In our community of Grosse Pointe Park, on Windmill Point, is the site of one of Detroit’s earliest historical battles. The battle resulted in the massacre of The Fox Indians, an indigenous tribe of the area. We were honored to design a space that allows friends of history and our GPP community a way to pay homage to the many souls lost during that siege.

We wanted the newly designed space to pay reverence to history in the form of a small woodland-inspired garden. In this space, the community can find respite on one of the three benches, taking in the new garden and the history of the area.

Planted in this garden are tree species that are native to our region. The Eastern Redbuds will form a secondary canopy above the site, adding to the cathedral-like architecture of the limbs. This hallowed space in the shade features a carpet of epimedium and vinca wandering under native spice bush and between the cracks of the large stone slabs that comprise the patio.

There is a reward to working on projects such as this one.

For me, designing a space to honor such a chapter in history was not taken lightly. History is complicated, and I wanted to create a garden that focuses on honoring and healing—a space to remember all the souls lost in the battle.