The Peter Oliver Pavilion Gallery

Creative Corridors Coalition, in partnership with diverse stakeholders, is honored to launch The Peter Oliver Pavilion Gallery, honoring Faith, Freedom, and North Carolina Heritage. The Peter Oliver Pavilion Gallery will stand as a tribute to the enduring faith, resilience, and contributions of Peter Oliver (1766–1810). Oliver was born into slavery, but through strength of spirit and support from the Moravian community of Salem, he gained his freedom and built a life rooted in purpose, family, and faith.

Oliver lived much of his life in Salem (now part of Winston-Salem), where the Moravian Church’s commitment to community, education, and Christian values shaped the town’s early identity. With help from members of the Salem Moravian community, he secured his freedom in Pennsylvania and returned in 1800 as a free man. He leased land, started a family, and farmed four acres just beyond the town’s borders. His story is one of courage and conviction, grounded in the values Moravians hold dear: dignity of the individual, hard work, and spiritual fellowship.

The Peter Oliver Pavilion Gallery, located on the land Oliver once farmed, reflects these enduring principles. A timber-framed elliptical pavilion is to sit within a grove of trees, creating a peaceful and reverent space. Educational exhibits and visual elements honor Oliver’s legacy.

Walter Hood, a world-renowned African-American designer with North Carolina roots, designed the Peter Oliver Pavilion Gallery. Hood gained acclaim for designing urban spaces with a philosophy of preserving history and building community. Hood believes careful design can provide a space where history is tangible, empathy is created, and diverse groups can share experiences. 

Hood was named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow in 2019 and is a 2009 recipient of the prestigious Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award for Landscape Design. In addition, he was a 1997 winner of the Rome Prize and recipient of the 2021 President's Medal from The Architectural League of New York. His completed projects include Splash Pad Park in Oakland, Calif., the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco, and the Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta. Hood also designed the impressive Strollway Bridge over Salem Parkway in Winston Salem, the state's first “landbridge” of its kind.

Hood and the Creative Corridors Coalition engaged with Peter Oliver's descendants, community members, city and state officials, and others across the country over the last 5+ years to develop the vision for this space.

If you would like to support the building of this project: Donate Now