nbritton1's Blog

Just another Georgia State University site

Image: Audio Tours

The availability of these tours marks an effort to catalyze more conscious interactions with the built environment. More than a cemetery, the recurrence of signage and these automated tours typifies Oakland as an outdoor museum. Here, visitors are meant to engage in the environment’s past, and utilize the green space as more than a graveyard.

Image: Monument

The monument stands at the end of a long cobblestone walkway, and impresses upon visitors for its height as they approach. To the right of the monument begins the expanse of Confederate gravestones, organized like those in Arlington. The Confederate flag is not included among the four hanging beside the monument.

Image: Gravesite

This grave is near the entrance to the cemetery, where the political and cultural figures of the city are buried. Its ornate, artistic style contributes to the tranquil atmosphere of the environment, more a place of solitude and beauty than a harsh reminder of death. This headstone also reveals a stratification of race even after…

Continue Reading

Signage: Tree Tag

Most trees bear tags that identify their species. As the cemetery is a major source of green space in the city, these tags command a more conscious interaction with the built environment. These also characterize efforts of the cemetery to preserve and care for the natural environment of the space.    

Signage: Historic Marker

The historic marker details the history of the cemetery, and its cultural significance to the city of Atlanta. The sign objectively characterizes the history and role of the cemetery, without any reaction to the segregation of races. There is a recurrent emphasis of the use of green space in the cemetery, as it was the…

Continue Reading

Built Environment Description: Oakland Cemetery

The flora of Oakland Cemetery is juxtaposed by the desolation of its locale. Nearby structures are of the same neutral beige, and most are vacant or crumbling. The graveyard is bordered by a tall brick barricade, and mounted on the entrance gate is an iron semi-circle blazoned with the name of the cemetery. Immediately beside…

Continue Reading

Skip to toolbar