People are often attracted to an image painted for them by history, fiction, and romantic novels. Artists have tried to construct these images for centuries, often exaggerating the past in order to make a more attractive narrative. I propose an architecture that works in the same way. The architect controls the narrative through the preservation and curation of tectonic details. She can create, destroy, or restore an existing building, and by altering the brick pattern, window style or ornament, can create his own version of history. This thesis addresses the image of a post-Civil War industrial site, the Appomattox Iron Works & Supply Co., building, in Petersburg Virginia. By taking advantage of one existing structure, the architect can reinvent the city as a modern destination. By juxtaposing the old, with a new set of residential apartments, the area becomes attractive to those young professionals who want to submerge themselves in the locale of an artistic urban community. / Master of Architecture