Elmwood Park: The Labor Monument-Philadelphia’s Tribute to the American Worker

The Labor Monument-Philadelphia’s Tribute to the American Worker by artist John Kindness was commissioned for Philadelphia’s Elmwood Park through the Association for Public Art’s New•Land•Marks: public art, community, and the meaning of place. The main feature of the project is seven circular bronze tables inspired by the metal buttons on the denim clothing worn by industrial workers.

Throughout the project’s ten year evolution, Ground Reconsidered worked closely with both the client and artist to develop and refine the site design by establishing a central gathering area in the center of the park, analyzing site lines and circulation issues to improve safety and security for park patrons, and finalizing the appropriate placement of the memorial sculpture. We conducted extensive research on new paving technologies and designed, documented and oversaw the installation of the site’s denim inspired pavement, impregnated with blue glass aggregate. Ground Reconsidered also oversaw the design, construction and installation of the benches which ring the sculpture’s button table elements in the heart of the park.