The Team—and You
Our team has grown organically over the past six years, bringing together city and neighborhood residents, The Rescue Mission, Michael Graves Architects, The Trenton Project, and Princeton University. We continue to grow.
In 2018, after The Trenton Project community event and other initial conversations, Michael Graves Architects organized a summer design charette, led by Robert Blaser and Michael Lin. Together with the Rescue Mission's Barrett Young and Mary Gay Abbott Young the firm began to imagine a park on Ewing Street. Purcell Carson and Alison Isenberg from The Trenton Project at Princeton University met with the design team to contribute layers of history and to help connect to more community voices, specifically the Joseph-Killingsworth family. Harlan Joseph's sister, Sharon, joined the conversation soon after and proposed calling the project a "Peace Park."
In 2023, the City of Trenton, led by Councilwoman Jennifer Williams and Mayor Reed Gusciora, invited Joseph's sister Rhonda Killingsworth to the dedication of a historical marker to Joseph, underlining the desire in the city to still work through this piece of shared history.
Shortly thereafter, city officials expressed their willingness to further consider the idea of the park. Local lawyer and community activist Austin Edwards joined the process, while finishing his Master's degree at Princeton University's School for Public and International Affairs. Our team is expanding and we look forward to including other individuals and organizations on this roster.
Current Collaborators
The Trenton Rescue Mission
Barrett Young is the Chief Executive Officer of the Rescue Mission of Trenton, where he guides the vison and leads this venerable organization, which, for over a century continues to feed those who are hungry, house those who are homeless, counsel those in recovery, and provide life-changing opportunities. A Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, who earned a Master of Science in Non-Profit Administration from the University of Pennsylvania, Barrett is focused on expanding the organization’s commitment to providing counseling, vocational development and helping previously homeless individuals obtain permanent housing.
Mary Gay Abbott-Young is President of The Rescue Mission of Trenton, where she leads key aspects of the organization’s strategic plan, and oversees grants, funding, and public advocacy. The former Chief Executive Officer of The Mission, Mary Gay has a passion for helping those who are marginalized and unseen, and for speaking up for those whose voices are often not heard. As an advocate for those in need, she is a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor, who holds a Master’s Degree in Education from Temple University.
Michael Graves Architects
Robert Blaser, AIA, is Principal and Design Practice Leader for Michael Graves Architecture & Design. Since joining the firm in 1998, Robert has become one of the firm’s most accomplished designers, recognized with numerous awards, international and local. He has experience working at all scales, from master planning complex sites and designing the buildings to overseeing interior design. Robert is a place-maker passionate about building the user experience around ideas of context, story and character.
Michael Lin, LEED AP BD+C, is a Senior Architectural Designer for Michael Graves Architecture & Design. He has been with the firm since 2018 after earning his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Syracuse University. Michael is passionate about enhancing communities through design, having done so worldwide, from Malawi, Africa to Washington D.C. to here in Trenton.
Austin Edwards, Esq.
Austin Edwards is a proud Trentonian born and raised in the City. With humble beginnings in his childhood home on Rutherford Avenue and church home of Little Light True Gospel Church, he learned the value of caring for his community and its people, finding joy in helping address the issues facing neighbors, friends, family, and other community members. His work experience includes positions at Capitol Hill, the United States Coast Guard, the Federal Judiciary, multiple federal agencies, and Ernst & Young. He returned to Trenton to work with the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office to reform police/community relations as well as state financial laws. He holds a law degree from Howard University and a Masters of Domestic and Public Policy from Princeton University.
The Trenton Project · Princeton University
The Trenton Project is a collaborative documentary investigation of a city. We work in community with residents and institutional partners to document and amplify the lives and talents of Trentonians as they weave and repair the fabric of a city. For over ten years, we've worked to conduct research, create films, raise questions, gather archives, tell stories, and bring community together.
Alison Isenberg is professor of history at Princeton University, where she codirects the Princeton-Mellon Initiative in Architecture, Urbanism, and the Humanities. She is the author of Downtown America: A History of the Place and the People Who Made It, Designing San Francisco (2017) and the forthcoming Uprisings about Harlan Bruce Joseph.
Purcell Carson is a filmmaker and academy-award winning editor of documentaries. She teaches at Princeton University and founded The Trenton Project in 2012 as a way to engage students and community partners. Her own film, Harlan B. Joseph Was Here is in production. She is also directing and editing a portrait of Central American migration between Salcajá Guatemala and Trenton, Life Does Not End.
Our Advisors
We are turning to a number of advisors and planners, from across New Jersey, as we work to make this park a reality. We're grateful for input from the City of Trenton, including council members Jennifer Williams and Jaci Edwards, advisors from New Jersey Conservation Foundation (Jay Watson and Anthony Cucchi), experienced planners at the Mercer County Parks Department, and leaders from the state's Green Acres program. Thank you!!