Pewabic: “Tiling” the Story of Revitalization in Detroit Through a Public Garden Matthew Bertrand Yihui Chen Xevy Zhang
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Pewabic: “Tiling” the Story of Revitalization in Detroit through a Public Garden Matthew Bertrand Yihui Chen Xevy Zhang A project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Landscape Architecture at the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment April 2017 Faculty Advisor: Robert Grese Professor of Landscape Architecture i Acknowledgements We'd like to thank our advisor, Professor Robert Grese, for his diligent support, sagacity, patience, and attentiveness—we are grateful for our time working with you. Thanks to Steve McBride, Pewabic’s staff and board, and their community of supporters for taking the time to share their hopes, dreams, and visions as we explored glimpses of their possible future, which surely will be bright. Our thanks to Casey Cunningham, Carol Mayer-Reed, and Stan Jones for orienting us to Portland’s many inspiring examples of artful rainwater design. Thanks to the citizens of Portland for their leadership in environmental design. We would like to thank our colleagues at the School of Natural Resources and Environment, especially our fellow students of landscape architecture, for their enthusiasm, interest, and support throughout our project. Thanks to our friends and family for their love, support, nourishment, cheer, and patience. Photo credit cover: Yihui Chen Preceding page: Pewabic Society, Inc. ii iii Abstract Table of Contents Faced with the interconnected challenges of population loss, vacant lands, and economic disinvestment, citizens of legacy cities like Detroit increasingly seek opportunities to manufacture their own social, economic, and ecolog- ical revitalization. This master’s project offers a case study exploration of the potential for arts-based revitalization through a campus landscape design for Pewabic Pottery, one of the last surviving pottery studios of the early 20th cen- tury Arts and Crafts era and a widely-appreciated Detroit arts institution. The 01 medium for this exploration is Pewabic’s current 1.5-acre campus, which in- cludes a half-acre of vacant land once occupied by neighboring businesses. INTRODUCTION The project also considers multiple future scenarios considering purchase of 49 adjacent parcels both vacant and occupied. We adopted a process-orient- ed approach to advance revitalization efforts by drawing connections be- CONCEPT PLANS tween arts-based revitalization literature and the slate of participatory design 99 practices used across multiple design disciplines. Methods used to engage Pewabic’s community of stakeholders included a series of design workshops, APPENDICES & event tabling, and surveys. With the information gathered from these activi- REFERENCES ties, we developed three concepts for the site: 1) Hospitality, 2) Fusion, and 3) Minimalism. Each concept considers alternative design variables regarding location of a new education studio, relationship with the historic Water Works Park, expansion of Pewabic’s campus to include additional adjacent parcels, 13 and, finally, garden design styles. We developed these design concepts in the hope that the redevelopment of the campus landscape will contribute RESEARCH towards revitalization of other nearby neighborhood spaces by serving as METHODS 91 an aesthetic catalyst for ecological design principles, and by enhancing REVITALIZATION Pewabic’s capacity to attract and engage visitors along the East Jefferson Avenue corridor. 1 INTRODUCTION 2 3 Photo Credit: Xevy Zhang Photo Credit: Matthew Bertrand Photo Credit: Matthew Bertrand as for her major installations, such as at Washington D.C.’s Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Upon Stratton’s death in 1961, control passed to Henry Caulkins, who in 1967 deeded the property to the Board of Trustees of Michigan State University (Pear, 233). In 1979, a group of Detroit potters formed the private, non-profit Pewabic Society, Inc, which took ownership of Pewabic in 1981. Pewabic now has a board of 21 members and a staff of 45. The pot- tery sees as many as 50,000 visitors per year (Rinck, “Pewabic”), featuring a Figure - 4 Pewabic Tiles at Cranbrook House Figure - 3 Pewabic tile installation in Figure - 6 Historic Water Works Park showroom of Pewabic works, as well Photo Credit: Pewabic Society, Inc. Photo Credit: Pewabic Pottery and Gardens, Bloomfield Hills, MI the Guardian Building , Detroit, MI as one for independent studio artists, while also providing space for rotat- ing ceramic exhibitions. Pewabic pro- Figure - 1 Pewabic Campus vides studio space for local artists and offers ceramics classes for students Pewabic Society (Figure-1) is a tileworks, including the Detroit Institute of all skill levels. Pewabic’s founders non-profit ceramic studio located on of Arts, the Detroit Tigers’ Comerica chose the location of the studio for its Detroit’s Lower Eastside. Founded in Park (Figure-2), and the Guardian proximity to the historic Water Works 1903 by Mary Chase Perry Stratton Building (Figure-3), as well do many of Park across the street, which, al- and Horace Caulkins, Pewabic is one Detroit’s public school buildings and though now closed to the public, was of only three surviving Arts-and-Crafts churches. The studio is also significant formerly Detroit’s most popular public era potteries (Rinck, “Earth”). Many as an early woman-owned business. park, providing respite to citizens from of Detroit’s most well-known land- Stratton achieved national recogni- all over Detroit (Figure-6)(Daisy, 2012). Photo credit introduction page: Figure - 2 Pewabic tile installation in Figure - 5 Pewabic’s Founder, Matthew Bertrand marks prominently feature Pewabic tion for her iridescent glazes as well Comerica Park, Detroit, MI Mary Chase Perry Stratton 4 5 Data Source: Motor City Mapping Project, 2014 Credit: Hamilton Anderson Associates Pewabic’s immediate landscape mir- Associates to create a new master PROJECT OVERVIEW rors some of the challenges faced by plan (Figure-10 to 12) for Pewabic’s Detroit neighborhoods. Over the past block to envision more cohesive use RENOVATION 11,600 GSF GALLERY twenty years, as the buildings adja- of the entire block of land; however, INVENTORY MUSEUM EXHIBITS ARCHIVE cent to Pewabic were demolished, that plan is now being reconsidered FABRICATION CONFERENCE Pewabic purchased the subsequent from the standpoints of both aesthet- STAFF AREA vacant lots, stitching together a near ics and affordability. The impetus for ADDITION PARKING 26,275 GSF 61 PARKING SPACES FABRICATION (5 BARRIER FREE) BUILDING SUPPORT contiguous block of land (Figure-7). this master’s project is Pewabic’s goal SHIPPING & RECEIVING DESIGN ADMINISTRATION CONFERENCE Similarly, the neighborhoods surround- to consider alternative options to the EDUCATION ing Pewabic face significant chal- 2010 master plan. Like Pewabic’s im- lenges with abundant vacant land mediate neighborhood, indeed most 0 20’ 40’ 80’ (Figure-7 and 8), owing at least in part neighborhoods in Detroit, Pewabic is N HAMILTON ANDERSON ASSOCIATES PEWABIC CAMPUS MASTER PLAN Figure - 7 Historic aerial imagery of 1.2 to the interconnected challenges of Pewabic block (1949). exploring how to creatively re-imag- Figure - 11 Master plan by Hamilton Anderson population loss and economic disin- ine itself to find a more vibrant path Figure - 8 (Upper right) Vacant neighbor- vestment (Sugrue, 2014; Binelli, 2013). hood parcels on Detroit’s Lower Eastside. forward. The Detroit community is actively exploring creative responses to the Data Source: Motor City Mapping Project, 2014 challenge of vacancy, as in the ex- Figure - 10 The current dirt lots of Pewabic Figure - 12 Perspective byBIRDSEYE Hamilton PERSPECTIVE Anderson Credit: Hamilton Anderson Associates ample of the award-winning Detroit Credit: Hamilton Anderson Associates Future City Field Guide to Lots that EXISTING SITE explores hundreds of design interven- tions responding to eleven lot types. Hantz Farms, which purchases and maintains vacant lots for silviculture and agriculture, is also active in the neighborhoods surrounding Pewabic where it owns a majority of vacant lots Figure - 9 Detroit (S. McBride, personal communication, neighborhoods 0 20’ 40’ 80’ N HAMILTON ANDERSON ASSOCIATES PEWABIC CAMPUS MASTER PLAN February 12, 2016). In 2010, Pewabic 2014 total vacant 1.1 parcels map HAMILTON ANDERSON ASSOCIATES PEWABIC CAMPUS MASTER PLAN commissioned Hamilton Anderson 1.3 6 7 A map of Pewabic’s current land use support a cafe, an education wing, Villages, a collection of six villages that personal communication, February (Figure-13) reflects a creative organi- and artist residences. Finally, Pewabic organize as a unit to reverse blight 12, 2016). The Villages are themselves zational response to the challenges of may also build its own new education and advance their communities. a part of a larger regional organizing vacancy and economic downturns studio, a much-needed addition giv- Their emphasis is on placemaking to effort that includes Jefferson East, Pewabic’s current front landscape en that Pewabic’s current education “create streetscape improvements, Inc., which in turn is located within features two bare dirt lots, one on studio in the historic building does not art environments and installations in the broader Eastside Community each side of the paved parking area meet modern accessibility standards order to develop The Villages quality Network (both are community devel- that juts out axially from the main for people with disabilities. of life for all” (Villages).