Lexington, Kentucky (January 21, 2022) – University of Kentucky landscape architecture students use their design expertise to recreate a historic estate in Woodford County.
Huntertown is a 50-acre African American village outside of Versailles, Kentucky. Founded in 1871 by former slaves, it was active until 2006. Now the area has shrunk to 38 acres, and recently opened as Huntertown Community Interpretive Park with the help of students from the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.
Students in the Department of Landscape Architecture facilitate public access to the park through a number of long-term improvements including playgrounds, pavilions, a community garden, learning areas, and partial recreation for the Riney B. Railroad community.
“We wanted to draw attention to some of the amazing spaces that Huntertown has to offer,” said Jayoung Koo, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture in the UK who led the project. “This is a really historic area that many people in the surrounding area might not know about. I truly believe this is a space that will bring people together. It also gets our students to think creatively to improve the landscape and history that is already in the area, while working with community leaders and stakeholders to create something better.” for the garden.”
The original idea for the garden came in 2019 from the local community. The following year, Huntertown Community Interpretive Park received funding from the Woodford County Community Foundation, with a match from Woodford County Court of Finance. The funds enabled the organizers to hire two CAFE student interns and start the project in summer 2020. A landscape architecture design studio class worked on the first phase of the project. In 2021, thanks to funding from the UK Sustainability Challenge Scholarship, a new group of students from the class started long-term plans for the park.
Koo students developed designs for different areas of the park including areas for recreating cultural memory, wetland management and conservation, health wellbeing and education in public spaces. Design solutions were created to complement already existing conservation efforts.
Each student created three design solutions based on ideas for small, medium and large budgets. After students introduced their planning concepts, community leaders made decisions based on preference, function, style, and budget needs.
“I think the main thing we got from this project was to bring the part of the community into the design,” said Felix Lowry, a student in Coe’s class. “In previous studios, we reviewed how to read the landscape and how to look at soil and drainage, but this was the first time we really looked at the historical, budgetary, and social aspects of a project. You can come up with a design for a project in the studio, however, to get out and engage with audience and community leaders. It’s a completely different animal. It’s great practice for the future.”
Koo describes the project as something very beneficial for both the community and the students.
“I think incorporating our students’ ideas into this will not only bring attention to this wonderful garden, but also to some of the things our students are able to accomplish with their design skills,” Coe said. “Huntertown has a rich history, and I think this is a great way to represent its heritage and educate the community.”