TLH Monument - Architects Lewis + Whitlock

TLH Monument

A Civic Landmark Connecting Tourism, History, and Place

Through participation in the Knight Creative Communities Institute’s 2017 Community Catalyst class, ALW contributed design and documentation services in kind for the TLH Monument. ALW helped translate the team’s #iHeartTally placemaking concept into a buildable public installation, studying its scale, materials, structural support, durability, lighting, donor recognition, and ability to function as an interactive backdrop. The work was developed with KCCI, the City of Tallahassee, Leon County, Visit Tallahassee, and other community partners before the monument was unveiled in April 2018.

The monument occupies a prominent site at FAMU Way and South Adams Street along the Capital Cascades Trail. This area also carries an early connection to Tallahassee tourism. In 1925, Gilbert Chandler established the Tallahassee Auto Camp along South Adams Street for motorists traveling the Dixie Highway. These early visitors, commonly known as Tin Can Tourists, stayed in roadside camps that offered affordable accommodations and basic services. Placing a contemporary tourism landmark within this historic corridor connects the city’s early automobile travel history with the way residents and visitors experience Tallahassee today.

Client/Owner

Tallahassee International Airport / City of Tallahassee

Location

Tallahassee, Florida

Project Type

Civic + Cultural
Giving Back
Parks, Plazas + Gardens

Project Size

0.63-acres

Services

Architecture
Planning

Team

Photographs: City of Tallahassee
Fabricator: FSU Master Craftsman Studio
Site/Foundations: COT Dept. of Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Affairs
Project in Collaboration with KCCI Tallahassee

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The TLH Monument transformed a historically significant trailhead into a recognizable civic landmark, strengthening Tallahassee’s tourism identity and establishing a gateway to the public art and commemorative experiences along FAMU Way.

The approximately 30-foot-wide and 10-foot-tall installation combines Tallahassee’s TLH airport code with the established #iHeartTally tourism identity. Weathering steel gives the letters a warm, durable finish, while reclaimed cypress introduces depth and texture along their edges.

The material palette draws from the railroad and industrial history of the South Monroe and South Adams area. Perforations in the steel allow the monument to glow from within at night, giving pedestrians a different experience after dark. FSU’s Master Craftsman Studio fabricated the final structure, with community partners supporting transportation, installation, lighting, and construction.

The monument was designed to encourage visitors to stop, interact, and photograph themselves within the oversized letters. Its location creates a visual gateway between Cascades Park, the South Monroe district, FAMU Way, downtown Tallahassee, and the nearby universities.

By turning the #iHeartTally campaign into a permanent physical landmark, the project gave Visit Tallahassee a recognizable setting for visitor photographs and social-media sharing while drawing new activity to an emerging section of the city.

The TLH Monument also serves as an early landmark along the broader collection of public art and commemorative elements that now extends along FAMU Way.

The subsequent History and Culture Trail uses historical monuments, site-specific artwork, and gathering spaces to document the neighborhoods, businesses, institutions, and residents connected to the corridor.

Positioned near the eastern end of this network, the TLH Monument creates a visible point of arrival and introduces visitors to a trail where tourism, public art, and local history meet.