published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

published_or_final_version / Politics and Public Administration / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

Farmland, Indiana, located approximately twenty (20) miles east of Muncie, has been successfully engaged in a revitalization effort since the early 1990s. Although several significant historic buildings have been adaptively reused, others, including the Opera House, are only partially occupied. The continuation of future redevelopment efforts rests on whether these buildings can be preserved and adaptively reused in a manner that supports the revitalization goals the town has established and in which they are committed.The structure was constructed in 1889 and owned by P.M. Bly. Bly and John H. Thornburg, owned a drugstore together in the north retail space on the first floor and the south retail space was rented out to other businesses. Presently the first floor of the Opera House, which was constructed in 1889, is occupied by a Pizza King, which has been there for since the early 1990s. The second floor, which was originally used as an opera house, has been sitting vacant for over twenty years.This creative project documents the current condition of the building and proposes two options of adaptive reuse for the building owner to consider. The format and content of this project was modeled after adaptive reuse studies by two Indianapolis, Indiana architecture firms. Also, a synopsis of several interviews the author had with professionals who deal with the adaptive reuse of historic buildings is included. Architects, contractors, historic preservationists, and a market analyst were among those interviewed and their views afford the reader an insight into current attitudes among professionals involved in historic preservation and adaptive reuse.The project portion of this proposal includes: a brief history of the building; a conditions assessment through photographs and written text; existing floor plans and elevations; a synopsis of the American Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility evaluation; and preservation and adaptive reuse recommendations. In addition, two schemes, or concepts, of adaptive reuse are included, with each containing: floor plans and elevations; a preliminary cost estimate and pro forma; and a summary of historic tax credits and grant programs that are applicable. Furthermore, the option which is most desirable for the historic context of the building and the future economic development of Farmland has been developed through design with an interior design package, which includes a furniture plan, furniture options, and a color scheme.This project is primarily an academic exercise intended to help the author learn the process of preparing a comprehensive adaptive reuse proposal. However, this project was also chosen with the hopes of inspiring the current building owner to develop the property by providing a substantial amount of objective and professional quality information and documentation. Thus, the format developed is that which a professional design firm would use, as opposed to an academic format. Through dissemination of this project to local leaders of preservation and redevelopment efforts, it is also hoped that it will aid in garnering public support to preserve and reuse. / Department of Architecture

Thesis. 1979. M.C.P.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Bibliography: leaves 193-196. / M.C.P.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture and Planning, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (v 2., leaves 309-325). / The study examines the architectural preservation program as it has developed over the past century in Japan, and demonstrates how relics of the past have been manipulated and re-interpreted by individuals and communities seeking to define a modern identity. The study chronicles the development of preservation practice from a national perspective, followed by a local historical analysis of the town of Tsumago in Nagano Prefecture. It is proposed that a nativist and modernist construction of the common Japanese house has had a special place in the history of the modern movement in Japan which influenced the conceptualization, study and preservation of traditional architecture over the past century. Also, the legal tools and field practices of both the national preservation program and the grass-roots district preservation movement have been tied to ideological and political concerns which have affected building designation, restoration, and public presentation. The most important example of the grass-roots district preservation movement in Japan is Tsumago-juku in Nagano Prefecture, the first example of such a movement in Asia. It is demonstrated that Tsumago's place in the formation of Japan's modern national identity was of primary importance to the success of its preservation effort. Restoration work there resulted in important national legislation and created a conflict between the "living tradition" of local carpentry and community vs. professional preservationist. This centered on the nature of architectural tradition and definition of authenticity. As a result of the preservation effort, the town's history and traditions have been re-invented to suit the needs of the present, and its material historicity has been compromised in the name of a greater authenticity in the building process. Yet the modernist ideal of a structurally "honest" and materially "natural" Japanese house has made the acceptance of preservation intervention problematic in the architectural community, further demonstrating that the way old houses are preserved is as much a reflection of the architectural and political ideology of our time as they are a portrait of the past. / by Cherie Wendelken-Mortensen. / Ph.D.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1980. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Bibliography: leaves 133-134. / by Stephen R. Cassella. / M.C.P.

Thesis. 1978. M.C.P.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Bibliography: leaves 100-101. / by Gus Jones, Jr. / M.C.P.

Thesis (M.Arch.A.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1978. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Includes bibliographical references. / by Ralph Munroe Lebens. / M.Arch.A.S.