Material is now being collected by Pratt Homes for a time capsule to be buried under a pillar at the front entrance of the Manhattan condos in Barrie, Ontario.
The base structure of the centre pillar for the front entry in the Manhattan development was recently erected. This pillar was designed to pay tribute to the famous Egyptian Obelisk, affectionately called Cleopatra’s Needle, which is located in Manhattan, New York’s Central Park. Just like the Central Park Obelisk, Pratt Homes will place a time capsule in front of this Manhattan entrance pillar, infusing these new homes in Barrie with a bit of history.
Cleopatra’s Needle dates back to 1500 B.C. Egypt, where the pair of obelisks was constructed in celebration of Pharaoh Thutmosis III’s third jubilee. The hieroglyphic inscriptions were added over 200 years later by Ramesses II to commemorate his military victories. Later, the Obelisks were moved to a temple in Alexandria built by Cleopatra in honor of Marc Antony, where they were later toppled.
In the late 19th century, the Khedive of Egypt gifted the Obelisks to the cities of London and New York in exchange for aid. At that time, Cleopatra’s Needle was erected in Manhattan’s Central Park with a time capsule placed underneath. The contents of this time capsule remain a mystery.
We would like to ask the media and City of Barrie residents to donate memorabilia for the time capsule located at Manhattan Condominiums, 39 Ferndale Drive in Barrie, as soon as possible. Local businesses, schools and associations are also welcome to take part in this exciting opportunity. Trillium Woods Elementary School has already agreed to participate in this project, which will positively affect their current and future students.
Material already collected includes City of Barrie Council meeting agendas, an iPhone, a laptop computer, maps, schoolbooks, building plans, magazines and newspapers. Suggestions and any other contributions are welcomed.
The Manhattan condos time capsule will be buried on April 21st, 2012 at 2pm, with a “to be opened” date of April 21st, 2062; 50 years after the burial date.
The pillar is currently only at the base stage, however textured stone will soon be added, as well as precast concrete caps and base accents. The pillar and time capsule will be a tribute to historic park monuments around the world and to the City of Barrie.