This paper will discuss the development and architecture of an Indianapolis northside residential neighborhood. While the area was settled in the mid twentieth century. Consequently, the neighborhood has a broad spectrum of architectural styles ranging from pioneer vernacular Greek Revival to Tudor Revival.In spite of the fact that the area was the leading suburb of Indianapolis in the early twentieth century, little research has been done on the history and historic architecture of Meridian-Kessler. Examples of significant structures and architectural types will be presented in the context of the area. Elements or factors which unify the neighborhood will be discussed.Finally, the issues of historic preservation in the Meridian-Kessler neighborhood will be examined. If the area is in fact historic, as the author believes then preservation measures are in order. The location and nature of the neighborhood pose a unique problem. Since the area is essentially a transitional urban/suburban district, methods of urban historic district preservation must be Modified for this special case. As historians and preservationists become reviewed. Historic increasingly aware of our early twentieth century heritage, a new terminology and approach must be acknowledged. This variation of a preservation or conservation district is termed by the author as "Suburban Preservation".Standard methods will be used to research and compose this thesis. For documentation of historic architecture, a series of Indianapolis Star articles titled "How Others Have Built" is an important source which must be a Thirty-eighth street Landmarks Foundation of Indiana is currently surveying the area; survey forms will provide much data on house types, styles and dates. Architectural archives, old records of firms active in the district and other published sources will provide further information. Planning data in the form of subarea plans andcooridor study have already been obtained for review. Plans for preservation districts in Indianapolis and other midwest cities will also be reviewed for possible application to Meridian-Kessler.Combined with field observations, the research should produce a document which places the Meridian-Kessler neighborhood in its proper historic context and aids in future planning for the area. / Department of Architecture

An effort to understand the basic contextual foundation of environmental art design in relation to site-specific context. As a result of this understanding, environmental artwork designs will be developed based upon the context of chosen sites on the Ball State University's campus with a view toward the development of greater visual literacy. The work effort includes a preliminary exploration of the methods and approaches followed by contemporary designers (including artists, landscape architects, landscape designers, and architects) in the design and execution of environmental art works that have a contextual relationship to a site. This exploration focuses upon Post World War II outdoor installations intended for public viewing and/or interaction. Context of Project WorkThe first step consists of information gathering about professional designers, including landscape architects, artists, landscape designers, and architects, who design outdoor environmental artworks based upon the context of a site. This information will include literature search, site visits, case studies, and possible interviews with designers.This information will then be distilled into sketch designs of environmental art pieces that can be sited on the Ball State University's campus. The designs produced for the artworks will be based upon the information gathered about various designers with attention to the preservation of the stylistic influences from the artists while deleting the possibility of repetition of previous artworks.The work of research on artists and projects will result in an expanded knowledge base from which a group of three or four designers will be selected to serve as exemplars or a case study foundation for the design effort.It is expected that the entire effort will serve as a model of an apprenticeship in outdoor art and site design for a non-art major pursuing a Master of Landscape Architecture degree. In addition, the work effort will serve to promote visual literacy in the Ball State University campus as well as to provide suggestions for physical designers on the placement and execution of site specific outdoor art. / Department of Landscape Architecture

The architectural firm of Pierre and Wright was one of the most important partnerships in Indianapolis during the second quarter of the twentieth century and the firm left a lasting impact on Indianapolis's built environment and physical development. Edward Dienhart Pierre (May 22, 1890-March 27, 1971) and George Caleb Wright (April 25, 1889-February 27, 1973) merged their talents in August 1925. This partnership resulted in a series of substantial commissions which allowed Pierre and Wright to take leadership roles in the Indianapolis construction community. The design contributions of Pierre and Wright to Indiana, particularly to Indianapolis, are significant because of the wide variety of architectural styles in which they worked, the high quality of construction, and the number of structures which remain. The partnership ended in 1944 and both men continued their architectural careers in Indianapolis. Pierre and Wright worked throughout their lives to enhance their profession and their community. The most obvious evidence of their professional work is the many buildings they designed, but more important is the impact Pierre and Wright had on the design and construction professions in Indiana and the country. Examples of their influence include their work for standardized building codes, development of professional ethics and forums for professional networking, and advocacy of comprehensive urban or metropolitan planning. / Department of Architecture

Daylighting, a form of illumination utilizing sunlight, has been used by architects as a method of symbolic expression in religious architecture. Light can be used to illustrate architectural comcepts or to satisfy the liturgical requirements of the particular religious denomination. This thesis illustrates some of the techniques employed by well-known architects, critiquing their successes and failures, and weighting them against more conventional works designed by lesser-known architects in order to discover what separates the ordinary from the extraordinary.The city of Columbus was chosen for its outstanding reputation of producing well known works of architecture, or "icons." Five churches have been singled out on the basis of their exemplary use of daylighting:First Christian ChurchNorth Christian Church First Baptist ChurchSt. Peter's Lutheran ChurchSandy Hook United Methodist ChurchResearch undertaken involved studying the philosophies of each architect, critically assessing the theories of light in earlier historical periods, and defining how some of these earlier concepts have influenced today's architects, if at all. By closely adhering to these principles, the architectural and spiritual value of the church increased greatly. / Department of Architecture

This thesis is a comprehensive study of the church buildings built between 1821 and 1910 in Henry County, Indiana. The dramatic transformation from wilderness to an agricultural landscape dotted with small towns is echoed in the pattern of churches constructed. From member homes, congregations next moved into hewn-log buildings, that were replaced by vernacular frame buildings, and sometimes later with architect-designed brick or stone edifices. Congregations of the many different denominations organized during this time period in Henry County (Quaker, Methodist, and Church of Christ were the most numerous ) followed this pattern, though at varying speeds. The result of this cycle of building replacement, as well as the decline of individual congregations and occasional natural disasters, is that the forty-two existing buildings represent only about a quarter of the total number of church buildings erected during these ninety years. A survey of these forty-two buildings can be found in Appendix B.The research focused on where congregations built, how they built-obtaining land, raising funds, and what they built-materials, forms, and architectural styles, such as Greek Revival, Italianate, and Gothic Revival. Possible sources of plans and designs, including architects and nineteenth-century pattern books are discussed, although the influence of these sources was difficult to determine based on the brief accounts usually found in original church records. The thesis concludes with an overview of what has happened to pre-1910 Henry County church buildings after they were completed. Case studies of eight structures, including frame gable-front churches and masonry auditoriumplan churches illustrate the life-cycles of these Midwestern church buildings, revealing that continuous change has been their fate. / Department of Architecture

This project is submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Masters Degree in Landscape Architecture at Ball State University. It involves the creation of a Concept Master Plan for a 16-acre parcel of privately owned land located in the northern Hoosier National Forest (the "Project Site"). The Project Site includes about eight acres of wooded hills and approximately eight acres of gently sloping cleared area, which had been previously farmed, two creeks and a one-acre pond.The Concept Plan presented in this paper attempts to achieve the clients' program, i.e., enhancing the aesthetics of the Project Site and enriching the environmental complexity of its ecosystem through an integrated set of interventions that have as their focus maintaining a clearing in the woods.The design process includes a historical and contextual analysis of the Project Site and the region; identifying strong points, opportunities for enhancement and problems to be solved. Various alternatives to address issues are evaluated; and specific projects are then integrated into the Concept Plan.The two key dualities of the Project Site from which all else flows are: (i) hills/valley and (ii) clearing/forest. Enhancing and articulating these two pairs of complementary elements are the core opportunities at the Project Site. All other problems and opportunities are subordinate to these two unifying elements. Among the key near-term problems to be solved are: (1) stabilizing the pond; (2) minimizing the presence of alien invasives and opportunistic native species; (3) introducing appropriate native plant species which encourage a more varied fauna; (4) enhancing the functionality and aesthetics of wetlands; (5) developing naturalistic vistas based on existing topography; and (6) providing for an enriched diverse environment that requires a minimum of ongoing maintenance and intervention.The Concept Plan is composed of two elements:1.Description of specific "capital" projects which were selected during the evaluation process described above; and2.Management/maintenance plan, which is programmatic in nature and deals with ongoing activities such as monitoring, managing the growth of alien invasives and opportunistic natives, replacement and augmenting planting, etc.Measures proposed in the Concept Plan will arrest succession at the savanna stage to maintain a continuous, layered forest edge. New native plant species will be introduced, generating a more diverse landscape than would otherwise exist. Man-made elements such as a shelter and bridge will meet the clients' functional needs and serve as focal points and aesthetic elements. / Department of Landscape Architecture

The major purposes of this study were: (1) to outline the predominant Greek and Roman architectural examples most often imitated by subsequent architects and builders, (2) to compare five Indiana Greek Revival examples of the mid-nineteenth century with the works of Benjamin Latrobe, Robert Mills, and William Strickland, and (3) to examine the lifestyles of three Hoosier men who were involved in creating and promoting the Greek Revival style in Indiana.After an introduction, Chapter II presented a brief history of the foundations of Greek and Roman architecture with a pictorial account of the major ancient structures frequently copied by New World architect-builders. Chapter III examined the three Eastern architects and their public and private buildings in picture form. Chapter IV compared the Hoosier vernacular with the three Eastern architects. Among the factors considered were the simplicity and complexity of design, similarities and dissimilarities in building materials, and technical skill of the architect-builder. Chapter V investigated the political and financial career of Michael G. Bright who worked in a Greek Revival law office in Madison, Indiana. Chapter VI focused upon Charles L. Shrewsbury, a Hoosier entrepeneur who built an elaborate Greek Revival home in Madison. Dr. Jefferson Helm, Sr., of Rushville, Indiana was the subject of Chapter VII. The final chapter was a summary of the study and a statement of several conclusions which emerged from the research.The Hoosier Greek Revival style was simple in format. Hoosier architect-builders applied the skills of their Eastern counterparts as much as possible within the framework of their technical expertise and availability of building materials. The five sites also displayed a sense of practicality on the frontier. All five structures represent a modification of the ancient models.The three men in the study came to Indiana at a time when it was beginning to flourish and all three rose to prosperity in a few years. A Greek Revival structure was a conspicuous way to declare to their constituents that they were among the elite on the frontier. At the same time they also endorsed the democratic, educational, and societal ideals which the nation's leaders wished to promote. Indiana's nineteenth-century architecture presented a microcosm of the new nation wishing to promote a new architectural style reminiscent of the ancient world.

This study has presented a comprehensive study on the growth, change, and architectural character of an Ohio River town between 1816 and 1996 using New Albany, Indiana as a case study. The evidence suggest that the majority of New Albany's physical growth occurred between 1838 and 1859, and also between 1953 and 1977. The economy of New Albany transformed several times through the course of its existence. New Albany was first supported by the ship building industry. Many boat manufacturers established ship yards along the banks of the Ohio River in New Albany. The ship building industry in New Albany became non-existent in the early 1970s. The glassmaking industry that replaced the ship building industry was also located along the banks , of the Ohio River.The early twentieth century and the closure of the glass-making industry began a transformation of the location of industries in New Albany. When hardwood companies established plants in New Albany, several were attracted to the undeveloped, flat land in the northeastern fringe of the city. This process of development in the north and northeastern section of the city still continues today.The architectural character that was established in New Albany in the late 1800s remained until the early 1960s and urban renewal. Many historic structures in New Albany were demolished in the 1960s and early 1970s. Much of New Albany's architectural character today was constructed during that period. However, New Albany still retains several historic buildings, and increased preservation efforts has lead to the rehabilitation of many of them. / Department of Architecture

The goals of this report were: 1) to present a comparison between historic and present day landscape plantings in the Ravine Garden of the Lilly Pavilion at the Indianapolis Museum of Art; and 2) to develop and establish a vegetation management study that would provide guidelines for the vegetation management of the Ravine Garden. The study and guidelines were developed in order to: a) remove inappropriate present day plantings; b) protect the historic landscape plantings; c) eventually replant the historic plants currently missing; and d) manage the vegetation of the Ravine Garden as in an important historic designed landscape. / Department of Landscape Architecture

American cemeteries have evolved from unsophisticated and crowded burial grounds to curvilinear and elegantly designed rural cemeteries to the functional business of the memorial park. Regardless of the type, all cemeteries are constantly changing due to their natural features and because of the deterioration of stone after prolonged exposure to the elements. Then add neglect or vandalism into the mix and cemeteries appear to be particularly doomed.This creative project examines the cemeteries in Delaware County, Indiana. Working from "Cemeteries in Delaware County, Indiana" by Rosaella Cartwright and Elizabeth Modlin, an inventory was completed for the sixty located cemeteries. The ten that were not inventoried were outside the scope of the project, could not be located, or inaccessible. The landscape features, markers, funerary art motifs, and preservation efforts were recorded and the data was then analyzed. Issues and challenges facing the cemeteries were investigated, including how to go about properly documenting a cemetery and general information on cleaning and repairing markers. Finally preservation guidelines and recommendations were proposed for the cemeteries in Delaware County. / Department of Architecture