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Full-Text Articles in Architecture

Quantitative Techniques For Classifying Mouldings: An Exploration Of Logistic Regression Within Architectural Investigations, Chase Pilcher Aug 2023

Quantitative Techniques For Classifying Mouldings: An Exploration Of Logistic Regression Within Architectural Investigations, Chase Pilcher

All Theses

Since the passing of the National Historic Preservation Act in 1966, the realm of architectural history has evolved, becoming more interdisciplinary. There was a shift in focus from looking at architecture from a fine art point of view to looking at it through a social lens. The new social perspective approach focused not only on the buildings but also on the people that inhabited or constructed the space. Approaching architectural investigations in this manner has allowed for a deeper understanding of the influences that shaped the built environment. Advancements in technology have also aided in furthering our overall comprehension of …


Bringing Vanished Landscapes To The Surface: A Multi-Tool Approach To Unearthing Charleston's Walled City, Alexis Allen Aug 2023

Bringing Vanished Landscapes To The Surface: A Multi-Tool Approach To Unearthing Charleston's Walled City, Alexis Allen

All Theses

The early 18th century historic fortification system that surrounded the urban town of Charleston has been a focus of excavations and historical research within the past two decades. However, while the outline of early Charleston’s walled city is hypothesized through the analysis of historic maps and plats, very few fortification locations have been visually confirmed. In order to determine their accuracy, this thesis georeferenced eleven historic maps and four plats to the modern landscape. As a result, possible locations of Charleston’s walled city were predicted. These were surveyed as test sites and remote sensing methods were employed that helped …


An Investigation Of Community-Defined Boundaries And Important Sites, Emma Grace Sprinkle May 2023

An Investigation Of Community-Defined Boundaries And Important Sites, Emma Grace Sprinkle

All Theses

This thesis research investigates and documents how individuals within the African American settlement communities of Cross Cut, Ferguson Village/Down Cut, and Sol Legare define the boundaries and important sites of their community. The purpose of the study is to better understand how individuals define their community’s boundaries, rather than historic preservation and planning professionals defining them. It seeks to determine the importance of factors such as houses, churches, schools, streets, farm lands, cemeteries, and community gathering spaces to boundary drawings as well as the influence of current address, age, and time spent in the community on participants’ boundaries. Before this …


A Performance Evaluation Of Architectural Coatings To Preserve Aerosol Paint On Concrete, Riley Morris May 2022

A Performance Evaluation Of Architectural Coatings To Preserve Aerosol Paint On Concrete, Riley Morris

All Theses

The growing movement of assigning cultural and heritage value to graffiti and street art is one without a preservation solution to ensure the longevity of these works in-situ in an outdoor environment. The goal of this thesis was to provide a comprehensive evaluation of six architectural topcoats’ performance when applied as a conservation treatment to outdoor aerosol graffiti and street art on concrete substrate. An artist’s quality, durable, color-fast spray-paint was applied to twenty-eight concrete test panels to mimic the application of graffiti or street art. Six topcoats, Prosoco SC-1, Prosoco Gloss n’ Guard WB, Keim Faceal Oleo HD®, Keim …


Cladding By Another Name: A Comparative Analysis Of The Environmental And Economic Costs Of Traditional Wood Clapboards, Composite Fiber-Cement Siding, And Vinyl Siding, Nicole Larochelle May 2022

Cladding By Another Name: A Comparative Analysis Of The Environmental And Economic Costs Of Traditional Wood Clapboards, Composite Fiber-Cement Siding, And Vinyl Siding, Nicole Larochelle

All Theses

Using the tools provides by the scientific community, namely the products of lifecycle cost assessments (LCA) – which are synthesized in environmental product declarations (EPD) – and life cycle cost assessments (LCCA), the overall environmental and economic impacts of historic, traditional, and simulated materials are established and compared. This informs the historic preservation community of the quantifiable sustainability of historic materials in relation to alternatives. Through these two different methods of environmental and economic life cycle costing, this research demonstrates that retaining in-situ siding incurs the least impact on the environment and is the second most economic option. While the …


Washing Away Our Heritage: The Impacts Of Rising Sea Levels On National Historic Landmarks In Boston, Massachusetts And Charleston, South Carolina, Melanie Weston Aug 2015

Washing Away Our Heritage: The Impacts Of Rising Sea Levels On National Historic Landmarks In Boston, Massachusetts And Charleston, South Carolina, Melanie Weston

All Theses

Rising sea levels not only threaten coastal infrastructure and private property, but also the world’s historic resources. This thesis examines the impacts of rising sea levels on the historic resources of Charleston, South Carolina and Boston, Massachusetts. These two cities are prominent in American history, home to a significant number of National Historic Landmarks, and are recognized as the cultural capitals of their regions. These cities will be studied closely in this work not only for their effects from rising sea levels but also for possible adaptations and mitigation policies against the predicted effects of sea level rise.


Building Information Modeling (Bim): The Untapped Potential For Preservation Documentation And Management, Laura Lee Worrell May 2015

Building Information Modeling (Bim): The Untapped Potential For Preservation Documentation And Management, Laura Lee Worrell

All Theses

The preservation field has few software programs specifically created to store historic and management documentation. Some programs and techniques are utilized in combination to aid in the management and documentation process of historic resources that include, laser scanning, AutoDesk AutoCAD programs, Rhino 3D, photogrammetry, geographic information system, and even Microsoft Excel. This thesis examines the applicability of the Architectural, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry's Building Information Modeling (BIM) to create a three dimensional user interface for tracking and storing historic and management documentation. The case study performed for this thesis employs the Nathaniel Russell House owned by the Historic Charleston …


The Evolution Of The Kentucky Main Street Program; Its Beginning, Expansion And Renaissance, E Megan Funk May 2014

The Evolution Of The Kentucky Main Street Program; Its Beginning, Expansion And Renaissance, E Megan Funk

All Theses

This study examines the organizational structure of the Kentucky Main Street Program (KYMS), the Nation's first statewide Main Street program, and its impact on Kentucky's Main Street communities. Since its inception, KYMS has modified its program in response to changes in Kentucky's economic situation and communities' needs. These changes include expanding the program to smaller communities, adjusting the provision of technical services, and offering grants for manager's salaries and projects. KYMS and National Main Street Center (NMSC) evaluations have focused on performance during one- or two-year program cycles. Changes in structure and availability of services, however, have not been compared …


Fort Drive: Reestablishing Its Significance Within Washington, D.C.'S Park System, Kathryn Kelly Finnigan May 2012

Fort Drive: Reestablishing Its Significance Within Washington, D.C.'S Park System, Kathryn Kelly Finnigan

All Theses

This thesis is an in-depth examination of Fort Drive, a 20th century proposed parkway connecting the principal Union Army fortifications which encircled Washington, D.C. The goal of the work is to determine if the landscapes acquired for Fort Drive are eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. This paper answers two questions: what role did Fort Drive play in establishing the Nation's Capital's park system; and are the remnants of the Fort Drive endeavor significant? These questions were answered through analysis of the National Capital Planning Commission's records, a comparison of the standards set by current National Register designations, …


Dendrochronology: A Status Report For The Eastern United States, Elyse Harvey May 2012

Dendrochronology: A Status Report For The Eastern United States, Elyse Harvey

All Theses

Architectural historians and historic preservation practitioners have turned with increasing frequency to dendrochronology to determine dates of construction for houses and other timber structures for which the application of traditional dating techniques, chief among them historical documentation and stylistic analysis, failed. Since the advent of modern, statistically-driven tree-ring dating, analysis of the application of dendrochronology on the eastern region of the United States reveals that the use of this scientific technique has been unevenly applied and is most often used in New England and the Chesapeake. While the techniques used by American dendrochronologists are generally similar, practitioners have failed to …


Detroit's Field Of Dreams: The Grassroots Preservation Of Tiger Stadium, Rebecca M. Long May 2012

Detroit's Field Of Dreams: The Grassroots Preservation Of Tiger Stadium, Rebecca M. Long

All Theses

From 1987 until the time of this writing, several grassroots organizations have fought for the preservation of Detroit's Tiger Stadium and its historic field. The goal of this thesis is to chronicle those efforts, examine how these organizations fit into the history of preservation movements, and delve into what continues to draw people to this historic site: its `power of place.' In order to accomplish these objectives, this thesis will detail the history of the site from its storied time as the home of Major League Baseball's Detroit Tigers from 1896-1999, up to the preservation efforts which have been the …


Little Houses, Big Expenses: A Financial Study Of Small House Museums In New England, Marie Elise Haremski May 2012

Little Houses, Big Expenses: A Financial Study Of Small House Museums In New England, Marie Elise Haremski

All Theses

This thesis is examines the finances of house museums in New England with annual receipts under $250,000. It discusses the need to compile and evaluate data of this nature and the steps that were taken to obtain and present that data. This study maps how house museums behaved during this period. It will also present recommendations for practices that can be implemented to either drive revenue up or costs down.
It analyzes the various income and expense categories as they have been reported to the Internal Revenue Service for the filing years 2000 through 2009. The income categories analyzed include: …


The Making Of A Movement: A Qualitative Content Analysis Of The National Trust For Historic Preservation Magazine From 1949 To 2010, Katherine Marie Ferguson May 2012

The Making Of A Movement: A Qualitative Content Analysis Of The National Trust For Historic Preservation Magazine From 1949 To 2010, Katherine Marie Ferguson

All Theses

For over 60 years, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has published a magazine. Covering issues from preservation legislation to sustainability, this publication has been the predominant voice in the preservation movement. But what has it been saying, really? This study applies a communications approach to examine the messages the National Trust magazine has presented to its members and the public and studies the role this type of marketing tool has played in the movement for more than half a century.
This research identifies seven important eras in communications for the magazine. Trends in the kind of news being reported, …


The Making Of A Legacy: Three Generations Of Drayton Family Women And Their Influences On The Landscape Of The Lowcountry And Eighteenth And Nineteenth Century Charleston, Brittany V. Lavelle May 2012

The Making Of A Legacy: Three Generations Of Drayton Family Women And Their Influences On The Landscape Of The Lowcountry And Eighteenth And Nineteenth Century Charleston, Brittany V. Lavelle

All Theses

For eight generations, the Drayton family of South Carolina and their properties have played significant roles in the history and development of the city of Charleston. As scholars have extensively explored the successes of the Drayton patriarchs of the colonial era, this thesis will showcase the accomplishments of the three generations of eighteenth and nineteenth century Drayton family women in property management and estate development, revealing their influences on the establishment and expansion of one of Charleston's most recognized family legacies in property wealth and architectural grandeur. This study intends to prove through property and genealogical research that the legendary …


A Study Of The Biltmore Estate's Ramble: Researching Design Intent, Evaluating Change Over Time, And Proposing A Rehabilitation Plan, Owen Mclaughlin May 2011

A Study Of The Biltmore Estate's Ramble: Researching Design Intent, Evaluating Change Over Time, And Proposing A Rehabilitation Plan, Owen Mclaughlin

All Theses

The purpose of this study is to propose a historically appropriate rehabilitation plan for the Biltmore Estate's Ramble based upon Olmsted's original design intent. In order to ascertain Frederick Law Olmsted's original design intent for the Ramble, an extensive review of Victorian Era garden design, cultural landscapes, the U.S. Horticultural Industry, and possible design influences on Olmsted as he designed the site was performed. Using primary archival materials and secondary sources, the developmental history of the Ramble from 1890 to present was studied. From that work, design intent was determined by analyzing character-defining features from the original 1893 planting plan …


'Turning Shambles Into Showcases:' Herbert A. Decosta, Jr.'S Role In The Ansonborough Rehabilitation Project In Charleston, South Carolina, Alissa Clare Keller May 2011

'Turning Shambles Into Showcases:' Herbert A. Decosta, Jr.'S Role In The Ansonborough Rehabilitation Project In Charleston, South Carolina, Alissa Clare Keller

All Theses

This thesis examines a portion of the restoration and rehabilitation work Herbert A. DeCosta Jr. and the H. A. DeCosta Company completed in the 1960s and 1970s in Charleston, South Carolina. A third generation, African-American contractor, DeCosta specialized in the restoration of historic structures. A native of the city, he possessed an innate understanding and respect for the city's architectural heritage, and he worked throughout the city and region to promote the preservation of this heritage. Under the direction of Herbert DeCosta, the H. A. DeCosta Company worked with Historic Charleston Foundation on numerous properties in their revolutionary Ansonborough Rehabilitation …


Energy Efficiency In Historic Structures, Sarah Welniak May 2009

Energy Efficiency In Historic Structures, Sarah Welniak

All Theses

Preservation and sustainability have long shared fundamental goals. Historic structures are inherently sustainable and will continue to be if their sound construction and superior materials are preserved properly. Despite this fact, historic buildings have gained a stigma for being inefficient and therefore unsustainable in the face of modern, energy efficient structures. Historic structures are and can be energy efficient when retrofitted properly. This study tested and analyzed the efficiency of historic structures in the context of a warm, wet, coastal climate in order to determine how they could be improved without damage to their historic fabric. With this aim, the …