Architecture Commons^™

"Safety In Numbers" And Bicycle Safety: A Detailed Analysis Of The Denver Metropolitan Area, Rachael Thompson Panik

All Theses

Recently across the US, there has been a push to accommodate and encourage the viability of alternative modes of transportation—especially bicycling. Leaders across all levels of government, trade groups, advocacy and policy groups, and others are promoting different methods to make urban areas more bikeable. Now, as planning practice is moving towards implementing a transportation system that serves different types of travelers, the US faces challenges involved with retrofitting existing automobile-oriented streets.

While implementing bicycle safety initiatives is becoming a popular movement among municipalities, there have been differing opinions on the best way to make cities more bikable in academic …

Impacts Of Rail Transit Investments On Demographics And Land Use: 1990-2010, Aubrey Trinidad

All Theses

This paper studies the changes in land use and population characteristics around station areas following the building of rail transit stations in 14 major cities in the United States from 1990 to 2010. It answers the question: how have investments in US rail transit made since the 1990s affected land use and demographics? It also looks at the specific effects of investments on population density, race, and ethnicity, means of transportation, median housing value, median household income, vehicle access share, occupations, and land use represented by the share of multifamily versus single-family housing. Using block group level US census data …

Importing The Vernacular: An Analysis Of The Panama Houses Of The Former Charleston Navy Yard As An Adapted Regional Building Typology, Benjamin Cunningham Walker

All Theses

Military architectural designs are often overlooked in vernacular architecture due to the widespread use of standardized plans at military installations. However, factors including climate in certain regions force the development of new designs for military bases that are better suited to local conditions. This is arguably the case for the Panama Houses of the former Charleston Navy Yard, which are an example of a vernacular building type imported from a foreign context. While scholars have looked from a broad perspective at the Navy Yard and the more prominent structures, no study has been completed considering the history and form of …

Framing The Lowcountry: The Evolution Of The Region’S Vernacular Tradition, Brent Russell Fortenberry

All Theses

Timber-framing systems are the foundation of Early Modern vernacular architecture traditions. The fabrication, construction, and finish details of such assemblies are indexes of the character-defining features of building practices and the wider socio-cultural context. The Lowcountry of South Carolina is no exception. From the late seventeenth-century onwards builders from Old World traditions came together to erect unrivalled British edifices in the colonial and Early Republic periods. While other scholars have closely scrutinized and interpreted the framing traditions of the Chesapeake and New England, there has yet to be a consideration of the nature and evolution of the Lowcountry’s framing. Bringing …

Brownfield To Brightfield: Influences On Attitude, Brittni Leigh Olesen

All Theses

The purpose of this study is to analyze what factors influence a person’s attitude towards a brownfield site converted into a future solar energy farm through the RE-Power America’s Land Initiative to help increase the success of implementing solar energy farms in cities. Five different factors, including: spatial, public participation, local context, personal values, and socio-demographic factors are analyzed and tested using descriptive statistics and measures of association. Among other tests, measures of association were used to determine that egalitarian viewpoint, education and income had statistically significant relationships with acceptance towards the potential solar energy development. However, all of these …

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.

Fifty Shades Of Beige: Comparative Paint Analysis Of Three Charleston Parlors, Alison Page Dunleavy

All Theses

This research diachronically examines color in three parlors in Charleston, South Carolina: 35 Legare Street (ca. 1790); 18 Bull Street (ca.1800); and 61-63 Smith Street (ca. 1823-24) in order to determine the impact of wealth on pigment and binder selection. Cross-sectional analysis of interior finishes reveals the layers of paint on architectural elements, which identifies the evolution of color in an interior space. With additional types of analysis such as fluorochrome staining and scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), the samples also provide insight into the evolution of pigments and binders. Interpretation of the findings results in an …

The Architecture Of Rural Healthcare: Supporting Access To Health In Remote And Rural Areas, Kirsten Staloch

All Theses

Many remote and rural areas in the United States lack adequate access to basic healthcare services such as primary, urgent, and emergency care typically provided by healthcare systems and hospitals. In addition, many rural communities are comprised of an increasingly aging population, a growing number of patients with chronic illnesses, and in some communities a high volume of tourists that need urgent care. Remote communities struggle with providing access to these basic but essential healthcare services taken for granted in more populated areas. Changing reimbursement, evolving patterns of care delivery and advances in technology are all altering how access to …

On The Periphery: A Survey Of Nineteenth-Century Asylums In The United States, Lauren Hoopes

All Theses

State and federal government purpose-built asylums constructed in the 'moral treatment' era of mental healthcare, here defined as 1835 to 1900, mark a period of great change in the nation. Establishment of moral treatment asylums occurred between two very different eras. The eighteenth century, in which mental illness was seen as a punishment from God, precedes the moral treatment asylums. Twentieth-century thinking favored a medical view in which mental illness can be treated or controlled with medical drugs. Asylums built in the nineteenth century relied on 'moral' treatments--treatments that utilized no restraints unless absolutely necessary and used the environment and …

"Nine Mahogany Table…Two Marble Slabbs And Stands…And A Cow": The First Generation Furniture Of Drayton Hall, Shannon Marie Devlin

All Theses

When the National Trust for Historic Preservation purchased Drayton Hall in 1974, they made a groundbreaking decision. The Trust took a conservation approach to the house, preserving Drayton Hall as found and presenting it to the public unfurnished. The decision proved to have significant ramifications and as a direct result, interpreting the material culture at the site slid to the side. Drayton Hall has over a million objects in its collections ranging from archaeological sherds to pieces of furniture, yet the collections play little to no role in site interpretation to the public. The first generation furniture (ca. 1738-1779), at …

"A Posture Of Defence": A Forensic Brick Analysis Of Charleston's Seventeenth And Eighteenth Century Walled Fortifications, Jacqueline Don

All Theses

The fortification walls that once protected the bustling colonial port of Charles Town, South Carolina lie buried under a thriving, modern city. After almost a century of rediscovery and neglect, local scholarly expertise in the form of a city task force regularly explore the history and structure of the walls that once played an integral role in the daily operations, survival, and success of the young and isolated British colony. Archaeological excavations and archival research within the last decade have made significant progress in unearthing information previously lost to development and memory. These methods have experienced limitations, however, since access …

The Forgotten Stone: A History And Analysis Of Bermuda Stone In Charleston, South Carolina, Justin M. Schwebler

All Theses

Throughout the historic streets of Charleston, South Carolina there is a forgotten and overlooked stone. It is in the narrow gaps between houses, along carriageway walls, underfoot on garden paths, and in foundations of many historic buildings. The forgotten stone of Charleston is Bermuda stone. This thesis provides the history of Bermuda stone in Charleston, South Carolina. This history was written answering the following research questions. How and why was Bermuda stone imported to Charleston? Who were the people bringing Bermuda stone to Charleston and who were the people using it as a building material? When was the period of …

The Analysis Of A Secondary Space: Bathrooms At Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater, Amber Marie Anderson

All Theses

When observing Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterwork, Fallingwater, few people contemplate the significance of the property’s six finished bathrooms. However, similar themes which underscore the importance and wonder of the overall house itself, such as the use of technological innovation and careful attention to detail, were also employed throughout the bathrooms despite their designation as secondary spaces. This thesis examines these themes via the original process of design and the post-construction treatment of these spaces. In order to do this, architectural drawings, correspondence, family papers, visual observation, oral interviews, related project documents and both Preservation and Maintenance department manuals were analyzed. …

Commemoration And Controversy: The Memorialization Of Denmark Vesey In Charleston, South Carolina, Sarah Katherine Dykens

All Theses

The commemoration of contested historical figures is a topic that is increasingly addressed by preservationists, historians, and those in local government. One such figure is Denmark Vesey, whose failed slave insurrection plot in 1822 forever altered the social and physical fabric of the United States. The ways in which this polarizing figure has been memorialized in Charleston, South Carolina, speak to the multivalent nature of Vesey himself as well as the shifting and complex racial politics in Charleston. In studying the four major commemorative efforts for Vesey that exist in Charleston, this thesis sheds light on the ways in which …

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 Structural And Material Evolution Of Molana Abbey, Ballynatray Demesne, County Waterford, Ireland, Site Wa037-011: A Mortar Composition Study, Claire Alice Achtyl

All Theses

Molana Abbey, a ruin located in Ballynatray Demesne, County Waterford, Ireland, has religious roots in the sixth century but much of the structure dates to the eleventh-century. Molana became an important center of religion and education in southern Ireland. After Henry VIII dissolved Irish monasteries in 1546, the former abbey became a part of the land holdings of Sir Walter Raleigh. The abbey was then converted from a religious to a residential structure occupied briefly by English polymath Thomas Harriot. The structure fell into disrepair until the nineteenth-century when Grice Smyth, a new owner, transformed the ruin into a garden …

Lowcountry Ghost Signs: A Study And Preservation Of Historic Signage In The South Carolina Lowcountry, James Wilson Smith

All Theses

Outdoor advertisements have enlivened America's commercial landscape since the seventeenth century. Hand-painted advertisements applied to the sides of buildings, from barns in rural settings to stores in the nation's towns and cities, were once ubiquitous but have, as both message and medium have evolved, generally fallen out of everyday use. Once common, hand-painted wall signs have faded from America's commercial landscape and have become objects of nostalgia more than a method of merchandising.

One Land, Two American Dreams: Rediscovering The Secondary Dupont Narrative At James Madison's Montpelier, Sarah A. Sanders

All Theses

Secondary narratives are most easily defined as narratives deemed non-essential to the primary interpretation goals of a historic site. Given the established significance criteria in the United States, secondary narratives are currently undervalued and are challenging to address. James Madison's Montpelier in Orange County, Virginia serves as an ideal lens through which to explore this challenge, given that the estate clearly embodies more than one period of significance.

In 1901 William duPont Sr. of the illustrious Delaware duPont family purchased a large area of land just outside of the small rural town of Orange ,Virginia. Located over two hundred miles …

The Challenge Of Balance: A Study Of The Recent History Of The Board Of Architecture Review And Its Design Standards On The Calhoun Street Corridor In Charleston, South Carolina, Taylor Johnston

All Theses

Applauded as the United States’ first city to create a historic preservation ordinance, Charleston, South Carolina boasts a strong tradition in architectural protection. Presiding over this process of design review and its connected provisions, the Board of Architectural Review (BAR) evaluates any new construction, additions, and changes to any property visible in the public-right-of-way that falls within the historic district. According to the zoning ordinance, this governing body protects and preserves “the old historic or architecturally worthy structures and quaint neighborhoods which impart a distinct aspect of the city and which serve as visible reminders of the historical and cultural …

Comprehensive Cancer Care: An Outpatient Treatment Facility, Braden Abrams Reid

All Theses

A cancer diagnosis can result in a loss of decision-making and control for patients. The majority of clinical treatments fail to adequately address corollary symptoms and needs that arise both from treatment and from the disease itself. Thus, the architectural problem identified in this thesis inquiry is how can an outpatient cancer centre treat the whole patient comprehensively, while at the same time instilling control and re-empowering the patient? This thesis project proposes a patient-centered environment designed to support the myriad and nuanced needs of the cancer patient, as well as a site-specific proposal for a comprehensive outpatient cancer treatment …

The Colonist's Concrete: A Preservation Plan For The Seventeenth-Century Tabby Floor Found At The Miller Archaeological Site, Lindsay A. Lee

All Theses

In 2009, a seventeenth-century floor was discovered at the Miller Archaeological Site at Charles Towne Landing. Unearthed but covered with plastic sheeting since then, the floor is a remnant of Charleston’s first English settlement. Labeled on site as tabby, the material is typically comprised of oyster shells, sand, lime, and water. The lack of whole shell in the floor’s material suggests a role in the broader pattern of augmented earthen flooring deriving from the Caribbean, and in turn, Africa and Europe. Deteriorating at an unknown rate since its discovery, it is the hope of South Carolina State Parks to employ …

Detroit's Theaters: A Study Of Significance And Reuse, Leigh Schoberth

All Theses

Detroit is frequently a case study for contemporary urban and economic issues. A specific component of Detroit's built fabric that requires preservation attention in light of the city's struggles is the undervalued theater district. Several of the theaters in the central district of Detroit are now threatened by demolition after years of neglect. The history and significance of the theaters, as well as careful consideration of the range of acceptable preservation treatment options, stand to inform a preservation plan for these and other cities' theaters. One of the options is the reuse of the theaters. While the large scale of …

The Crosstown: Physical Effects Of The Expansion Of Highway 17 Across The Charleston Peninsula, Melissa Mann Roach

All Theses

Completed in 1967, the Septima P. Clark Parkway is a prominent thoroughfare of peninsular Charleston, South Carolina. Locally known as the Crosstown, the road is officially part of Highway 17 and was conceived in the late 1950s to connect the state highway with Interstate 26. The roadway's route sliced through the middle of working class Charleston neighborhoods . City Council journals and minutes and South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) survey photographs reveal the character of the neighborhoods adjacent to the Crosstown. These micro-communities and their architectural fabric, disrupted by the acquisition of the right-of way and subsequent road construction, …

Spectrum Of The Spirit: Interpreting The Material Connotations Of Ecclesiastical Stained Glass In Charleston, South Carolina, Valerie J. Mccluskey

All Theses

The City of Charleston is known colloquially as 'The Holy City,' and many of its holy structures display stained glass windows. Long admired for their aesthetic qualities, these stained glass windows are under-examined examples of the city's material culture. A careful reading of these windows has uncovered information about the artifacts themselves and the cultural, religious, and geographic identities of the societies who created and commissioned these windows. This thesis examines how ethnography, religion, and geography influenced the artistic styles and iconography of the stained glass windows of Charleston's ecclesiastical structures and mausoleums. The stained glass windows of Peninsular Charleston …

Domestic Cisterns In Charleston, South Carolina: Public Health And Private Water In An Antebellum City, Brittany Mckee

All Theses

This study is the first comprehensive analysis of domestic cisterns in the antebellum United States. Cisterns, traditionally defined as catchment or storage facilities for rainwater collected by means of a drainage system, became a common domestic utility in Charleston, South Carolina during the nineteenth century. The earliest cisterns on the peninsula were constructed in the city's more affluent properties. By 1870 they were a household feature in all areas of the city. Two primary factors motivated Charlestonians to install domestic water collection systems. First, the city urbanized with little to no sanitation policy. As a result the city experienced frequent …

The Leconte Lodge: A Lens For The Evolution And Development Of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Lindsay D. Lanois

All Theses

Officially established in 1934, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park originated as part of a widespread cultural trend towards outdoor recreation, national tourism, and the federal government's assumption of responsibility for land conservation. However, the area of Tennessee and North Carolina selected by the federal government for the national park was not a purely unsettled landscape. Not only did the land serve as home to approximately ten permanent agricultural communities, but it also featured several hotels and lodges inspired by the burgeoning twentieth-century tourism industry. Beginning as a rudimentary hiking cabin constructed in 1925 and evolving throughout the 1930s, the …

Three Hoes In The Kitchen: The Conceptualization Of Peachtree Plantation, St. James Santee Parish, South Carolina, Kendanne M. Altizer

All Theses

Historical background research, precedent case studies, and archaeology are used to determine architectural antecedents, floor plan, and room uses of Peachtree Plantation. Peachtree is the ruin of a two-story dwelling once owned by the Lynch family, prominent Lowcountry rice planters and politicians. Thomas Lynch, Jr. was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The house was built between 1760 and 1762 on the South Santee River in St. James Santee Parish, South Carolina. It burned in 1840 and was never reconstructed; what remains today is a ruin of partial walls and rubble.

This thesis uses a multi-disciplinary approach to explore …

A Forgotten Castle: Archer And Anna Huntington's Winter Residence Atalaya In Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, Kelly Morgan Herrick

All Theses

This thesis examines Atalaya, the winter residence Archer and Anna Huntington, New York artists and philanthropists, built at Murrells Inlet, South Carolina in 1934. Atalaya is an architecturally unique Spanish Revival residence that resists categorization. However, scholarly writing about the Huntingtons overlooks Atalaya and considers it a mere backdrop for the couple's lives and accomplishments. By compiling an accurate account of Atalaya's construction, this thesis investigates whether Atalaya's significance comes from its design or from Anna Hyatt Huntington's prominence as a sculptor. This thesis makes use of newspapers, Anna Huntington's personal diaries, and papers from the Huntingtons' estate. From these …

Fostering Recovery: Establishing Therapeutic Environments In Behavioral Health Facilities For Adolescents, Ashley Colquhoun

All Theses

The intent of this project is to explore what and how specific architectural features can contribute to a holistic therapeutic environment for adolescents in an inpatient behavioral health care setting. Mental health facilities in the U.S. historically have been highly institutional spaces designed to restrain and isolate persons with mental health problems from society. These facilities have often been designed under a misunderstanding of the needs of individuals with behavioral health issues, frequently thinking that they are incompetant or criminal and are therefore incapable of participating in the community. This belief is a result of stigma toward behavioral health. This …

The Mills Bill: An Economic Impact Study Of The North Carolina State Historic Mill Rehabilitation Tax Credit, Erin Elizabeth Morton

All Theses

The textile, tobacco, and furniture industries in North Carolina suffered a significant loss of revenue and jobs in the 1990s. As production migrated to cheaper locations overseas, communities throughout the state faced the collateral challenge of finding new uses for hundreds of large, empty mill buildings. To encourage redevelopment of the state's vacant mills, North Carolina's legislature created a tax credit program that targeted mills and other similar industrial properties. This thesis quantifies the economic successes of the state's mill rehabilitation tax credit. Building on equations and assumptions from Becky Holton's 2008 IMPLAN software model, this economic impact study uses …