery would be the educational space and restrooms. Above the entire enclosed portion of the space would be a gently curving, wood clad ceiling and roof. No columns would be necessary, except for a small bundle at the northeast corner of the space.
The resulting spaces are intended to focus and calm through the provision of just enough architecture to allow pause for a moment – be it dedicated to learning, sharing, lamenting, resting, or reflecting – without overstimulating or overwhelming.
This studio project also involved the creation of three physical models of varying scale: a site model at 1/16″ scale, a full model at 1/4″ scale, and a sectional crop at 1/2″ scale.
The section crop highlights the column and ceiling condition facing the cemetery. The full model shows the layout of the spaces and expresses material distinction between ground (stain on hand-etched plywood), steel (simple brown paper), concrete (painted basswood and paper), and privacy screen (painted basswood). The site model – my personal favorite – best shows the corner condition and primary architectural scheme of the design as a boundary. This model was created using stained plywood to gently indicate change in ground material, painted basswood and mesh for the border wall, 3D printed elements for the main structure, simple copper wire for trees and figures, and hand-cut basswood for the gravestone elements.
Jarrett Niestroy 