Project Spotlight - Ned Moore
- kyle3934
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Philadelphia’s Armenian Heritage Walk is shaped as much by the land as by the stories it carries and guiding that transformation is landscape designer Ned Moore, whose Armenian-American identity deeply informed his approach to the site. For Moore, the project was not about recreating a distant homeland, but about thoughtfully weaving Armenian symbolism, native materials, and living landscapes into the fabric of Fairmount Park and the city of Philadelphia itself. In this conversation, Moore reflects on how heritage, ecology, and urban context converged in the design, revealing how the landscape invites movement, contemplation, and connection, while honoring both the Armenian experience and the shared American story.
As a landscape designer, how did your heritage influence the way you approached shaping the grounds of the Armenian Heritage Walk? As a landscape designer, I had to visualize this memorial’s effect on the Armenian American community, Fairmount Park and Philadelphia. The Armenian Heritage Walk is an expression of commonality between Americans of different backgrounds, by exemplifying an American culture’s uniqueness, just as others should be seen and respected.
Were there any unique challenges in sourcing materials or plants that aligned with both Armenian symbolism and Philadelphia’s climate? The project has many unique design challenges when sourcing materials for the site. The boulders, flora, and artwork that comprise Armenian culture and country are our greatest gift AHW gives to the city. I would like to thank our friends at the Morris Arboretum, the Philadelphia Horticultural Society, Our artists, and the quarrymen in Armenia who supported us in gathering the materials We will share with the city at the memorial.
What design compromises, if any, did you have to make due to the site’s historic and urban constraints? The Armenian Heritage Walk is designed to give visitors a period for pause, education, and reflection, though We had to solve how that related to the memorial’s surroundings. The site is surrounded by motion with the Philadelphia Museum of Art to the South, Rocky Steps to the East, and Kelly Avenue to the North. The memorial is designed for fluidity as well. Visitors are not meant to linger but flow through the space, embracing each area within the site as you continue onward, leaving with more in mind than you entered with.
In your view, how does the landscape design help tell the broader story of Armenian heritage alongside the art and architecture? The landscape design at the Armenian Heritage Walk is a glimpse of the Armenian and United States’ landscapes in unity. We did not create a replica of the Caucasus at the memorial. In the city of Philadelphia, the design exhibits elements of landscape that Armenian American origins were built on. Perennials, stone, and artwork give context to the lands the Armenian American community was built on and gift to others.
Looking at the finished design, what do you hope visitors—especially those of Armenian descent—feel when they experience the space? I hope visitors experience pause, education, and reflection at the Armenian Heritage Walk. Like the monument that was erected 50 years ago, Our design team acknowledges the dedication and purpose Armenian settlers had to make The United States of America their home. I hope visitors honor our predecessors, and our neighbors for the place we build and contribute to.
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