Architecture Commons^™

Glorious Constructions: The Struggle To Preserve Salvation-Themed Visionary Art Environments, Molly Elaine Sheehan

Master's Theses

Salvation-themed art environments are a roadside rarity, built out of a strong visionary dedication to God, but the sites are disappearing simply because the work is misunderstood. The historiography on the subject is sparse, trending more toward coffee table books with big glossy pictures than real scholarly endeavors, but the consensus among all has been clear. The sites are a valuable part of the recent American cultural landscape, crossing several scholarly fields - art, architecture, and history - and uniting them into a cohesive preservation movement. On a series of trips to visit, see, and experience five of these sites, …

Piedras Blancas Motel Feasibility Study And Redevelopment Alternatives, Gordon Douglas Anderson

Master's Theses

The Piedras Blancas Motel is a 1950’s era roadside motel comprised of 11 lodging units, plus a cafe, laundry room, manager’s apartment, and adjacent storage area. It is located seven miles north of San Simeon and nine miles south of the San Luis Obispo/Monterey County line. In 2005, the property was purchased using State, Federal, and private funds, and then transferred to the California Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks). Although it has been closed to the public since 2005, the Site offers day-use parking and convenient beach access.

This professional project, under contract with the California Coastal Conservancy, …

Urban Fabrication: The Architectural Heightening Of The Urban Tactile Sensibility A Fiber Arts Fabrication & Exhibition Center In Dublin, Ireland, Elizabeth Fallon

Honors Capstone Projects - All

The discipline of fiber arts has been in existence since the beginning of civilization to produce both functional equipment as well as aesthetically driven art pieces. The craft, at times highly specialized, often produces elements at the scale of the human body, due to the personal level by which fiber artifacts are produced. The making of artifacts and implementation of fiber art strategies have simultaneous cultural, environmental, formal, and gender-related relationships and implications. The design, construction and experience of buildings and inhabitable space at all scales can benefit from these relationships.

It is the contention of this thesis to merge …

'Werner Fecit': Christopher Werner And Nineteenth-Century Charleston Ironwork, Kelly Ciociola

All Theses

A recent discovery of Christopher Werner's account book has inspired and informed this investigation into the life and business of this nineteenth-century ironworker. This book was hidden for many years, preserved by a child's scrapbook clippings. A restoration of this book through the removal of later additions was done, and significant information pertaining to Werner's situation in the nineteenth century was revealed. This provided not only new knowledge on the blacksmith, but also context and perspective for additional research completed.
Comprehensive studies of Charleston craftsmen are scarce. While the products of their skills are appreciated throughout the city, a general …

Community And Place: A Study Of Four African American Benevolent Societies And Their Cemeteries, Kimberly Martin

All Theses

Located on Charleston's Neck, immediately west of Magnolia Cemetery's main entrance, are a number of small cemeteries created by a variety of ethnicities and religions. These small cemeteries all possess the same physical orientation, giving no indication that the sites were created by differing groups. Among these are Friendly Union Cemetery, Brown Fellowship Cemetery, Humane and Friendly Cemetery, and Unity and Friendship Cemetery. All four cemeteries were created just before the outbreak of the Civil War by Free People of Color who organized themselves into benevolent societies. Free People of Color were African Americans who were not enslaved but did …

Piecing It Together: The Introduction Of Delftware Tiles To North America And Their Enduring Legacy In Charleston, South Carolina, Josslyn Kay Stiner

All Theses

The economic and social history of delftware tiles in North America has not yet been synthesized and the use of delftware tiles south of Virginia is even less documented. In fact, even though Charleston, South Carolina exhibits numerous examples of this decorative art, there has been very little research conducted on this topic regarding the southern city. The following thesis presents an overview of delftware tile manufacture and use in Europe and America. Narrowing in scope, it compiles all of the published information on the subject in colonial America, focusing specifically on the use of delftware tiles in Charleston. It …

Old To Green: A Green Renovation To A Historic Home And Its Important Role In The Current Green Building Era, Stacey Ann Hefley

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify the basic components of a green renovation project in accordance with sustainable design principles and to exemplify the applicability of each component of a historic home. The focus on historic homes in particular is to explore the important role they can play in the sustainable home building industry. With so much attention focusing on new home construction nowadays, there is concern that the critical contribution historic homes can make to the environment is being overlooked. Their role in the building design and construction industry is not only beneficial to sustain our environment, …