The Joint Historic Preservation & Urban Planning Studio for Fall 2023 engaged an exploration of earthen architecture, using the Asante Traditional Buildings, near Kumasi, Ghana, as a deep dive case study. This study examined histories of heritage practices and urban policies, to better understand why conservation efforts over the past decades have been inadequate. This involved deeply interrogating the evolution of Kumasi’s built environment and constructive cultures to understand how and why earthen building traditions were historically erased and devalued. Students also explored how, based on comparative analyses of other contexts, re-investment in the Asante Traditional Buildings, and in earthen architecture more generally, might be advanced.

Students traveled to Kumasi in October to undertake fieldwork with local collaborators, allowing them to engage with the architecture and land use of the city, Asante heritage, and the surviving earthen buildings in this growing urban context. In the field, the studio team engaged with local institutions, including the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB) and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology’s (KNUST) School of Architecture, Town Planning, and Building.

BLANCA BALBUENA

Advisor: Jorge Otero-Pailos

Cultural Diplomacy and Transnational Heritage: Toward Suitable Management of The Apse of San Martín de Fuentidueña in Spain and the United States

In the past decade, there has been a shift in sensitivity towards the interaction of artifacts with their environment, their movement, transformation, and permanence over time and space. Instances of artifacts undergoing traumatic displacements, separating them from their origins, have prompted inquiries into questions of identity, historical authenticity, and rightful ownership.

This research delves into the intricate landscape of cultural heritage subjected to significant cultural and geographic dislocations, with a particular focus on the case of the apse of San Martín de Fuentidueña. Transferred under a “Long-Term Loan” agreement in 1959 from Fuentidueña, Spain, to The Cloisters in New York, the apse’s relocation raised profound concerns about cultural identity and heritage preservation. Although he Church of San Martín being designated a National Monument, prohibiting its export, the apse was moved to the United States after decades of negotiations. This historical event left Fuentidueña bereft of an important part of its cultural legacy.

Despite remaining under Spain’s ownership, relations between the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Spanish Ministry of Culture have deteriorated, posing challenges for effective decision-making regarding the apse’s preservation.

The primary objective of this research is to develop a renewed multilateral management framework aimed at addressing past injustices and enhancing transnational relations between the Met and the Spanish Ministry of Culture. This model encompasses legal, financial, technological, and community-oriented aspects, emphasizing local perspectives and stakeholder participation in decision-making processes. The investigation contextualizes the historical circumstances surrounding the apse’s transfer and critically examines the legal framework established by the transfer agreement. It evaluates the current state of the apse at the Met and its original site in Fuentidueña, illuminating successful conservation strategies and challenges arising from the existing legal framework.

An integral aspect of the proposed management framework entails investigating the feasibility of replicating the apse in its original setting in Fuentidueña. To deepen the understanding of the injustices perceived within the village and to enrich the development of the replica, interviews and questionnaires were conducted among the inhabitants. This endeavor not only seeks to address historical grievances but also acts as a conduit for bolstering international relations between the two nations, emphasizing cultural diplomacy and fostering a positive image.

To develop the proposal, extensive research was conducted on past negotiations, utilizing correspondence between the two countries found in archival materials, both in New York and Spain. The complex dismantling and reconstruction process, overseen by architect Alejandro Ferrant, is also documented using photographs, videos, and original plans.

By examining the case of the apse of San Martín de Fuentidueña, this thesis contributes to the field of preservation by shedding light on the implications of transferring cultural heritage fragments, and offering recommendations for the future management of transnational cultural heritage, stressing the importance of international collaboration in safeguarding shared historical legacies.

BROOKE MARINOVICH

Advisor: Norman Weiss

“Rethinking” the Period Room: A Defense of the Exhibited Interior

Period rooms have long been museums’ most popular attractions – ironically, not without controversy. A twentieth-century phenomenon spurred in the United States by several examples in European museums throughout Munich and Zurich, these rooms allow visitors to physically and spatially experience and evoke how our forebears lived. It is evident why these spaces are appealing to the masses: Their cohesive environment is an immersive and tactile experience for viewers to gain further appreciation and admiration for the decorative arts.

Despite their popularity, there is also continuous controversy behind the concept of the period room. Many experts in the field strongly disagree with their appropriateness in museum settings. These concerns are largely attributed to the fact that these rooms have been moved from their original historic building, often due to a site’s demolition.

Regardless of their debated existence, one cannot deny that the period room serves as a valuable educational tool for its viewers. These rooms are in many cases the only extant salvages of these demolished historic buildings. Once moved into a museum setting, the room acquires an educational purpose and gives museums the opportunity to present their collections in a harmonious manner, allowing the architecture and decorative arts to work in tandem.

While it has distinct value, it is not an easy feat. These rooms must conform to museum settings because they are configured into an existing space within the museum. During this installation process, issues arise pertaining to sizing, ceiling height constraints, material addition or extraction, and the implementation of a museum’s modern technology, such as security systems and fire safety equipment. Unveiling these physical and technical challenges will establish a new layer of understanding towards the period room as well as institute a defense for these understudied rooms.

CASSIDY KRAFT

Advisor: Norman Weiss

Developing a Mockup for the Testing of Injection Grouting Methods and Materials in the Repair of Vertical Ceramic Mosaics

Wall mosaics face numerous conservation challenges due to changes in moisture, temperature, and seismic activity which lead to disaggregation of mortar, cracking in mortar and tiles, and loss of tiles. Without intervention, wall mosaics left to deteriorate can pose fall hazards and risk the loss of tiles that cannot be accurately replicated, damaging the historic integrity of the piece while putting people in danger. While in situ conservation and injection grouting techniques have been researched in regards to both ancient and floor mosaics, the nineteenth century revival of mosaics brought new challenges with a focus on wall and ceiling mosaics and the renewed popularity of ceramic tiles. In order to develop an effective mockup for testing purposes, the conditions found in deteriorating mosaics must be replicated in a reproducible manner with resources available to conservation professionals. The evaluation of mockups includes the use of sounding, FLIR imaging, and pull-off adhesion testing to assess the location of disaggregated areas and failures throughout the injection grouting process.

CHRIS KUMARADJAJA

Advisor: Jorge Otero-Pailos

Design as a Vehicle of Memory at Historic Sites: the Case of the Summit Tunnels at Donner Pass.

This thesis explores the role in which design can play in the ultimate goal of serving places of memory. The place of memory explored in the thesis is the Summit Tunnels at Donner Pass. One hundred fifty years ago, my great-great-grandfather immigrated to America and built a section of railroad at Donner Pass, California. This section includes tunnels and retaining walls. This infrastructure is one of the most important sites in American history, as it spurred industrialization, economic development, and expansion of the American West. In the site’s present state, graffiti is covering the retaining wall known as “China Wall,” and concrete snowsheds are obscuring the original tunnels that my own ancestor risked life and limb blasting. This site is under threat.

This design challenge is a curatorial one; currently, artifacts, oral histories, historical and contemporary perspectives, emotions, and explorations of identity serve as building blocks for interpretation on this site. The role of the designer is to identify values to tackle the curatorial challenge of telling a history, raising awareness, and eliciting memory. The masterful work present at the site needs interpretation and awareness. Combining design methodologies applied to other sites, or even other industries, with the challenge presented at Donner Pass would be the crux of my thesis. This thesis outlines and describes the values of the site, its contentions, and express my interpretation process. The Summit Tunnels is a popular area sorely in need of interpretation. As a Chinese-American historical site, it has been subject to neglect and vandalism, even though there are engineering miracles and the earliest site where Asian immigration has left its mark.

If one goes to the sites that were most structurally daring and most perilous to construct today, there is virtually no commemoration or acknowledgment of the toil that went into them. One such site is the Summit Tunnels at Donner Pass, the railroad’s highest point. This thesis combines narrative details and offers recommendations for spatializing the narrative on the site. In collecting narratives that occurred on this threatened historic site, the thesis will attempt to establish a methodology that can be applied to other threatened historic sites.

CHRISTINA SUN

Advisor: Richard D. Pieper, Andrew S. Dolkart

“Invisible History” of the Chinese Americans’ “Economic Lifelines”: Spatial Interpretations of the Pillar Industries of the Chinese American Community in Manhattan’s Chinatown, 1930s - 1980s

The development of the Chinese American immigrant community in Manhattan’s Chinatown has left behind an important history belonging to the ethnic group. Under the influence of multiple factors, the immigrant community has utilized existing spaces in unique ways. For example, over the course of a century within the Chinatown community, ordinary residential, commercial, and industrial buildings supported pillar industries such as the laundry industry, the garment industry, and various food-related sectors. However, in present day Chinatown’s streetscapes, it is difficult to find traces of the existence of those industrial spaces, and it’s also hard to imagine how production activities took place within the ordinary buildings. Although various historical documents and archival materials were kept and recorded, they do not manifest in the physical space, the disconnection between history and spaces has made the history “invisible” and somewhat underrepresented.

This research aims to meticulously select representative buildings and blocks as subjects for case studies, encompassing the timeframe from the 1930s to the 1980s. The focus will be on the period when Chinese American industries were managed by trade associations or unionized, coinciding with significant transitions in immigrant policies within the community. Through a comprehensive exploration of historical narratives and spatial characteristics, this study will delve into the significance of these historical buildings and will address the inadequate attention given to those spaces related to the community’s social history and culture. Simultaneously, the research will explore preservation tools and narrative methods to effectively convey the history of the community’s industries through spatial representation, making these historical narratives more accessible and prominent.

CLARA JIELI ZHAO

Advisor: Paul Bentel

From the World to Henry Street: Tracing the Hidden Narrative of Women in Public Health Through Spatial Mapping

The visiting nurses of the Henry Street Settlement during the early 20th century provided care and medical services to residents across the immigrant and lower-income neighborhoods in New York City. While the organization’s well-known collective identity revolved around the American middle class’s cultural environment of “social betterment,” many individual nurses and staff from vastly diverse social backgrounds and cultures came to pursue a career at Henry Street for different reasons. Historical research drawing from existing archives has revealed these individuals’ aspirations to achieve formal medical education, which contributed to the increased diversity of the Settlement’s and the City’s public health professionals. By uncovering these hidden narratives and untold ambitions, this thesis seeks to document the stories of how these individual women navigated the city and forged close relationships with their patients through continuous efforts of outreach and the commitment to build trust with the communities they served.

This thesis introduces the methodology exploration of “narrative-guided spatial mapping” to graphically interpret archival data and construct narrative themes to trace the life journeys of the individual nurses by focusing on the tangible and social environments they inhabited. These mapping studies not only recall site-specific memories during their practice at Henry Street but also the recollections of those who encountered and engaged with the nurses to remind us today that they were a presence that, although no longer existing, informed and became a part of the city’s public memory. By mapping the nurses’ experiences back onto the urban landscape, this thesis seeks to help recognize and preserve their claim as part of the historical heritage of both the Henry Street Settlement and the city of New York.

DANIELA MARTINEZ

Advisor: Debora Barros

PRESERVATION OF EVOLVING NEIGHBORHOODS: LA FRAGUA AND SIDAUTO AS CASE STUDIES

During the second half of the 20th century, the public agency Instituto de Crédito Territorial (ICT) built a series of directed self-built neighborhoods as part of the government’s response to the housing deficit for lower-income people in Colombia. After experimenting with this system to build a neighborhood called La Fragua in Bogota in the 1950s, designed and closely supervised by the modernist architect German Samper, it became a state housing policy. During the following decades, many more neighborhoods were built similarly, including Sidauto, which was designed by the same architect in Bogota in the late 1960s. This program was known as “Ayuda Mutua y Esfuerzo Propio,” or Mutual Aid and Self-Help, and simultaneously developed throughout Latin America.

In my thesis, I challenge the current preservation policy canons, particularly in Colombia, where Preservation Policy has focused on canonical referents that undermine local, vernacular practices and dismiss cultural dynamics typical of underrepresented communities. This is especially true for continuously evolving neighborhoods. For that purpose, I used La Fragua and Sidauto as case studies since they have suffered dramatic transformations in their historic fabric and are a perfect example of significance lying not only in the original fabric but also in the alterations made by their residents as an expression of their social, cultural, and economic needs. Additionally, their architect, German Samper, and his wife, Yolanda Martinez, conceived them as progressive developments in which residents could have the opportunity to upgrade their houses step-by-step. Thus, both neighborhoods were designed to change. In my research, I analyze La Fragua and Sidauto as products of their historical, political, economic, and social backgrounds and determine how and why they have changed. This analysis allowed me to explore preservation strategies to implement at these sites where constant change occurs so that their communities can benefit from preserving the neighborhoods’ heritage values without disrupting the flexibility and dynamism that that make these places alive.

DI ZHU

Advisor: Kyle Normandin

Wei Shi Zong Ci: The Preservation of the Craftsmanship in the Wu-Dialect Area in China

Zong Ci (宗祠) refers to vernacular ancestral shrines in the Wu-dialect area, which encompasses Shanghai, Zhejiang Province, parts of Jiangsu and Anhui Provinces south of the Yangtze River, the northeastern corner of Jiangxi Province, and the northwestern corner of Fujian Province, along China’s southeastern coast. The craftsmanship displayed in Zong Ci is significant because it represents both the tangible architecture and the spiritual world envisioned by the local community, demonstrating the flexibility of vernacular architecture to adapt to change.

Preserving the craftsmanship of Zong Ci in the Wu-dialect area involves valuing not only the physical structures but also the intangible aspects, including their adaptation to geological topography, cultural context, local history, and community traditions. However, China’s current preservation system, dominated by professional preservationists, tends to focus primarily on the physical aspect of heritage, often neglecting the craftsmanship and intangible aspects and leading to the “museumification” of heritage sites.

This thesis uses Wei Shi Zong Ci (魏氏宗祠, the ancestral shrine of the Wei Family) as a primary case study to illustrate the preservation of craftsmanship in the Wu-dialect area.

The preservation projects at this site continuously adapt to changing local environments, evolving techniques, and current cultural trends, thereby maintaining the living nature of the heritage.

The thesis aims to analyze this case study to understand the value of vernacular Zong Ci in the Wu-dialect area and propose strategies for preserving craftsmanship and intangible heritage.

The thesis aims to analyze this case study to understand the value of vernacular Zong Ci in the Wu-dialect area and propose strategies for preserving craftsmanship and intangible heritage.

DINGYI ZHANG

Advisor: Paul Bentel

The Preservation of Living Heritage: The History and Significance of Workers’ Villages in Lujiazui Subdistrict in Shanghai

The thesis reviews the construction of Workers’ Villages that began in the 1920s to 1990s in what is now Lujiazui Subdistrict of Shanghai. By tracing its historical significance and its current value as “Living Heritage,” the research aims to demonstrate that the remaining Workers’ New Villages have the potential to be preserved and utilized, rather than disappearing in potential future urban development. This thesis argues that a People-centered Approach is needed to preserve Workers’ New Villages in a way that is both sustainable and respectful to the community’s heritage and current needs.

This thesis focuses on three main themes: regional and architectural history, social and spatial analysis, and policy and future development prospects. These themes link the past, present, and future together and provide a powerful baseline for future planning analysis. Moreover, they offer an approach to dealing with such unique communities that is better tuned to their value as living heritage.

In the analysis, the author examines the evolution of worker housing, documents the study area, with a focus on three distinct characteristics of the Workers’ Villages - their urban form with consideration of circulation and public space; their communal structure as it is represented by the aggregation of apartment blocks in “neighborhoods”; and the design of the domestic interiors - from its initial state to human intervention and its current conditions and issues. This documentation reflects the evolving interaction between residents and their environment, which underscores the importance of preserving the unique cultural and social fabric of the Villages. It highlights the need for sensitive and informed urban planning that respects the history and identity of these communities while navigating the challenges of modernization and development.

Finally, the thesis is grounded in the current context of urban renewal and reviews the preservation and renewal of another Workers’ New Village named Caoyang in Shanghai. It analyzes aspects that can be learned from, as well as shortcomings in conservation management. Consequently, combining the content of documentation and analysis, the thesis advocates for a People-centered Approach based on actual conditions in the community. This provides a potential direction for those who may be examining the planning issues associated with the preservation of these Workers’ New Villages in Lujiazui, and perhaps even extending beyond the study area.

Keywords: Lujiazui, YMCA Pudong Workers’ Village, Workers’ New Village, Historic Preservation, Living Heritage, People-centered Approach, Heritage Documentation

ELEANOR PHETTEPLACE

Advisor: Tim Michiels, P.E., Ph.D.

Guidance for Calculating Embodied Carbon Emissions from Structural Interventions for Existing and Historic Buildings

This research investigates the embodied carbon emissions resulting from the structural intervention in historic and existing building reuse by analyzing New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut case studies. Historic buildings require structural intervention for various reasons, such as maintenance, repair, restoration, and reuse. Intervention design approaches are often based on numerous considerations, such as cost, constructability, and minimized intervention, though fail to consider the carbon implications of structural intervention despite the imperative to reduce carbon emissions. Preservationists must seek to better understand environmental contributions and change practices and standards to positively impact the decarbonization of the built sector.

Through the exploration of case studies, this research compares carbon assessment methods to develop guidance for practitioners and provide recommendations for future work in this study area. This research uses two methods to estimate embodied carbon emissions: (1) the CARE Tool, a free online early design consideration tool that estimates and compares embodied, operating, and avoided carbon impacts, and (2) The Structural Carbon Tool manual calculation tool developed by Institution of Structural Engineers (UK). These methods are applied to four selected case studies in New England and New York to compare and assess methodologies to inform and encourage implementation of carbon estimation in typical design practice. This research found that the CARE Tool, while providing directionally correct outputs, produced over estimations for embodied carbon emission of structural interventions of existing buildings. Further, current industry focus on new construction skews what is considered significant in industry, academia, and practice, relating to embodied carbon, thus, it is essential that embodied carbon accounting for existing building interventions be further researched. Methods of accounting must be harmonized across the built sector and new policy and regulations related to embodied carbon must be put in place to change industry standard practices.

ESTHER WAGNER

Advisor: Sarah Sher

PRESERVATION AND POLITICS THE PRESENTATION OF THE SHOAH AND THE LASTING IMPACT OF EARLY PRESERVATION CAMPAIGNS AT AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU

The Nazi concentration camp, Auschwitz, and extermination camp, Birkenau (Auschwitz II), were liberated in January of 1945 by the Soviet Red Army, were fully evacuated by April of the same year, and by April 1947, the Auschwitz State Museum (ASM) was legally established on the grounds. However, the identification of Auschwitz and Birkenau as evidence against the Nazis and as facilitator for the proliferation of Polish national martyrdom, occurred even before its liberation. The preservation of the camps in-situ immediately following World War II, memorialized specifically the Polish victims of Nazi war crimes and the communist vanquishers of a fascist regime; this would inform the site’s inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List 32 years later, ensuring the perpetuation of these agendas through the museum’s layout and interpretive materials. Auschwitz-Birkenau’s prominent role at the forefront of the study and interpretation of Holocaust history cannot be overstated, thus the status of its inscription, preservation, and interpretation must be carefully evaluated for the continued use of the site as an educational and culturally sensitive memorial.

Incorporating evidence from literature and archival reviews, informational interviews, and an extensive site evaluation, this thesis demonstrates how history has been distorted to support the specific agendas of the site’s early stakeholders and to explore how the political environment immediately surrounding a heritage site impacts its conservation and historical narrative. This thesis will analyze the lasting consequences of the initial preservation campaign at the site of the Konzentrationslager Auschwitz, specifically how the marginalization of minority victim groups throughout its several stages of postwar conservation has been sustained. The current layout of the museum and memorial continues to reflect these past injustices – specifically in the stark contrasts between the museum in Auschwitz I and the memorial at Birkenau. Further, the site’s inscription on the World Heritage List in 1979 as “Auschwitz Concentration Camp,” during the Cold War, and while Poland was under an oppressive communist occupation, will demonstrate the importance of international cooperation in the safeguarding of heritage sites, especially those of mass trauma. The heightened status of a UNESCO World Heritage site promulgates politicized interpretation, thereby impacting contemporary understanding of the Holocaust as it occurred in Auschwitz I and Birkenau.

GRAY DANFORTH

Advisor: Erica Avrami

Finding Flooded Deserts: An Exploration of Proactive Prioritization of Flood Vulnerability for More Equitable Preservation in New York City

Climate change, once considered a distant eventuality, is now known to be a rapidly approaching certainty—and New Yorkers are bearing firsthand witness. Floods, which account for ninety percent of all natural disasters in the United States, place an especially high burden on socially and economically vulnerable communities across New York City. Current preservation literature and policies that address floods are limited to discussions of coastal flood risk and already recognized heritage, despite the disastrous impacts of flash flooding on inland communities within the past decade and a growing acceptance in the field of the inequitable and exclusionary distribution of designated heritage in American cities. Additionally, there is a stark gap in municipal policy or guidelines that address how preservation, which scholars recognize as tool for social cohesion and climate resilience, can redress equity issues in areas underserved by the local preservation enterprise, which the author terms “preservation deserts.” In the exploration of the field’s existing toolkit, this thesis argues that over-reliance on designation as a tool has granted preference to age and aesthetic values and greatly limited preservation’s potential for community resilience and restorative justice and pushes towards a methodology for prioritization of neighborhoods and communities where heritage could address restorative climate and social justice.

The ultimate goal of this research is to push towards a social justice and values-based approach to preservation, by enabling preservationists to effectively work in tandem with communities to identify spaces important to them in a co-productive process not afforded by current process in New York City. This thesis is situated as a precursor to this goal, offering a methodology to help preservationists identify the communities and places where this work should take priority, which have been underserved by New York City preservationists, agencies, and policymakers, and whose social-spatial connections and cultural identities are at the greatest risk of erasure from worsening floods due to climate change.

Using geospatial analysis of locally designated heritage, flood models, insurance policies, historic hydrography, and social and economic vulnerabilities in New York City, the author illustrates areas where patterns of exclusion and inequity echo within the spatial distribution of designations and climate vulnerability. The methodology found that preservation desert tracts had heightened vulnerabilities to flood resilience and were primarily located within Queens, Bronx, Staten Island, and parts of Brooklyn; geospatial mapping of flood risk and designations revealed that tracts with officially recognized heritage tended to be whiter, wealthier, and less exposed to pluvial flooding than preservation deserts. The author concludes with a list of areas identified through the methodology for preservationists to engage with and highlights the opportunity for the preservation enterprise to change the way it works in how it centers communities and rethink the process of designation as the primary tool in which municipal agencies engage with communities to identify what is important to them.

ISABELLA LIBASSI

Advisor: Theo Prudon

Criteria for the Adaptation of 19th Century Facilities of Care, Treatment, and Incarceration in America

This thesis assesses the adaptability of mid-19th century masonry correctional and care facilities in America, looking at the unique constraints posed by the existing structures. It is the limitations of the existing building which present the greatest challenge in their adaptive reuse, typically leading many of these facilities to be left vacant or demolished.

This thesis points to small unit size, low ceiling heights, circulation, structural systems, as well as walls and finishes as the primary challenges posed by the existing facilities. It analyzes four adapted facilities – the Allegheny County Jail, Charles Street Jail, Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane, and Traverse City State Hospital – using them as case studies and establishing a hierarchy of adaptation priorities. This hierarchy is then applied to the vacant Western State Penitentiary and the Ohio State Reformatory, which currently operates as a site museum.

This thesis reasons that by recognizing the typical challenges posed by treatment and correctional facilities and applying the developed hierarchy for adaptation – established by looking at the four case studies – these facilities can be repurposed more efficiently, preserving more of the original historic structure.

MADELINE HAGAN

Advisor: Carol Clark

: People of a Sentimental Nature”: The Tennessee Valley Authority, Progress, and Curation of Heritage in the Norris Basin, 1933-1940

Between 1933 and 1940, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) reconfigured the Norris Basin in eastern Tennessee.. One of many New Deal administrations, the TVA, armed with federal monies, eminent domain, and the Depression-era working class, entered the Tennessee Valley with a nebulous task: improve the physical, economic, and social environment for the people of the Tennessee Valley. Through the construction of the Norris Dam, a hydroelectric project, the TVA displaced thousands of people, relocated hundreds of cemeteries, and deconstructed, demolished, and relocated the historic built environment.

The decisions made about the built environment–demolition, deconstruction, reconstruction, relocation, development, redevelopment–tell a complex story of endangered heritage, federal power, and, above all, loss. Heritage, in the New Deal schema, was only considered if it strengthened the patriotic New Deal call for nationalism, progress, and industrialization–heritage in the Tennessee Valley was not the right kind of heritage. The TVA, in the climate of modernization and industrialization, viewed the heritage of the Norris Basin as inherently contradictory to the New Appalachia they were developing.

The TVA, through its interactions with the historic fabric, made preservation decisions that excluded Basin residents in the name of those residents’ salvation. By examining several sub-projects associated with the construction of the dam–the process of family removal, grave relocation, “emergency” archeology, the TVA’s development of the Town of Norris, Big Ridge and Norris Parks, and the preservation of the Rice Grist Mill–this thesis ultimately argues that the Tennessee Valley Authority, by reconfiguring the Norris Basin, operated as a curator of heritage.

MOISA WROY

Advisor: Shreya Ghoshal

Cultural Heritage Preservation For At-Risk Communities, A Little Haiti, Miami Case Study

In the current contemporary urban landscape, preservation and development disproportionately place communities of color and migrant populations at-risk of losing their built and social fabric. This thesis will explore how this vulnerability arises, through examining the historic preservation toolkit relating to at-risk communities. This examination will be done through a case study of Little Haiti Miami.

Little Haiti was chosen as the case study because the neighborhood is one of Miami’s largest cultural neighborhoods that is formally recognized, by the Miami Commissioners Office, yet designated as a Historic District. This case study will provide a base to review Miami’s current cultural preservation policies and the ability to serve immigrant populations in retaining spatial and cultural autonomy. This thesis concludes with a set of policy policy critiques and recommendations.

Rationale

The research in this thesis takes a people-based approach to what preservation means for cultural communities at risk of displacement through development. This will be guided under the premise that cultural displacement is not adequately looked at through different cultural communities, but rather through a one-size-fits-all approach.

This thesis will look through a series of lenses to review development through the case of Little Haiti Miami as compared to other cultural communities and predominant Miami neighborhoods that have withstood displacement threats and have been able to use it to their economic advantage. In the field of Historic Preservation, there is a tendency to prioritize architectural style, often from the European perspective. This inclination can inadvertently neglect cultural neighborhoods, making it crucial to compare preserved structures to neglected ones.

Recommendations

The thesis will summarize recommendations of new preservation policy regarding Management Overhaul Systems, which include the implementation of social media preservation and test calendars. Art and Mural expression as form of preservation of notable residents to integrate culture into preservation practice in Miami and the integration of Neighborhood Conservation Overlays into preservation with tools from the development toolkit that has previously acted as a form of community displacement.

NAOMI DRESSLER

Advisor: Bilge Kose

“In The Mountains”: Neglected Resort Architecture and the Imperative of Preserving Jewish Cultural Legacy in the Borscht Belt

Throughout the twentieth century, the Western Catskills became home to a thriving Jewish summer resort industry commonly referred to as “The Borscht Belt.” Born out of the influx of Jewish immigrants into New York City and the flourishing anti-semitism that resulted, the Borscht Belt offered an Eden for Jewish vacationers looking to escape the harsh realities of city life. In the Mountains, Jews of all social backgrounds gathered and played within the hundreds of resorts and thousands bungalows dotting Sullivan and Ulster Counties, celebrating their culture and curating what it meant to be a Jewish American. For many Jewish immigrants, life in the Borscht Belt was their first experience in leisure.

Despite the colorful histories of the Borscht Belt that live on through the collective memories of its past user groups, the architectural landscape of Jewish resort buildings has been neglected by community landowners and Historic Preservation practices over time. The Borscht Belt is often noted for its significant contributions to American culture through comedy and media, but little emphasis is placed upon the physical spaces that provided this underrepresented group safety from an unwelcoming world.

This master’s thesis argues for the significance of Borscht Belt hotels through methods of historical and archival research, oral histories, site visits, and more. Using two representative case studies, the thesis identifies the primary preservation challenges faced by Catskills resort architecture. These highly vulnerable buildings have been systematically neglected over decades, leading to widespread destruction through both accidental and intentional means. As sites of inarguable cultural heritage and unique architectural interest, it is essential that the extant Borscht Belt resorts be adequately reframed and reassessed to reflect their historical importance and speak to the story of Jewish American integration.

PITCHAYA KOINTARANGKUL

Advisor: Françoise Astorg Bollack, RA, DESA

Architectural Fragments: Curatorial Management of a Vanishing World: A Case Study of Demolished Structures in Post-World War II Chicago

This thesis challenges the boundaries of historic preservation. As the contemporary preservation criterion focuses on the integrity, originality, and contextuality of places, it raises questions: Do fragments of a demolished structure that lack all of such qualities fall into the purview of historic preservation?

This thesis identifies post-war Chicago as the scope of the study. Chicago during the 1950s -1980s was dominated by the urban renewal movement, and countless structures labeled as not worth preserving were torn down to “renew” Chicago. After the idea of newer is better declined, Chicago made a notable effort to preserve and present the fragments that survived the renewal era.

By analyzing the studied fragments’ biographies, this thesis identifies a pattern of how the meanings of the lost structures evolved along with their fragments’ journey: Individuals’ fragment salvages and reuses can reveal new meanings of the “not-worth-preserving” structures. Experts’ interpretations can divert lost structures’ meanings and significance. Institutions’ collections, distributions, and displays focus on the fragments from the structures whose meanings and significance are well-established. Institutions play a role in amplifying, approving, and reproducing the mainstream meanings that the fragments carry.

The meanings of the lost structures are continuously changing through the social interactions with which their fragments have been involved. Meanwhile, the names of the lost structures continuously live through these chains of interactions. In other words, fragments are what humans curate to remember the losses, and “the loss” varies depending on who frames it. Therefore, this thesis argues that reminiscing, reviewing, and acknowledging unavoidable losses through surviving fragments must fall into the purview of historic preservation. Above all, it prompts the preservation field to think critically about the overlooked mission: How to preserve the vanishing world through the preservation of its surviving fragments.

ROBERTO E. VILLASANTE

Advisor: Ken Lustbader

THE ROLE OF PRESERVATION WHEN THE PHYSICAL IS LOST: REMEMBERING THE TRAGEDY OF UMAP, THE FORCED LABOR CAMPS OF THE CASTRO REGIME

Centered around the tragic history of the “Unidades Militares de Ayuda a la Producción” or UMAP forced labor camps in Cuba, active between 1965 and 1968, this thesis documents, explores, and interprets the challenges when standard historic preservation best practices come up against the loss of the physical historic fabric and standard definitions of integrity, limited site access and local advocacy, and a limited or inaccessible archival record. The goal is to demonstrate that historic preservation can serve a vital role in memorializing temporal spaces and narratives, beyond public history, through existing and new interpretive tools and techniques regardless of site access and extant/non-extant historic fabric.

Central to this discussion is the social context of this history. Due to the particular and differential treatment and experiences of gay men amongst UMAP internees, this thesis looks at these camps largely through a queer lens, with an understanding that this was not a purely queer experience. By amalgamating sources and testimonies to create a clearer picture of the built environment embedded with its queer histories, this thesis seeks to understand this history in a tangible way which has not yet been explored by historians.

The research presented culminates in recommendations for the preservation of UMAP through external tools which demonstrate how the physical and social memory can be effectively preserved when it cannot be done on site or through traditional preservation tools. This thesis aims to elevate the existing research and public-history-driven writings on the subject matter through the consideration of historic preservation and the analysis of the built environment within this historical context. Identifying and adapting concepts and existing tools from various preservation precedents, this recommendation suggests the use of an online database for the collection of UMAP research and oral histories as well as the interpretation of an imagined camp typology, outlining the physical arrangement of the various camps and how they affected the experiences of those imprisoned there. It is this typological camp which serves as the unique outlet for this thesis’ external preservation.

Through the use of an online database and imagined typological camp, the history of UMAP can be preserved and its story can be shared with the world at large. Within these preservation tools, the experiences of UMAP’s internees, from Catholic priests to Jehovah’s Witnesses to gay men, can be tied to the places in which they occurred. This form of interpretation can expand the understanding of this history and enrich its discourse. From broad discussions of physical conditions to more specified, nuanced discussions of gay life within the camps, an understanding of the built environment and its uses can paint a more complete picture of UMAP.

SOPHIA HAYNES

Advisor: Amanda Thomas Trienens

Historic American Lead Cames: A Chronological Elemental Analysis of Lead Cames from 1875-1928 located in Woodlawn Cemetery

This research is to study the elemental composition and conditions of historic American lead cames in stained glass windows. American Lead came composition has not been studied extensively. The aim of this research is to determine whether and how lead composition changed during the period from 1875-1928, to identify potential patterns of significant elements within the lead cames,to determine if pure lead occurred more frequently in younger windows, and if there is a relationship between chemical composition of lead came and the condition of the stained glass windows the cames comprise. Forty-one samples of lead were taken from forty-one windows from a period of 150 years. Understanding what elements are in the lead cames is important to potentially understanding the composition of these lead cames. Significant elements and trace elements in the cames were tested by an XRF Analyzer and then shown a composition percentage, showing alloys and metals included.

STEPHANIE SNELL

Advisor: Francoise Bollack

Salhaven, Florida: The Life and Death of a Retirement Community

This thesis focuses on the rise and fall of Salhaven, a retirement community in Jupiter, Florida, just North of West Palm Beach, established in 1956 for upholsterers belonging to the Upholsterers International Union (UIU). Although Salhaven became a model for other Union-based retirement communities, Salhaven only endured until 1971. Shortly after, there were almost no traces left. The goal of this thesis is to give a full account of Salhaven, as it has not been thoroughly researched until now. The account will include why Salhaven failed while other Union retirement communities succeeded and why Salhaven was, and still is, important. It is crucial to understand and record what has been lost with Salhaven’s demolition. Salhaven, and the study thereof, is important and interesting because it was the first Union retirement community in Florida, the architecture was strategically planned, it was the precedent for other retirement communities, and it existed in a short time span. Although Salhaven is gone, this thesis hopes to first: bring attention to places like Salhaven so that historic preservationists can be aware of them, second: to have a full written account of Salhaven’s history and significance so that it will not be forgotten, and third: to offer the possibility that fragments of Salhaven might exist and if so, they should be found and documented. Although Salhaven can’t be preserved physically, this thesis hopes to preserve its memory. While analyzing Salhaven, this thesis will compare the Salhaven community to company towns and garden cities, which are precursors to independent Union retirement communities, and other self-sustaining retirement communities in Florida. By examining Salhaven, and comparing the Salhaven community to other profession-exclusive retirement communities, this thesis will provide an understanding of 20th Century profession exclusive retirement communities in Florida.

YAOZHI LIU

Advisor: Kyle Normandin

“Homes For The People”: A History of Planned Residential Communities in Beijing, 1949-1966

“Homes For The People”: A History of Planned Residential Communities in Beijing, 1949-1966” examine the historic context and the perspective of preservation on the large planned residential communities in Beijing constructed in the socialist period before the Cultural Revolution. Focusing on the socio-political and architectural impacts of urban housing policies and concepts during the researched period of Beijing, the thesis reveals the evolution from the early residential planning layouts such as the Neighborhood Unit to socialist planning ideologies influenced heavily by Soviet urban models such as the Perimeter block and the Microdistrict.

The thesis evaluates the architectural and planning aspects of these planned residential communities, noting the transition from the early Soviet influenced designs to the large-scale, prefabricated building projects designed to maximize efficiency and promote a new socialist way of life. The planned residential communities were already deeply rooted in the city fabrics of Beijing until today.

Many of the planned residential communities still survived today, and are still called homes by thousands of families. They carried many values that are important to the city; the values of its aesthetic and technologies, and the social historic values in between the city and the residents. This thesis explores the challenges these areas face today, including issues of preservation and modernization, reflecting on the balance between maintaining historical integrity and meeting contemporary urban needs.

YUAN CHEN

Advisor: Sarah E. Sher

Preserving History and Memory: The Jewish Refugee Experience in Shanghai (1939-1945) and The Preservation of Its Legacy

Shanghai’s role as a sanctuary for Jewish refugees during World War II marks a significant chapter in world history. This thesis explores the Jewish refugee experience in Shanghai during World War II, focusing on the oral histories of the refugees and the physical environments central to their narratives. This study employs a diverse array of archival research materials—including oral histories found in audio and video formats, published books, old newspapers, and traditional paper archives—to highlight the historical significance of the Tilanqiao Historic District, where a large number of Jewish refugees found refuge. Many of these sites are either lacking active preservation efforts or have been demolished. By utilizing these materials, this thesis reveals various aspects of the refugees’ lives in Shanghai. Based on the existing remnants, it proposes preservation strategies from aspects of regulatory framework, revitalization, and urban planning to better preserve these historic sites while effectively presenting their history. This approach highlights the urgent need for preservation strategies that protect potentially endangered remnants associated with the Jewish refugee’s history in Shanghai, China.

ZIYU LIU

Advisor: Erica Avrami

The Third-Front City of Panzhihua: Narratives, Policy, and Preservation in China

The thesis delves into the historical context and contemporary preservation strategies surrounding China’s urban heritage of the Cold War era, in particular the City of Panzhihua. The thesis framework builds on the social-spatial context of post-1949 China, developing around the topic of the Third Front Movement (1964-1988), which reflected the country’s commitment to national security and industrial progress during the Cold War era. Taking the city of Panzhihua, located in the remote southwest of China and a notable accomplishment of the movement, as a case study, the thesis delves deeper into the extent of local involvement in preservation efforts and the challenges they encounter. This investigation sheds light on more fundamental challenges within China’s historic preservation policies, especially concerning heritage sites from recent history that touch upon politically sensitive subjects.

The thesis examines the interacting narratives of the national preservation policies and the local responses. It analyzes the strategies employed by the central government to manage heritage preservation and utilization since 1949, focusing on “Red Heritage” as a political tool used to reinforce the Chinese Communist Party’s overarching narrative. Locally, through interviews with stakeholders in Panzhihua’s Hemenkou and Lanjian communities, the research identifies significant influences of the Communist Party on local governance and preservation decisions. In summarizing the research findings, the author calls for a revised interpretation of social values and community engagement patterns that diverge from traditional neoliberal advocacy concepts. Within the Chinese context, the study reveals a cyclical reinforcement between cultural propaganda and its local practices. It also highlights the complex role played by local government entities in influencing and implementing these processes, as revealed by the preservation practices of Panzhihua’s Third Front heritage.

Key Words: Narratives; Cold War; Third Front Movement; Historic Preservation Policy; Red Heritage

ZIHAO ZHANG

Advisor: Andre Jauregui

A New Era of Cultural Heritage Field Trips: Enhancing Historic Preservation Interpretation through Virtual Reality, with a Case Study on Low Library Rotunda