Fort Monroe Authority Seeks General Contractor for African Landing Memorial Plaza
31 Julio 2024 - 10:11AM
Business Wire
The Fort Monroe Authority is actively seeking a highly qualified
general contractor experienced in pedestrian scale memorial site
work to undertake the construction of a profoundly significant
memorial plaza and its supporting infrastructure. This memorial
plaza will be situated at Old Point Comfort, Virginia, the historic
site of Fort Monroe, the largest stone fort in America, and the
location where the first Africans arrived in English speaking North
America in 1619.
The African Landing Memorial will commemorate a pivotal moment
that resonates throughout more than four centuries of American
history - the arrival of the first Africans in the Virginia Colony
in English North America in August 1619 at Point Comfort. Point
Comfort, now part of Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia, played a
crucial role as the place where approximately 20 Africans, brought
aboard the White Lion, were traded for provisions. This event
marked the beginning of African presence and cultural contributions
in what would eventually become the United States.
Inspired by the spirit of Sankofa, which emphasizes the
importance of learning from the past to shape the future, the
design of the memorial is centered around the line to Angola, a
geographical feature that points to the ancestral homeland of many
forcibly brought to the English colonies. Angola served as a
significant source of enslaved Africans, with thousands taken from
the West Central Africa region during the transatlantic slave
trade. The Fort Monroe Authority is currently engaged in
discussions with representatives of the Angolan government to
establish a more profound and meaningful relationship.
The African Landing Memorial and Plaza will expand upon an
already revered pilgrimage destination, recognizing that the roots
of a culture in this country began at this very point. This
memorial will stand as a constant reminder of the resilience and
invaluable contributions of Africans and their descendants to the
tapestry of American history.
A virtual pre-bid meeting will be held on Thursday, August 22 at
10:00 am via Microsoft Teams. Interested parties can join the
meeting using the following credentials: Meeting ID: 243 600 340
97, Passcode: dVigaf. Bids for the project will be due on September
26th at 2:00 pm and will be publicly opened the following day.
For more information and to access the bid documents, interested
contractors are encouraged to visit the Virginia Business
Opportunities website: Virginia Business Opportunities
(cgieva.com)
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Phyllis Terrell (757) 251-2754 PTerrell@fortmonroe.org