The purpose of this thesis is to propose a methodology for documenting historic vernacular houses in Indiana through the Indiana Historic Sites and Structures Inventory. The inventory, or survey, is an essential and primary component of historic preservation. With roughly one half of Indiana's counties remaining to be surveyed, there is great opportunity to improve the quality and usefulness of the surveys as scholarship regarding the built environment advances.The thesis examines the definitions of vernacular architecture and sets forth a working definition which is fairly broad in scope. Vernacular house types found in Indiana are enumerated, described, and illustrated.The thesis then examines Indiana's methodology for documenting historic vernacular houses, and it makes recommendations, based on methodologies from other states, for positive charges.This thesis proposes an interdisciplinary approach to conductingsurveys of historic vernacular houses. It draws heavily from related fields such as folklore and material culture studies as well as from several years of experience working CX1 survey projects.The thesis also examines settlement patterns in Indiana and other cultural, building-shaping factors. The thesis is intended to serve as a guide to the vernacular house types in Indiana for use by field surveyors. / Department of Architecture

This thesis examines the Indianapolis Home Show and its significance to the city of Indianapolis in the twentieth century. Since 1922, the annual show has influenced the development of residential architecture in Indiana by introducing the newest, most innovative products related to the home in its many exhibitor booths. Many of the exhibited products have since become parts of our every day lives. Each year, the show has also presented the people of Indianapolis with a fully landscaped "centerpiece" home-a home that embodies good design, excellent craftsmanship, quality materials, the latest styles, and innovative features. The legacy of the eighty-two (+) centerpiece homes reaches beyond Indianapolis to communities across the state including Terre Haute, Muncie, Hope and Logansport-places where the centerpieces have been rebuilt or copied. The centerpiece homes stand as testaments to the longevity and endurance of the Indianapolis Home Show from its beginning in 1922 through the lean years of the depression, its reemergence after World War II, and its duration to the turn of a new century. The Indianapolis Home Show has had an exceptional reputation, receiving national praise from many admirers. It has been recognized by numerous publications such as American Builder, Architectural Forum, Architectural Record, Arts and Architecture, and Better Homes and Gardens. In 2002, The Indianapolis Home Show celebrated its eightieth anniversary. Hoosiers continue to look forward to what they will see at the home show, and travel from all parts of the state to experience its innovative exhibits and centerpiece home. / Department of Architecture

Cuno Kibele was the most prolific and most influential architect to live and work in Muncie, Indiana, in the first decades of the twentieth century. From 1905 to 1927, Kibele designed Muncie's grandest public buildings as well as schools, churches, factories, and commercial buildings. Kibele is most often identified with these buildings. The purpose of this thesis is to study a portion of Kibele's work that has been generally overlooked, his residential designs.Kibele was a reputable residential designer in Muncie. He was a sought-after architect for the city's rising middle class who lived in the suburbs just outside of town. Kibele's residential designs were unlike his other types of commissions in their simplicity and restraint of form and style. Kibele did not include stylistic details in his residential designs to the extent that he did in his other commissions. The few stylistic elaborations that Kibele did include in his residential designs were common-place Craftsman and Prairie style details.Kibele's residences were not high style or innovative in design, however they incorporated the latest social thinking and technological advances. In the early decades of the twentieth century, middle class residential design in America underwent a dramatic transformation. The Victorian home, with its rambling, asymmetrical plan, dense cluttered interior, and ornate detailing was pushed aside in favor of a new, modem aesthetic that favored simple clean lines, reduction of ornamentation, and an open interior arrangement. Kibele's residential commissions demonstrate the modem design principles that resulted from this transformation: the inclusion of modem technological advances; a kitchen redesigned for efficiency; simpler outline and reduction of ornamentation; a simple, open floor plan; and provisions for healthy living. / Department of Architecture

Heritage education is an effective strategy for teaching students about the importance of local history and its relation to state and national themes. The proposed Indiana heritage curriculum unit was designed to incorporate the local built environment into the upper middle and high school classroom. Six lessons have been designed within the unit to help teachers implement heritage education, while fulfilling existing Indiana Academic Standards. Supplemental information, including Power Point presentations, informational handouts, and suggested activities, have been designed to successfully guide lay teachers through the objectives stated in each lesson presented. Through a weeklong session with Mr. Charles Bennett and his eighth grade students, the proposed unit was piloted at Speedway Junior High School in Indianapolis during a weeklong session. The successful implementation and methodology used to create the heritage unit has been documented in the following text of the creative project. In addition, background research and conclusion chapters have been included to establish the need and validate the successful implementation of the heritage education curriculum unit proposed. / Department of Architecture

The involvement of nature happens at the edge of architecture, influencing the space of man from the outside and the inside. This design is intended to open man's space to his surroundings, and for establishing a new relationship between man and nature.Peter Noever writes in Architecture in Transition: "In order to become an autonomous subject, man distances himself from nature. This process of distance helps men to learn increasingly to control himself and nature. However, this origin of subjectivity becomes hybrid and turns against man himself: he falls prey to his natural need to dominate, and the dominator of nature becomes the prey of nature."The idea of dominating nature is strongly reflected in the American rural dwellings. Like an "icon of individualism," "operating objectively in their relationship to the landscape,"2 the houses appear isolated from the surroundings. Man might control himself by building this isolated relationship with his surroundings, but it does not have to be like this. Because man not only needs to control himself but also needs to live healthily. The energy of the natural world is an essential part of a healthy human life. Especially in the living environment, natural elements-(defined as "a creative and controlling force in the universe")--are indispensable. For a healthy life, in balance with nature, man should be receptive to his surroundings.The Involvement of Nature is a study of dwelling space, using the language of architecture to improve and cultivate a harmonious relationship between man and nature. This project will focus on the connection between the dwelling space and its natural surroundings. It will create a contextual connection by the interactions between human perceptions of space inside the dwelling and the natural or cultural landscapes which is the outdoor environmental phenomena and features; the sun, the wind and the changing landscape. / Department of Architecture

This thesis gives a voice to the call for a holistic approach to the preservation of commercial and particularly domestic architecture. Interior architecture is an important piece of the whole in need of consideration. Arts and Crafts interiors in the state of Indiana are considered in reference to this fact and the case studies chosen exemplify the connection between cultural history and the interior architecture and design.The Arts and Crafts Movement's philosophy worked to integrate the entire design with the surrounding site. The interior was the focus of the synthesized design and it is this emphasis that must be captured. The Midwest played an important role in the development of the Arts and Crafts Movement and central Indiana's interior residential architecture gives evidence to the movement's influential philosophy as well as social changes in the early twentieth century.An introduction to the Arts and Crafts Movement briefly discussing its history in England and the United States is provided as well as a discussion of the Movement's philosophy. Following the history is a chapter concerned with the Arts and Crafts influence in Indiana. Manufacturers and retailers are identified as well as products marketed. Architects and artisans are discussed. Next, a chapter identifies significant interior elements, furnishings, finishes and floor plans. Finally, four case studies are examined ranging from a self-built bungalow to an architect-designed estate. Floor plans, architectural features, and finishes are covered. / Department of Architecture

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)

This thesis argues that early nineteenth-century domestic architecture along Indiana's eastern National Road (Wayne, Henry and Hancock Counties) was a product of the available local materials, not a product of cultural influences traveling along the Road. While the first chapter drives in this point, the second and third chapters describe the local materials (builders and carpenters, wood, saw-mills, clay, brickmaking and limestone), and explain construction techniques in a series of case study buildings. The thesis concludes by not only confirming the proposition, but also by making a few conclusions regarding early nineteenth-century construction methods. / Department of Architecture

Reeveston Place is a neighborhood located on the southeast side of Richmond, Indiana. All of Richmond's National Register residential areas contain examples of the popular architectural styles of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Reeveston, however, is a unique Richmond neighborhood because its plan and development were primarily influenced by the trends and styles of the early and mid-twentieth century.Economic and cultural influences before, between and after both world wars, and the impact of the automobile were factors that made Reeveston an area different from its predecessors. Building activity occurred in the neighborhood for nearly a half-century, and the result is an eclectic mix of architectural styles. As it grew, Reeveston was primarily a neighborhood for the upper-middle class and upper-class citizens of Richmond, and several prominent architects were employed to design the houses. Reeveston's historical and architectural significance warrant its consideration for inclusion in the National Register. / Department of Architecture