KZLA was engaged by the City of Somerville to rehabilitate the historic landscape of Prospect Hill Park. The landscape is significant to the American Revolution as it was the location that General George Washington raised the “first  American flag”—known as the Grand Union Flag, or the Continental Colors—on January 1, 1776. Washington raised the colors from the hill to rally the continental troops to stay and fight through the Siege of Boston. Prospect Hill was also one of the most significant American fortifications during the War. The park was established in 1901 with the crenelated granite Memorial Flag Tower and Observatory to commemorate its role in the Siege. 

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KZLA worked with the City and facilitated a series of community meetings and working sessions through 2018. The resulting rehabilitation plan makes a majority of the hill landscape universally accessible; it opens views to relevant landscapes of the Revolution; restores the woodland area by removing invasive species and planting native species; and, creates new seating and gathering spaces throughout the 2-acre landscape. The park improvements also interpret the significant history with informational panels, view finders, and a 14-foot by 20-foot engraved granite map depicting the American fortifications of 1775-1776.