The Protection and Preservation of Spatial Character During the Rehabilitation Process
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Clemson University TigerPrints All Theses Theses 5-2017 The rP otection and Preservation of Spatial Character During the Rehabilitation Process Jennifer Baehr Clemson University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses Recommended Citation Baehr, Jennifer, "The rP otection and Preservation of Spatial Character During the Rehabilitation Process" (2017). All Theses. 2598. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/2598 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Theses by an authorized administrator of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION OF SPATIAL CHARACTER DURING THE REHABILITATION PROCESS A Thesis Presented to the Graduate Schools of Clemson University and College of Charleston In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science Historic Preservation by Jennifer Baehr May 2017 Accepted by: Amalia Leifeste, Committee Chair Richard Sidebottom Jay White ABSTRACT Rehabilitation is an effective way to preserve historic buildings. Rehabilitation gives new opportunity to a building through a new use, occupant and design. Therefore, the rehabilitation process inherently requires change, which can unfortunately lead to the alteration or loss of significant features and characteristics. Such features include finishes and fixtures, as well as the spatial configurations and relationships that contribute to the character of a building. The spatial organization of a building provides understanding and insight to the logic and meaning of a space, how it was designed, and how it was to be used and experienced. For this reason, it is important to maintain these types of relationships within a building, in order to understand and connect to the past through physical experience and engagement with the spatial character of a building. This thesis provides an analysis of six case study buildings before and after rehabilitation in order to understand how current rehabilitation practices preserve spatial character. This analysis will be used to determine what types of spatial characteristics are retained, altered or lost during the rehabilitation process and how this contributes to the building’s overall spatial character. This information provides insight into how spatial characteristics are retained during the rehabilitation process. This study also provides recommendations that can be used to promote more awareness and consideration of spatial characteristics in design guidelines and standards which influence preservation treatments and practices. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would first like to express my greatest appreciation for my advisor Amalia Leifeste, for continually encouraging me to organize my thoughts into a comprehensive study. Her thoughtful guidance, support and patience provided constant motivation throughout this process. Without her contributions this thesis would not have developed into what it is today. I would also like to thank my committee members, Richard Sidebottom and Jay White. I have greatly enjoyed our discussions and your contributions. I would also like to thank the design and consulting firms that provided me with access to the materials and information needed to complete this study. To Steve Tuttle and Dan Elswick of The South Carolina Department of Archives and History, thank you for your continued assistance and answering my endless amount of questions. To my family and friends, thank you for all of your support. I greatly appreciate all of your encouragement over the past two years. And to my classmates, thank you for all the laughs and making the last two years so memorable. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TITLE PAGE ........................................................................................................................ i ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ..................................................................................................... iii LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................. vii LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... xxviii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1 Rehabilitation Definition .......................................................................... 3 The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation .................. 3 Spatial Character Definition ..................................................................... 8 Character Defining Features .................................................................... 8 Spatial Elements ....................................................................................... 9 Why Preserve Spatial Character? .......................................................... 13 II. LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................... 16 Rehabilitation: Theory + Approach ........................................................ 17 Rehabilitation: Urban Renewal .............................................................. 18 Rehabilitation: Sustainability ................................................................. 21 Rehabilitation: Preservation .................................................................. 24 Spatial Composition + Character ........................................................... 28 III. METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................... 32 iv Table of Contents (Continued) Page Selecting Case Studies ............................................................................ 32 Finding Project Documents .................................................................... 33 Preparing Case Study Drawings ............................................................. 34 Selection of Spatial Characteristics ........................................................ 36 Evaluation of Spatial Characteristics ...................................................... 37 Creating Spatial Character Diagrams ..................................................... 39 Comparing Before and After Rehabilitation Diagrams .......................... 40 Creating Analysis Diagrams .................................................................... 40 Overall Case Study Analysis ................................................................... 41 Case Study Comparison Chart ................................................................ 42 IV. PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS ...................................................................... 44 The Old Exchange Building ..................................................................... 44 Lowman Hall .......................................................................................... 66 Brennen Building .................................................................................... 89 Frank Evans High School ...................................................................... 105 Hickman Hall ........................................................................................ 130 The Westendorff .................................................................................. 156 V. ANALYSIS .................................................................................................... 181 The Old Exchange Building ................................................................... 182 Lowman Hall ........................................................................................ 195 Brennen Building .................................................................................. 207 Frank Evans High School ...................................................................... 218 Hickman Hall ........................................................................................ 232 The Westendorff .................................................................................. 248 Spatial Characteristic Analysis ............................................................. 263 Axis ....................................................................................................... 264 Area Division ........................................................................................ 266 Circulation ............................................................................................ 267 v Table of Contents (Continued) Page Sequence .............................................................................................. 268 Hierarchy .............................................................................................. 269 VI. CONCLUSION + RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................... 271 Recommendations ............................................................................... 275 APPENDICES .............................................................................................................. 280 A: Sample Inquiry Email for Case Study Collection ........................................ 281 B: The Old Exchange Building Drawings ......................................................... 282 C: Lowman Hall Drawings .............................................................................