Tall Ship Providence

Restoring History through Community Action

The Tall Ship Providence Foundation purchased a reproduction of a Revolutionary War-era sloop that they have restored and moored in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. The ship provides a living link to the U.S.’s naval and Revolutionary history. Providence tells the story of John Paul Jones, one of the first naval commanders of the United States, and the history of sailing and shipping in Alexandria, which was founded as a port town. The ship currently functions as a floating interactive museum and their new Visitor Center will include a barge for ticketing, a small museum, a theater, reenactments, and gatherings.

The project started as a Community Action effort. HGA hosted an office-wide design charrette, where we synthesized ideas to create four schemes envisioning space programming, approach, and site context, which we further revised based on follow-up conversations with Tall Ship Providence Foundation and the City of Alexandria. We then presented the design concepts at a donor fundraising gala using Virtual Reality.

Through education and community engagement, the Tall Ship Providence’s new Visitor Center will tell a compelling story about local and national history.