Category: ARCH 691A: Heritage Conservation

Heritage lynching is the act of terrorizing and/or controlling an individual’s or a community’s heritage including built landscapes, physical artifacts, cultural forms, intangible culture and biological traits which affirm and reproduce identity (Franklin, 2024).

Eufaula, Alabama boasts over 700 structures on the National Register of Historic Places. State of Denial (Whitmore, 2022) highlights a whitewashing of history within the town. In 2021, more than $250,000 was given to preservation groups and none went to the preservation of Black or Indigenous histories. Behind the Antebellum houses and falsified historical markers (NPR, 2024), the preservation of a whitewashed history has all but erased the stories of racialized violence, land and political struggles.

As a descendant of one of the lynching victims of Eufaula, I understand the painful discourse for those who are left behind to preserve these erased histories and navigate the undecipherable geographies. According to Ida B. Wells (1900), “The nineteenth century lynching mob cuts off ears, toes, and fingers, strips off flesh, and distributes portions of the body as souvenirs among the crowd.” I vie that in the 20th century, lynching mobs cut off the legacies of individuals and communities through heritage and parses them out. In this thesis, I aim to confront the heritage lynchings by analyzing five specific lynchings as cases for consideration of preservation. This thesis will analyze the lynching of William “Willie” Jenkins, the Eufaula Voter Massacre of 1874, the land theft of Albert Street, the legacy of Elijah Franklin as both the first Black county commissioner and integrator of Eufaula High School and the killing of Hamp and Anthony Russaw.

Tucked along a stretch of the historic 110 freeway, amidst lush, native Californian foliage, stands the Lummis House, or El Alisal. Crafted by Charles Fletcher Lummis in the late 19th century, this rustic abode, hand-built of stone from the nearby Arroyo Secco, embodies a harmonious and groundbreaking blend of early Spanish, indigenous, and Arts and Crafts architectural influences.

It is a testament to Los Angeles’ place in the mythology of the American West with rich cultural diversity, and creative, boundary-pushing vitality. For over a century, El Alisal has captured visitors’ imaginations from near and far, young and old.

Lummis, a revered and reviled figure, left an indelible mark on the city’s identity. From founding the California History and Landmarks Club and playing host to the who’s who of this era to controversial activism on behalf of indigenous communities, his legacy is as multifaceted as the structure erected.

The Lummis House is a nostalgic relic of the past and a living embodiment of the dynamic interplay of history, art, and societal exchange that defines Los Angeles. Amidst the city’s ever-evolving urban landscape, preserving the Lummis House presents a unique set of challenges and opportunities. This thesis adopts a multidisciplinary approach, melding architectural analysis, historical inquiry, and cultural exploration to unravel the layers of significance attached to the site. It involves ‘placekeeping ‘, the active management of a place’s cultural significance, and ‘placemaking ‘, the process of creating a sense of place and belonging. The Lummis House requires an active heritage conservation practice in order to continue its role as a nexus of our shared past and bright future.

The Suzhou Humble Administrator’s Garden is regarded as the height of classical Chinese garden architecture because of its rich cultural value and elaborate sceneries. This study explores the garden’s rich historical and cultural legacy, following its development from a secluded study haven for academics to its current incarnation as a Garden Museum. Based on a multidisciplinary approach that includes historical research, architectural analysis, and cultural interpretation, the study sheds light on the garden’s lasting legacy in modern culture as well as its significant influence on Chinese landscape architecture.

By utilizing academic literature, archival materials, and field observations, the study explores the design concepts, spatial arrangement, and symbolic elements that characterize the Suzhou Humble Administrator’s Garden. It looks at how the garden, acting as a microcosm of traditional Chinese culture, reflects Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian ideas. In addition, the research looks at the sociopolitical environment that surrounded the garden’s establishment and later changes, providing insight into how politics, art, and society
interacted in ancient China.

The transformation of the Suzhou Humble Administrator’s Garden into a Garden Museum—a process motivated by attempts to protect its cultural legacy and encourage tourism—is at the heart of this inquiry. The study closely examines the potential and problems brought about by this shift, including the monetization of cultural heritage, visitor management, and conservation techniques. Through an examination of the techniques utilized to retell the garden’s historical story in a modern setting, the research provides an understanding of the challenges associated with cultural tourism development and heritage preservation in contemporary China. In the end, this study advances our knowledge of the Suzhou Humble Administrator’s Garden as a dynamic cultural landscape and historical relic. The study highlights how crucial it is to strike a balance between preservation and adaptation when it comes to preserving the memory of famous cultural sites for future generations by providing insight into its transformation into a Garden Museum.

This research aims to shed light on the transformative potential of generative AI (genAI) technology in creating more inclusive and equitable cultural landscapes by reimagining the experiences and aspirations of diverse Asian Pacific Island American (APIA) communities. Specifically, it aims to contribute to a more equitable built environment that celebrates the richness and diversity of Los Angeles’ APIA communities, while also acknowledging the ethical considerations and challenges inherent in its implementation.

Through an examination of decolonizing pedagogy, cross-cultural collaboration, and established ethical AI practices, this study investigates:

The role of generative AI in fostering reimagined representations and interpretations of APIA heritage sites, including ethnic enclaves, cultural centers, historically significant locations, and landmarks.
How community engagement, combined with AI-driven analysis, can empower APIA communities to participate in the design and preservation of public spaces that reflect their cultural heritag
The potential of genAI to facilitate collaborative design processes among diverse APIA communities and other marginalized groups by devising strategies for collaborative visioning with multicultural, multiracial groups to integrate futurist principles into cultural narratives, urban design, and heritage practices.
Additional opportunities and limitations of integrating diverse perspectives, cultural expressions, and community aspirations into revitalization initiatives using generative AI and futurist art.

AI holds immense transformative potential while raising concerns regarding its impact on society. This study explores potential of genAI technology within an Asianfuturist framework to facilitate the reimagining of cultural landscapes of APIA communities in Los Angeles, California.

Walls have long accompanied sectarian violence as a tool of division. Physical scars that communicate the very real divides entrenched in the social fabric of these sites. Bisecting neighborhoods, they reshape the urban fabric fundamentally altering the way inhabitants interact with the city around them. Even long after conflict and the accompanying violence has ended these walls serve as authoritarian reminders of traumatic events and as such pose a unique challenge in terms of managing their legacy. For some their very existence is offensive and yet to others they have become a testament to the progress made in the years following conflict and an undeniable characteristic of their evolving city.

In Belfast, North Ireland, the peace lines erected between Unionist and Republican neighborhoods are currently undergoing a reckoning of their history and future. This thesis seeks to construct an understanding of what the peace lines represent to different parties in Belfast and begin to lay the groundwork for what an effective form of preservation might look like. In pursuit of this goal, the history of Belfast’s walls will be reviewed alongside a survey of the current proposals for their future. A selection of global case study sites, each mirroring distinct aspects of Belfast’s peace lines, will also be interrogated to inform best practices.

Through the legacy of Belfast’s peace lines, this thesis aims to glean important lessons on how memorialization can be approached at sites of sensitive history and add to the ever evolving field of their preservation.

From Ann Pamela Cunningham’s photo-based fundraising techniques for Mount Vernon in the 1860s, to the popularity of the White Pine Series of Architectural Monographs in the 1920s, to Richard Nickel’s quest to save Chicago’s landmarks from urban renewal in the 1950’s, photography has long been a tool that powers historic preservation movements in America. Created in 1933, the nation’s first federally funded preservation program, the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), remains one of the most actively used collections within the Library of Congress’ Prints and Photographs Division today. Alongside written histories and measured drawings, the HABS collection (as well as companion programs Historic American Engineering Record and Historic American Landscapes Survey, which together comprise Heritage Documentation Programs or HDP) currently archives large format film negatives and color transparencies according to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Architectural and Engineering Documentation.

Despite technological advances in photography, decreasing availability of equipment, and a limited number of trained large format film photographers, current HDP guidelines prohibit born-digital photographic documentation. The collection’s unique nature as a tripartite agreement between the National Park Service, American Institute of Architects, and Library of Congress dictate specific procedures for the type and quality of image captured, assessment of reliability, archival longevity, and public accessibility. While the Library of Congress has already developed a framework for preserving born-digital files, HDP photography has yet to reflect these advancements due to incongruences between analog and digital image capture, which complicate adapting the guidelines to the modern era. Maintaining the longevity of the collection as documentation technologies evolve will require careful adaptation of the program’s standards and vision, signaling a broader shift in the role of contemporary preservation efforts as a whole.

Traditional Chinese wooden structure architectural technology, characterized by its use of wood as the primary material and intricate joinery techniques, holds a prominent place in Chinese architecture. This craftsmanship, renowned for its earthquake resistance and swift on-site assembly, extends beyond construction to encompass various decorative arts. Passed down through generations via oral tradition and practical guidance, it now finds application in preserving ancientstyle buildings and restoring historic wooden structures. Recognized as intangible cultural heritage by the United Nations in 2009, this technology faces challenges amidst modernization and urbanization, particularly concerning the preservation of temples, vital cultural assets. This thesis addresses the critical need to preserve traditional Chinese timber architecture craftsmanship, focusing on temple restoration in Southwest China.

The thesis first introduces and analyzes the wooden structure architectural technology of temples in North and South China, highlighting characteristics such as carving and painting. It then delves into the challenges faced by temple architecture, such as structural corrosion and material aging due to environmental factors. Furthermore, its thesis case studies of restored temples to explore restoration techniques and the integration of modern technology with
traditional craftsmanship for sustainable development. Through a detailed case study of the restoration of Chunyang Temple, the thesis extrapolates successful experiences and lessons to guide future work. Restored temple buildings serve as vital cultural assets, preserving ancient architectural magnificence and traditional craftsmanship. They continue to attract visitors, enabling cultural learning and research opportunities.

The research provides both theoretical and practical support for the preservation and inheritance of traditional Chinese timber architecture craftsmanship. It advocates for the sustainable development of temple restoration efforts while fostering the integration of cultural heritage preservation and sustainable development initiatives.

The Montrose Chemical Corporation manufactured half the world’s dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, also known as DDT, from 1947-1982 in the Harbor Gateway neighborhood of Los Angeles. The production of this insecticide, which the EPA banned the domestic use of in 1972, contaminated the soil underneath and around the plant with extremely high quantities of DDT. Today, the location is a federally-designated Superfund site, an EPA designation for the nation’s most contaminated and hazardous sites.

During operation, the company routinely disposed of their product by dumping it into the sewer system, into the nearby Dominguez Channel, and pouring it directly into the ocean off of barges. The Palos Verdes shelf– located at the bottom of the Pacific between the industrial Port of LA and pristine Catalina Island– is also a Superfund site. The high presence of DDT off the coast has been directly linked to the decline of the bald eagle on the Channel Islands, the near-extinction of the California condor in Southern California,
and increased rates of cancer in sea lions and humans alike. The extent of the contamination remains under investigation. As DDT bioaccumulates, the reverberations are still being felt across the food chain– including in human bodies, where DDT presence can be passed through breast milk.

Montrose Chemical is exceptional, but it is not unique. In the Anthropocene, where human activity is the dominant force shaping our environment, we increasingly must grapple with chemical contamination as part of our landscapes and as part of our heritage. Through archival research of the site and the chemical industry, as well as exploring case studies of other natural disasters and sites of mass loss, this thesis will examine how largely invisible losses are processed, remembered, and memorialized as a part of our histories.