Commemorating the ratification of the Constitution of the United States, Constitution Park has transformed what would otherwise be an empty corner of one of the main thoroughfares in Dover, Delaware. Featuring a monument inscribed with the text of the United States Constitution itself, the landmark connects the community with the history of the nation while cultivating engagement with residents and visitors in the present.
Connecting the Past and Present of the United States
Commissioned to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the ratification of the Constitution that took place in 1787, Constitution Park was dedicated in September of 1988. Sitting at the corner of North Street and State Street, the location is less than a block from The Green and other pieces of essential Delaware and United States history.
A 13-foot sculpture of a bronze quill feather laid across a stainless steel cube defines the space. The cube has been etched with the words of the Constitution as well as the first twenty-six amendments to it. The stars and stripes pattern on the cube is designed to represent the flag of the original thirteen states. Beneath the piece is a half wall that has the names of each of the 13 colonies inscribed on granite slabs that serve as benches.
Residing on a piece of property that is connected to where the Constitution was ratified by Delaware, Constitution Park preserves this history while positively transforming the space. Doing so allows audiences to do anything from experience this history to sit and relax, enabling connections that span multiple eras of the region and nation.
The Transformative Power of Monuments
As the first to ratify the Constitution to become the first state, Constitution Park is connected to the history of Delaware and the United States in multiple ways. That is does so while enabling such a powerful physical transformation of the space highlights what it can mean for a monument to connect eras and audiences on numerous levels.
