The Frederick Douglass Memorial Plaza
By Andrew J. Williams, IIThe Honorable Frederick Douglass is regarded as Rochester’s most famous resident. He resided here with his family from 1847–1874. Douglass also served as a principal Conductor of the Underground Railroad. He was laid to rest in Rochester’s Mt. Hope Cemetery in 1895.
On June 9, 1899, an 8-foot bronze likeness of Douglass on top of a 9-foot granite pedestal was unveiled initially at St. Paul Street and Central Avenue, in front of the old New York Central Train Station. Ten thousand people, including many dignitaries and Theodore Roosevelt, then the governor of New York, were on hand for the dedication. It was relocated to Highland Park in 1941.
The Frederick Douglass Monument, the nation’s first statue honoring an African American, was recently moved out of the Highland Park Bowl. For 78 years, the monument faced away from the road and was often obscured by trees and foliage but is now the centerpiece of the newly designed Plaza at the corner of South Avenue and Robinson Drive.
Today, the Plaza, celebrating Douglass, features a concrete surface accented by bluestone pavers, stone seating walls, ornamental planting beds, lighting and an illuminated sculpture depicting the North Star standing out among other constellations. The North Star held significance in Douglass’s life, as guidance for the Underground Railroad, and the name of the anti-slavery newspaper he published in Rochester.
Moving the 102 years old monument to a more visible and accessible location was inspired by the Rev. Julius D. Jackson Jr., who rallied for years to light the statue. It took ten years for this to happen: “A dream differed does not equate to a dream denied,” Jackson states,” In June 2009 as I called forth members of the community to give tribute to Frederick Douglass on the 110th anniversary year of the unveiling of his famous monument, I asked that we symbolically shine a light on the statue in hopes that the dream of permanently lighting the icon would be fulfilled.”
Speaking at a December 4, 2019 ceremony, surrounded by a large crowd local and state officials, media and supporters, Jackson stated, “Mr. Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey Douglass, tonight we are here to cut the ribbon opening this memorial Plaza and to light up the statue in your likeness. BUT WE WON’T STOP! NO, WE CAN’T STOP! We will yet continue to take up the charge to shine a light on the various injustices and threats to freedom that still remains.”
The Frederick Douglass Memorial Plaza is Rochester’s Highland Park’s newest attraction. Its location is at the gateway to the city’s oldest and most famous festival, the Lilac Festival, and will let visitors see how important the legacy of Frederick Douglass is to the history of Rochester.
