Students
“Chain Drug Stores within Historic Communities: A guide for Towns, Cities, and Neighborhoods”
This paper discusses preserving & reusing historic fabric, maintaining thriving downtown business centers, and establishing appropriate aesthetic qualities for new corporate pharmacy construction.
“SPEAD: The LEED We Need”
How preservationists can develop a common, nationwide rubric for assessing the quality and sensitivity of restoration and adaptive reuse projects, based on the successful model of the USGBC’s LEED system.
“An Extensive look into the Problems and Solutions of Residential Teardowns and their Effects on the Community and Neighborhood Context”
In the United States, the residential teardown trends have been active for last 20 years. But, in the last few years, teardowns have significantly been impacting historic neighborhoods all over the United States. The new Replacement structures that differ dramatically in size, footprint, mass, or height change the dominant vernacular character of the neighborhood altering the neighborhoods historically significant integrity.
“Exploring the Symbiotic Relationship Between the Human Life Cycle and Buildings: Using an Organic Approach to Propose a Classification System for Structural Evolution and Wellness Plan Development”
“A Call for a Multi-directional Approach to a Latino Heritage Conservation Initiative in NYC”
The notion and the need to incorporate cultural diversity in Historic Preservation, albeit not a recent development is now considered mainstream. This essay is born out of the questions asked by Tanya Bowers, Director for Diversity at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, along the line of how preservation could benefit the Latino communities, the answers provided by the professionals, and the fact that noticeably few community members participated in the NYC Conversación.
“The Merritt Parkway: A Case Study in Historic Preservation and Transportation Equity”
The Merritt Parkway was designed to accommodate a culture that had a different, more recreational, relationship with cars. However, these roads, particularly near large urban centers, no longer meet the needs of the commuting public. The objective of this paper is to explore what happens when the desire to preserve conflicts with the needs of the community.
“Dismantling History: Demolition & Displacement in the Motor City”
It is not uncommon for creative solutions to develop in the midst of instability. This is especially true of the prevailing plan for the future of Detroit: Right-Sizing. Though this plan is innovative, it does not adequately incorporate preservation in its overall vision. This paper attempts to offer sound arguments for the inclusion of preservation in the Right-Sizing plan.
“The Role of Historic Preservation in Sustainability: Making the Case for Reusing Industrial Heritage in Williamsburg and Greenpoint”
This paper explores ordinances, policy, and financial incentives that encourage neighborhood development, conscious of scale and heritage, through the rehabilitation and reuse of the historic industrial fabric within areas of the Williamsburg and Greenpoint, rezoned in 2006. Current research involves the development of an economic model to examine properties that are no longer zoned for manufacturing use. The study compares preservation versus teardown/new construction scenarios.
“Reclaiming Identity, Place Attachment and Community in Cohoes, New York”
The paper examines the issues facing the City of Cohoes, New York and how the lack of identity and negative place attachment has lead to its numerous ills. It reviews the importance of civic engagement, streetscape, distinctiveness, stronger historic property laws and an overall plan for its future in both the short-term and long-term.
“The Cost of Demolition”
The objective of this paper is to act as a tool in providing insight to four economic factors when weighing a decision between demolition and rehabilitation of historic buildings: the fixed costs of removing infrastructure from the site, the value of structure demolished; the effects on the neighborhood and, the foregone value of rehabilitation opportunities. The intent is not to imply that rehabilitation is always the most economical choice, but that in many cases can be a viable option that would bring many economic benefits to the community.
Last semester, Pratt students in the Documentation and Interpretation of the Built Environment course took on a section of the Lower East Side. Working on the blocks between Forsyth and Allen, Grand and Division, the students spent the semester researching and interpreting the long history of the neighborhood. The purpose of the work was to closely examine the neighborhood and bring new and exciting information to the client, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. The museum was interested in furthering their knowledge of the area and expanding the way they bring this information to the public. The class began with a look at research methodology and resources, with visits to the NYPL map room and the Municipal Archives as well as meetings with the client. The class then discussed some of the important themes inherent in the history of the Lower East Side, and each student chose a theme to research and write about. These topics included public transportation, commerce, federal housing, social centers and religious life. From the broader subjects, students then chose a specific site within the area to investigate, document and interpret within the greater constructs already discussed. The final step of the course was a discussion on how best to deliver the information to a specific client.
The students chose to present their research in a way that would be both familiar and beneficial to the Tenement Museum. The class developed four unique walking tours populated with the historic sites researched by the students. The tours were divided into four themes - Public Life, Crime and Tragedy, Federal and Large Scale Projects, and Thriving and Surviving. A brochure was created for each showing pictures, a map of the tour, and some history about each stop and why it is included in that tour. The students also presented their findings and the brochures to the Tenement Museum at the close of the semester.