CARBO Landscape Architecture

Last month we celebrated the ribbon cutting and grand opening of the new Outdoor Classroom & Amphitheater at !
Perched on Southern University’s historic bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, the Outdoor Classroom & Amphitheater creates a new space for learning and campus events. Terraced seating and berms accommodate more than 1,000 people, while a stage framed by historic live oaks opens to views of the river and sunset.
The seating terrace paving patterns draw inspiration from traditional African artwork in the nearby Southern University Museum of Art. Above the stage, a sculptural structure references the University’s Historic Bell. Once part of Kernan Plantation (the land on which the University is located), the Bell was originally “used by the plantation owner to summon his black slave workers to the fields,” but it was later reclaimed by President Dr. Joseph Samuel Clark “as an instrument and symbol of rebirth to assemble and awaken students and faculty members to the opportunities of a new day – students to the classroom to pursue an education.”
This has been an exciting project at our office and we are excited to watch the faculty, staff, students & community members use this new amenity on campus for years to come!