Spring 2020 Historic Preservation Semester in Review
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Message from the Director
Dear Students and Faculty,
Judging from the extraordinary quality of the student work presented in this review of the semester, one would never know that much of it was carried out under duress during a global pandemic that denied us access to our university, our libraries, our studio, our Preservation Technology Lab, and most importantly, to being with each other. Let’s be honest, we were dealt a very bad hand this semester. But playing with the cards you received, you were still able to produce work that challenges orthodoxies and points to new ways of thinking and practicing. That takes a lot of discipline. These pages show your collective ability to think big thoughts and put them to the test in projects, no matter how big or how small. In addition to this newsletter, I encourage everyone to see the work of preservation students represented in the End of the Year Show.
I want to congratulate all of you on your achievements. You should be very proud. Thankfully, as far as we know, no one in our program suffered from COVID19, but some of you have family and friends that did. My sympathy goes out to those of you that had to cope with that added stress. I hope your loved ones are making speedy recoveries. Even if your bodies remained healthy, part of the challenge this semester was to keep our minds healthy as well. It was important to keep the rituals and habits of learning, meeting in classes for in person discussions, writing and reading each other’s work. All of this mental exercise of course made you smarter, but also helped maintain mental health.
Yet those rituals and habits of learning were disrupted. Indeed, the word disruption acquired new meaning for all of us in Spring 2020, as the global pandemic forced us to close down classrooms and quarantine in our homes. I want to thank our faculty and staff, for quickly pivoting and learning new technologies (we are all zoom experts now), for the long hours and extra efforts made so students could continue classes with a minimum of interruption. I also want to thank our students for their commitment to their education and to each other, for those long days and nights working on projects without access to resources, for finding workarounds, for pulling it together with grit, and for such a graceful strong finish. The final studio review was stellar, and the theses produced were brilliant contributions to our discipline. I am in awe of your resilience, determination and creativity. We talk a lot about resilience in classes, and you know that it takes a lot planning, investment and effort to be ready for disasters, to have the resources ready at hand for a community to use them when they need to bounce back.
The fact that our program bounced back so quickly, begs the question: where did our collective resources come from to weather this catastrophe? What investments did we make that gave us the necessary strength not to give up on our work and on each other? University life is an investment in each other. As faculty, we are invested in our students. We feel the successes and failures of our pupils as if they were our own. We rejoice when a student does their best work. We worry when they don’t, and spend sleepless nights thinking about how to help. As students, you are invested in the faculty. You give us your time and attention. You are also invested in each other. You depend on each other for group projects, you help each other edit papers, you ask each other questions, you teach each other. These ritual acts of generosity towards each other came naturally, because, as Prof. Dolkart always says, “preservationists are the nicest people.” Through these academic rituals, without knowing it perhaps, we were making investments in each other that would yield the greatest return: the attachments between us.
Ruskin was right when he wrote that “There is no wealth but life.” Our attachments to each other are the real wealth of our program, because they are the real life of the program. This crisis challenged the life, the social fabric of our program, by pulling us physically apart, and straining our social attachments. It is easy for our attachments to come undone when we are living in confinement as we have been forced to do, some of you far from your families. It is easy to feel hopelessly alone and imprisoned. And when those attachments break so does our foothold on reality, because reality, as much as our sense of self, needs social reinforcement.
That is why I am in awe of all of your ability to keep our attachments strong, and the life of our program going. I saw how we came together: how students kept each other company by zoom to make sure those attachments didn’t break; how you called on each other to provide a lifeline to each other, so that no one lost their foothold on reality; how you helped carry each other past the finish line; how the faculty looked after students, and worried about them as if they were family. You showed individual character, empathy and determination. You showed our program’s esprit de corps. It was deeply moving, and an experience that I will not forget. How we collectively remember, and how we forget, is core to our practices as preservationists. Habits and rituals help us remember, as Aaron Vinegar discussed in this semester’s podcast series. In addition to our old academic habits we are now developing new ones, and becoming more comfortable teaching and learning remotely through video conferencing. In the future, every time I will open a video conferencing app, I will remember the rituals of this pandemic, and how we overcame its challenges. I look forward to integrating these new rituals with our old ones, as we return next fall to in-person teaching. There is no substitute for going to class, to the library, having unscheduled encounters over coffee that turn into deep discussions. Thinking optimistically, technology, if we use it right, will enable us to enhance those rituals and learn together, even over great distances.
That’s why I look forward to the fall when we will come back to our old scholarly rituals, modified in all likelihood by new acquired habits of scholarship, like social distancing, and some teleconferencing, but recognizable to all of us as normal university life. For now, enjoy a well-deserved rest this summer. I can’t wait to see the rising second years, face to face in September. I wish every success to the graduating class, keep us posted on your achievements!
Onward and upward,
Jorge Otero-Pailos
Judging from the extraordinary quality of the student work presented in this review of the semester, one would never know that much of it was carried out under duress during a global pandemic that denied us access to our university, our libraries, our studio, our Preservation Technology Lab, and most importantly, to being with each other. Let’s be honest, we were dealt a very bad hand this semester. But playing with the cards you received, you were still able to produce work that challenges orthodoxies and points to new ways of thinking and practicing. That takes a lot of discipline. These pages show your collective ability to think big thoughts and put them to the test in projects, no matter how big or how small. In addition to this newsletter, I encourage everyone to see the work of preservation students represented in the End of the Year Show.
I want to congratulate all of you on your achievements. You should be very proud. Thankfully, as far as we know, no one in our program suffered from COVID19, but some of you have family and friends that did. My sympathy goes out to those of you that had to cope with that added stress. I hope your loved ones are making speedy recoveries. Even if your bodies remained healthy, part of the challenge this semester was to keep our minds healthy as well. It was important to keep the rituals and habits of learning, meeting in classes for in person discussions, writing and reading each other’s work. All of this mental exercise of course made you smarter, but also helped maintain mental health.
Yet those rituals and habits of learning were disrupted. Indeed, the word disruption acquired new meaning for all of us in Spring 2020, as the global pandemic forced us to close down classrooms and quarantine in our homes. I want to thank our faculty and staff, for quickly pivoting and learning new technologies (we are all zoom experts now), for the long hours and extra efforts made so students could continue classes with a minimum of interruption. I also want to thank our students for their commitment to their education and to each other, for those long days and nights working on projects without access to resources, for finding workarounds, for pulling it together with grit, and for such a graceful strong finish. The final studio review was stellar, and the theses produced were brilliant contributions to our discipline. I am in awe of your resilience, determination and creativity. We talk a lot about resilience in classes, and you know that it takes a lot planning, investment and effort to be ready for disasters, to have the resources ready at hand for a community to use them when they need to bounce back.
The fact that our program bounced back so quickly, begs the question: where did our collective resources come from to weather this catastrophe? What investments did we make that gave us the necessary strength not to give up on our work and on each other? University life is an investment in each other. As faculty, we are invested in our students. We feel the successes and failures of our pupils as if they were our own. We rejoice when a student does their best work. We worry when they don’t, and spend sleepless nights thinking about how to help. As students, you are invested in the faculty. You give us your time and attention. You are also invested in each other. You depend on each other for group projects, you help each other edit papers, you ask each other questions, you teach each other. These ritual acts of generosity towards each other came naturally, because, as Prof. Dolkart always says, “preservationists are the nicest people.” Through these academic rituals, without knowing it perhaps, we were making investments in each other that would yield the greatest return: the attachments between us.
Ruskin was right when he wrote that “There is no wealth but life.” Our attachments to each other are the real wealth of our program, because they are the real life of the program. This crisis challenged the life, the social fabric of our program, by pulling us physically apart, and straining our social attachments. It is easy for our attachments to come undone when we are living in confinement as we have been forced to do, some of you far from your families. It is easy to feel hopelessly alone and imprisoned. And when those attachments break so does our foothold on reality, because reality, as much as our sense of self, needs social reinforcement.
That is why I am in awe of all of your ability to keep our attachments strong, and the life of our program going. I saw how we came together: how students kept each other company by zoom to make sure those attachments didn’t break; how you called on each other to provide a lifeline to each other, so that no one lost their foothold on reality; how you helped carry each other past the finish line; how the faculty looked after students, and worried about them as if they were family. You showed individual character, empathy and determination. You showed our program’s esprit de corps. It was deeply moving, and an experience that I will not forget. How we collectively remember, and how we forget, is core to our practices as preservationists. Habits and rituals help us remember, as Aaron Vinegar discussed in this semester’s podcast series. In addition to our old academic habits we are now developing new ones, and becoming more comfortable teaching and learning remotely through video conferencing. In the future, every time I will open a video conferencing app, I will remember the rituals of this pandemic, and how we overcame its challenges. I look forward to integrating these new rituals with our old ones, as we return next fall to in-person teaching. There is no substitute for going to class, to the library, having unscheduled encounters over coffee that turn into deep discussions. Thinking optimistically, technology, if we use it right, will enable us to enhance those rituals and learn together, even over great distances.
That’s why I look forward to the fall when we will come back to our old scholarly rituals, modified in all likelihood by new acquired habits of scholarship, like social distancing, and some teleconferencing, but recognizable to all of us as normal university life. For now, enjoy a well-deserved rest this summer. I can’t wait to see the rising second years, face to face in September. I wish every success to the graduating class, keep us posted on your achievements!
Onward and upward,
Jorge Otero-Pailos
2
Program Updates
In addition to becoming Zoom experts, the faculty, staff, and students have continued to advance the program over the past semester! Below are some of the program’s accomplishments!
END OF YEAR SHOW
For the past three decades Columbia GSAPP has concluded each academic year with its End of Year Show, an exhibition that celebrates and showcases student work from across the school’s degree programs. Online for the first time, the exhibition departs from its traditional format of installations throughout Avery and Fayerweather Halls—cherished, communal spaces of the school that are instead invoked in the organization of this digital platform. Click here to view the Historic Preservation End of Year Show.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION PODCAST
Season 2 of the Historic Preservation podcast has been released. This podcast features a series of conversations between Jorge Otero-Pailos and leaders in the field of historic preservation and heritage conservation, including past speakers in the Preservation Lecture Series. Listen to the entire season here!
PRESERVATION TECHNOLOGY LAB
Collections
The Preservation Technology Lab is now home to a collection of 40 paving blocks from New York streets, courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum! The blocks were previously gifted to the Brooklyn Museum by the New York City Department of Highways. These new samples have been inventoried and photographed and may be viewed in the lab or on the Material Sample Inventory!
Fieldwork
Mika Tal and the Preservation Technology Lab completed a 3D laser scan of the second-floor lobby of Low Memorial Library on Columbia University’s Morningside campus. The interior, which was designated a New York City Landmark in 1981, is currently under restoration to preserve the building’s historic intent and aesthetics. Using a FARO 3D laser scanner, the laboratory captured decorative details of the ornate plaster ceiling and gilded column capitals of the landmark. View the complete collection of scans here!
3D scan of Low Memorial Library
3D scan of Low Memorial Library
3D scan of Low Memorial Library
Completing work in Low Memorial Library
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Exhibit
The Preservation Technology Lab hosted its second semesterly exhibition: Then & Now! The exhibition showcased student research and photography demonstrating the alterations that the built environment experiences over time. Displayed work was selected through an application process.
The Preservation Technology Lab hosted its second semesterly exhibition: Then & Now! The exhibition showcased student research and photography demonstrating the alterations that the built environment experiences over time. Displayed work was selected through an application process.
Exhibit Opening, February 2020
Exhibit Opening, February 2020
Kathleen Maloney Lo’s comparison of the Charles Sumner School in Washington, DC
Emily Kahn’s submission of a site on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado
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Studios
Whether traveling internationally, conducting field work in New York City, or completing work from their homes, this year’s students produced impressive work in the five studios offered in the program!
STUDIO I
Andrew Dolkart, Claudia Kavenagh, and Kate Reggev, Fall 2019
Study Area: Stuyvesant Square
Studio I engaged first-year students in questions of preservation and its role in Stuyvesant Square. It encouraged students to think about existing preservation tools, work with a variety of methods for exploring the field, and develop diverse potential outcomes. The studio offered models for approaching preservation questions and for considering the diverse roles of the preservationist in contemporary practice. Prior to working in Stuyvesant Square, students documented, researched, and drew mausoleums at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.
STUDIO I
Andrew Dolkart, Claudia Kavenagh, and Kate Reggev, Fall 2019
Study Area: Stuyvesant Square
Studio I engaged first-year students in questions of preservation and its role in Stuyvesant Square. It encouraged students to think about existing preservation tools, work with a variety of methods for exploring the field, and develop diverse potential outcomes. The studio offered models for approaching preservation questions and for considering the diverse roles of the preservationist in contemporary practice. Prior to working in Stuyvesant Square, students documented, researched, and drew mausoleums at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.
Completing fieldwork in Stuyvesant Square
Completing fieldwork in Stuyvesant Square
Completing fieldwork in Stuyvesant Square
Taking measurements in Woodlawn Cemetery
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STUDIO II
Erica Avrami, Bryony Roberts, Tim Michiels, Spring 2020
Study Area: Red Hook, Brooklyn
This studio focused on how preservation can serve as a tool to promote equitable resilience in the community of Red Hook, Brooklyn. This involved critically exploring the following questions:
-How are diverse histories, narratives, and multiple publics represented in Red Hook’s built environment?
-In what ways have the community values and heritage resources of RedHook evolved and been challenged – historically and more recently – by environmental factors as well as socio-economic and political factors?
-How can the preservation enterprise intervene, so as to instrumentalize heritage toward equitable resilience in Red Hook?
After completing an on-the-ground physical resource survey, collecting community data, and compiling historical and contemporary research, the studio produced two evidence-based, preservation-driven proposals for action and intervention in Red Hook.
Erica Avrami, Bryony Roberts, Tim Michiels, Spring 2020
Study Area: Red Hook, Brooklyn
This studio focused on how preservation can serve as a tool to promote equitable resilience in the community of Red Hook, Brooklyn. This involved critically exploring the following questions:
-How are diverse histories, narratives, and multiple publics represented in Red Hook’s built environment?
-In what ways have the community values and heritage resources of RedHook evolved and been challenged – historically and more recently – by environmental factors as well as socio-economic and political factors?
-How can the preservation enterprise intervene, so as to instrumentalize heritage toward equitable resilience in Red Hook?
After completing an on-the-ground physical resource survey, collecting community data, and compiling historical and contemporary research, the studio produced two evidence-based, preservation-driven proposals for action and intervention in Red Hook.
Touring Red Hook in January
Visiting the National Register-listed Mary A. Whalen ship
Visiting the National Register-listed Mary A. Whalen ship
Working on key issues in Studio
Mid-Review over Zoom
Final Review over Zoom
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ADVANCED HISTORIC PRESERVATION/ARCHITECTURE STUDIO III
Mark Rakatansky and Kim Yao, Fall 2019
Travel Destination: The Netherlands
This studio contemplated the adaptive reuse of Marcel Breuer’s U.S. Embassy in The Hague. In considering what program would best convert this building into a center for another purpose, students considered how the Embassy had a strong cultural component for the public when it first opened in 1959. Some rooms had special public significance, such as the library, film screening room, reception area and exhibition hall that were all part of Breuer’s original plan and mission. The departure of ambassadorial functions from this building presented a new quandary for architects and preservationists alike; what would be the most engaging use for this symbolic projection of American diplomacy circa 1959, by one of America’s preeminent modern architects? To pursue these matters, the studio delved into the Breuer archives and into the building itself when it visited Amsterdam, The Hague, and Rotterdam in October.
Mark Rakatansky and Kim Yao, Fall 2019
Travel Destination: The Netherlands
This studio contemplated the adaptive reuse of Marcel Breuer’s U.S. Embassy in The Hague. In considering what program would best convert this building into a center for another purpose, students considered how the Embassy had a strong cultural component for the public when it first opened in 1959. Some rooms had special public significance, such as the library, film screening room, reception area and exhibition hall that were all part of Breuer’s original plan and mission. The departure of ambassadorial functions from this building presented a new quandary for architects and preservationists alike; what would be the most engaging use for this symbolic projection of American diplomacy circa 1959, by one of America’s preeminent modern architects? To pursue these matters, the studio delved into the Breuer archives and into the building itself when it visited Amsterdam, The Hague, and Rotterdam in October.
HP/Architecture studio explores the Netherlands
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ADVANCED HISTORIC PRESERVATION/URBAN PLANNING STUDIO III
Erica Avrami and Will Raynolds, Fall 2019
Travel Destination: Freetown, Sierra Leone
Freetown, Sierra Leone has a complex history that is inextricably linked to both the slave trade and the struggle for African independence. The population is projected to double within the next fifteen years, and the City Council is currently seeking ways to incorporate heritage sites into its plans for rapid growth and densification. This studio of graduate students in historic preservation and urban planning, in collaboration with students from Fourah Bay College, embarked on a study of the intersection of heritage conservation and urban planning. To describe the current and potential uses of heritage in the social and physical fabric of the city and inform current efforts to improve planning, governance and update heritage laws and policies, this team analyzed the results of field surveys and met with stakeholders, including the U.S. Ambassador to Sierra Leone, the Honorable Maria Brewer. The work of this studio shed light on the opportunity to instrumentalize heritage as a tool in promoting civic dialogue, equity, and sustainability in the urbanization of Freetown.
Erica Avrami and Will Raynolds, Fall 2019
Travel Destination: Freetown, Sierra Leone
Freetown, Sierra Leone has a complex history that is inextricably linked to both the slave trade and the struggle for African independence. The population is projected to double within the next fifteen years, and the City Council is currently seeking ways to incorporate heritage sites into its plans for rapid growth and densification. This studio of graduate students in historic preservation and urban planning, in collaboration with students from Fourah Bay College, embarked on a study of the intersection of heritage conservation and urban planning. To describe the current and potential uses of heritage in the social and physical fabric of the city and inform current efforts to improve planning, governance and update heritage laws and policies, this team analyzed the results of field surveys and met with stakeholders, including the U.S. Ambassador to Sierra Leone, the Honorable Maria Brewer. The work of this studio shed light on the opportunity to instrumentalize heritage as a tool in promoting civic dialogue, equity, and sustainability in the urbanization of Freetown.
HP/UP Studio with Fourah Bay College students in Freetown, Sierra Leone
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ADVANCED HISTORIC PRESERVATION TECHNOLOGY STUDIO III
Carlos Bayod Lucini and Bilge Kose, Fall 2019
Travel Destination: Venice, Italy
This project-based studio explored the potential for advanced applications of technology in the field of digital conservation. Drawing on previous knowledge of architectural structure systems and materials, students employed high resolution surface 3D scanning, close-range photogrammetry, and cutting-edge fabrication technologies to develop an experimental digital preservation treatment for a complex building in Venice: the Prioral Palace and Church of the Order of Malta, usually known as Palazzo di Malta. The students carried out a complete digital survey of the building to monitor its current conservation state. Focusing on both the palace’s structure as well as the historic artifacts contained in it, students employed non-contact recording technologies to obtain precise information of specific art and architectural elements, in order to generate digital and physical reproductions that could contribute to the building’s preservation, study and dissemination. The data obtained by the students was used to produce facsimiles of a series of artifacts that could be eventually relocated and re-integrated in their original contexts in Venice.
Carlos Bayod Lucini and Bilge Kose, Fall 2019
Travel Destination: Venice, Italy
This project-based studio explored the potential for advanced applications of technology in the field of digital conservation. Drawing on previous knowledge of architectural structure systems and materials, students employed high resolution surface 3D scanning, close-range photogrammetry, and cutting-edge fabrication technologies to develop an experimental digital preservation treatment for a complex building in Venice: the Prioral Palace and Church of the Order of Malta, usually known as Palazzo di Malta. The students carried out a complete digital survey of the building to monitor its current conservation state. Focusing on both the palace’s structure as well as the historic artifacts contained in it, students employed non-contact recording technologies to obtain precise information of specific art and architectural elements, in order to generate digital and physical reproductions that could contribute to the building’s preservation, study and dissemination. The data obtained by the students was used to produce facsimiles of a series of artifacts that could be eventually relocated and re-integrated in their original contexts in Venice.
HP Technology studio in Venice
Subsequent exhibition in Avery Hall
Subsequent exhibition in Avery Hall
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Faculty News
Jorge Otero-Pailos was interviewed about the role that historic buildings and sites can play during times of crisis, in helping us cope with difficult emotions. Read the interview here!
Andrew Dolkart was featured in the New York Times for his virtual tour of New York’s Museum Mile! Follow along the tour and read the article here! He also led a discussion for the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project on the 1966 “Sip-In” at Julius’ Bar. This week, he spoke on his award-winning book The Row House Reborn: Architecture and Neighborhoods in New York City, 1908-1929 in collaboration with Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts to over 100 attendees on Zoom.
Erica Avrami published the second volume of Issues in Preservation Policy entitled Preservation and Social Inclusion. She led a two-day symposium in collaboration with the Earth Institute and the American Assembly as part of her Urban Heritage research project. She also moderated a panel for the World Monuments Fund at the Museum of the City of New York about the future of monuments. Finally, she presented a talk titled “Re-Imagining Authenticity and Reconstruction through the Lens of Justice” for the Columbia Center for Archaeology.
Francoise Bollack published an essay titled “The Design of Memory: Rebuilding at the World Trade Center Site in New York City” in CONFRONTI. It is about the process of thinking, remembering and re-building at the site - and the different kinds of memory alive (or not), about the buildings and the event, there and elsewhere in the city. She was also selected as the moderator of the final panel of The Architect’s Newspaper’s FACADES+ conference in NYC, postponed to September. The title of the panel is Adaptive Reuse Challenges in Historic NYC Icons.
Igor Demchenko returned to Columbia to give a talk on “Conservation and Restoration Documentation as a Source of Architectural History” for the Department of Art and Art History.
Monty Freeman was a featured speaker at a symposium on historic preservation in Havana held by the World Monuments Fund on January 27. He presented the work of the GSAPP summer workshop “Sustainable Building Restoration in the Tropics” that he and Michael Adlerstein conducted in Cuba in June 2019.
Adam Lowe and Carlos Bayod Lucini contributed to the new book The Aura in the Age of Digital Materiality - Rethinking Preservation in the Shadow of an Uncertain Future edited by the Factum Foundation and published by Silvana Editoriale. Read the book online here and buy it here! The corresponding exhibition “The Materiality of the Aura. New Technologies for Preservation” at the Palazzo Fava in Bologna, Italy opened this week. The exhibition is open on appointment only until the end of 2020.
Kate Reggev and Bryony Roberts both were announced as the Center for Architecture’s 2019 Stewardson Keefe LeBrun Travel Grant Recipients! Kate will be researching “In Constant Transformation: Preservation & Adaptive Reuse Strategies in Japan” and Bryony will be studying “Designing for Childcare: A Global Comparison of Experimental Models.“
Bryony Roberts also guest edited an edition of Log entitled “Expanding Modes of Practice,” now available for purchase at anycorp.com.
Kim Yao is serving as president of the American Institute of Architects New York for 2020! See an interview with her here! Additionally, her firm Architecture Research Office (ARO) won the AIA’s 2020 Architecture Firm Award. This award recognizes a firm each year that has produced notable architecture for at least a decade.
Andrew Dolkart was featured in the New York Times for his virtual tour of New York’s Museum Mile! Follow along the tour and read the article here! He also led a discussion for the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project on the 1966 “Sip-In” at Julius’ Bar. This week, he spoke on his award-winning book The Row House Reborn: Architecture and Neighborhoods in New York City, 1908-1929 in collaboration with Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts to over 100 attendees on Zoom.
Erica Avrami published the second volume of Issues in Preservation Policy entitled Preservation and Social Inclusion. She led a two-day symposium in collaboration with the Earth Institute and the American Assembly as part of her Urban Heritage research project. She also moderated a panel for the World Monuments Fund at the Museum of the City of New York about the future of monuments. Finally, she presented a talk titled “Re-Imagining Authenticity and Reconstruction through the Lens of Justice” for the Columbia Center for Archaeology.
Francoise Bollack published an essay titled “The Design of Memory: Rebuilding at the World Trade Center Site in New York City” in CONFRONTI. It is about the process of thinking, remembering and re-building at the site - and the different kinds of memory alive (or not), about the buildings and the event, there and elsewhere in the city. She was also selected as the moderator of the final panel of The Architect’s Newspaper’s FACADES+ conference in NYC, postponed to September. The title of the panel is Adaptive Reuse Challenges in Historic NYC Icons.
Igor Demchenko returned to Columbia to give a talk on “Conservation and Restoration Documentation as a Source of Architectural History” for the Department of Art and Art History.
Monty Freeman was a featured speaker at a symposium on historic preservation in Havana held by the World Monuments Fund on January 27. He presented the work of the GSAPP summer workshop “Sustainable Building Restoration in the Tropics” that he and Michael Adlerstein conducted in Cuba in June 2019.
Adam Lowe and Carlos Bayod Lucini contributed to the new book The Aura in the Age of Digital Materiality - Rethinking Preservation in the Shadow of an Uncertain Future edited by the Factum Foundation and published by Silvana Editoriale. Read the book online here and buy it here! The corresponding exhibition “The Materiality of the Aura. New Technologies for Preservation” at the Palazzo Fava in Bologna, Italy opened this week. The exhibition is open on appointment only until the end of 2020.
Kate Reggev and Bryony Roberts both were announced as the Center for Architecture’s 2019 Stewardson Keefe LeBrun Travel Grant Recipients! Kate will be researching “In Constant Transformation: Preservation & Adaptive Reuse Strategies in Japan” and Bryony will be studying “Designing for Childcare: A Global Comparison of Experimental Models.“
Bryony Roberts also guest edited an edition of Log entitled “Expanding Modes of Practice,” now available for purchase at anycorp.com.
Kim Yao is serving as president of the American Institute of Architects New York for 2020! See an interview with her here! Additionally, her firm Architecture Research Office (ARO) won the AIA’s 2020 Architecture Firm Award. This award recognizes a firm each year that has produced notable architecture for at least a decade.
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Alumni News
Angel Ayón ‘02 published a book titled Reglazing Modernism ― Intervention Strategies for 20th Century Icons! He also moderated a panel on 50+ Years of Advocacy at the 26th Annual Preservation Conference of the Historic Districts Council.
Henry Ayon ‘77 wrote and illustrated a book entitled Egyptian Places: An Illustrated Travelogue based on his travels in Egypt. It will be published by the architectural press ORO Editions in September!
Norma Barbacci '87 gave a virtual talk for the Yale School of Architecture entitled “Earthen Architecture—Valorization and Underestimation” on April 13th! View the full recording here using the password s7$84ZT3
Travis Kennedy ‘18 was admitted to the Doctor of Philosophy programme in Economic and Social History at Oxford University. At Oxford, he plans to build upon the work he began in his HP thesis at Columbia, seeking to understand the intersections of labor, economics, and aesthetics in John Ruskin’s theories of preservation and national architecture.
Adam Lubitz ‘18 helped coordinate the World Monuments Fund’s event on the Jewish Quarter in Essaouira, Morocco!
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Theses
We commend the Class of 2020 for persevering through difficult times and submitting impressive theses!
Mariana Avila Flynn: Recapturing the Ideals of a Former Paradise: Preservation Approaches for Modern Acapulco
Drew Barnhart: American Nonprofits and the Funding of Preservation Abroad
Annie Bodhidatta: Preserving the Sacred: Abandoned Buddhist Temples in Bangkok, Thailand
Claire Cancilla: William L. Pereira’s Modern Architecture and Historic Imprint on Los Angeles
Sreya Chakraborty: Branding the Power Centre: Significance of toponymy and its use as a tool for assertion of political prowess
Huanlun Cheng: Understanding Preservation Methods at the Memorial Cemetery For Heroes Of The Revolution In Nanjing By Henry K. Murphy: A Study on Adaptations and Preservation Strategies for the Future at Republican-Era Heritage
James Churchill: Decorative Monel: Historical Aesthetic Intent, Weathering and Analysis
Fei Deng: “The Power of Storytelling”: Case Studies on how the Community of Manhattan’s Chinatown Consciously Preserved the Chinese American Women’s History
Allison Fricke: Beyond Aesthetics: Evaluating Social Outcome of Adaptive Reuse
Caitlin Gardenhire: Spatializing the Stories of Free Women of Color in the Vieux Carré
Laura Garnier: Rebuilding sounds at historic sites: recreating the history of a place. Respecting authenticity, promoting education
Shreya Ghoshal: Urban Juxtaposition: Balancing Heritage and Development through Transfer of Development Rights in New York City Special Districts
Scott Goodwin: “Red Listing” Heritage: Endangerment as Policy and Collective Action
Emily Junker: Preservation Through The Self-Help Housing Movement
Sage Kim: From Brand Village To Living Heritage: Tong-il-chon in the Area of Korean Demilitarized Zone
Bingyu Lin: The Buildings and Practices of Fukien Construction Bureau 1916-1949: A Study of Western Missionary Architecture in China and the Preservation of Its Contemporary Legacy
Kathleen Maloney: Documentation of Built Heritage and Disaster Preparedness Plans
Erin Murphy: [De]Constructing Guastavino Vaulting
Seo Jun Oh: Comparative Laboratory Evaluation of Natural Hydraulic Lime Mortars for Conservation
Sarah Sargent: Unearthing the Radioactive Junkyard: Interpreting and Preserving America’s Forgotten Nuclear History
Yu Song: The influence of local film on the preservation of Hong Kong Tong lau from 1950 to the present
Gwen Stricker: Industrial Decay: Environmental Value at Industrial Heritage Sites
Micah Tichenor: Ruin Recovery: Emergence of a Preservation Aesthetic Through Museum Architecture in the 21st Century
You Wu: Unfolding Layered Cultures: Preservation of German Colonial Architecture in Qingdao, China, 1897-1914
Qian Xu: Untold LGBT Space in Beijing: the Formation, Existence, and Transition
Yasong Zhou: The Global Burial Network of the Early Generation of Chinese Migrant Laborers: Adaptation of Chinese Funerary Traditions in the US in the Late 19th and Mid 20th Centuries
Mariana Avila Flynn: Recapturing the Ideals of a Former Paradise: Preservation Approaches for Modern Acapulco
Drew Barnhart: American Nonprofits and the Funding of Preservation Abroad
Annie Bodhidatta: Preserving the Sacred: Abandoned Buddhist Temples in Bangkok, Thailand
Claire Cancilla: William L. Pereira’s Modern Architecture and Historic Imprint on Los Angeles
Sreya Chakraborty: Branding the Power Centre: Significance of toponymy and its use as a tool for assertion of political prowess
Huanlun Cheng: Understanding Preservation Methods at the Memorial Cemetery For Heroes Of The Revolution In Nanjing By Henry K. Murphy: A Study on Adaptations and Preservation Strategies for the Future at Republican-Era Heritage
James Churchill: Decorative Monel: Historical Aesthetic Intent, Weathering and Analysis
Fei Deng: “The Power of Storytelling”: Case Studies on how the Community of Manhattan’s Chinatown Consciously Preserved the Chinese American Women’s History
Allison Fricke: Beyond Aesthetics: Evaluating Social Outcome of Adaptive Reuse
Caitlin Gardenhire: Spatializing the Stories of Free Women of Color in the Vieux Carré
Laura Garnier: Rebuilding sounds at historic sites: recreating the history of a place. Respecting authenticity, promoting education
Shreya Ghoshal: Urban Juxtaposition: Balancing Heritage and Development through Transfer of Development Rights in New York City Special Districts
Scott Goodwin: “Red Listing” Heritage: Endangerment as Policy and Collective Action
Emily Junker: Preservation Through The Self-Help Housing Movement
Sage Kim: From Brand Village To Living Heritage: Tong-il-chon in the Area of Korean Demilitarized Zone
Bingyu Lin: The Buildings and Practices of Fukien Construction Bureau 1916-1949: A Study of Western Missionary Architecture in China and the Preservation of Its Contemporary Legacy
Kathleen Maloney: Documentation of Built Heritage and Disaster Preparedness Plans
Erin Murphy: [De]Constructing Guastavino Vaulting
Seo Jun Oh: Comparative Laboratory Evaluation of Natural Hydraulic Lime Mortars for Conservation
Sarah Sargent: Unearthing the Radioactive Junkyard: Interpreting and Preserving America’s Forgotten Nuclear History
Yu Song: The influence of local film on the preservation of Hong Kong Tong lau from 1950 to the present
Gwen Stricker: Industrial Decay: Environmental Value at Industrial Heritage Sites
Micah Tichenor: Ruin Recovery: Emergence of a Preservation Aesthetic Through Museum Architecture in the 21st Century
You Wu: Unfolding Layered Cultures: Preservation of German Colonial Architecture in Qingdao, China, 1897-1914
Qian Xu: Untold LGBT Space in Beijing: the Formation, Existence, and Transition
Yasong Zhou: The Global Burial Network of the Early Generation of Chinese Migrant Laborers: Adaptation of Chinese Funerary Traditions in the US in the Late 19th and Mid 20th Centuries
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Graduation Prizes
Post-graduation HP party
Post-graduation HP party
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Congratulations to the Class of 2020 for all their hard work! We are thrilled to announce the winners of this year’s graduation prizes:
ONERA PRIZE
The Onera Prize for Historic Preservation is awarded to a graduating student or students to conduct a project that tests new preservation theories in practice.
Winner: Sarah Sargent
Topic: Toxic Histories: Unearthing Buried Cities
FACULTY AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING THESIS
For a master’s thesis that best demonstrates excellence in the field of Historic Preservation.
Winners: James Churchill & Scott Goodwin
PEER TO PEER AWARD
This non-monetary, student-nominated award is given in recognition of outstanding service to classmates, faculty, and school.
Winner: Seo Jun Oh
WILLIAM KINNE FELLOWS TRAVELING PRIZE
The William Kinne Fellows Traveling Prize is granted on the merit of proposals submitted for travel abroad incorporating the study of architecture, including planning and other specialized aspects of architecture.
Winner: Kathleen Maloney Lo
Topic: Documentation of Heritage Resources, Community Engagement, and Flood Management tactics in Nijmegen
CLEO & JAMES MARSTON FITCH THESIS GRANT
The Cleo & James Marston Fitch Thesis Grant was established in 2001, and is made possible by a bequest from James Marston Fitch, the founder of the Historic Preservation program at Columbia University. The grant is named in honor of Dr. Fitch and his wife, Cleo Rickman Fitch. It is awarded annually to a Columbia University Historic Preservation thesis candidate for mid-year thesis research or travel.
Winner: Sarah Sargent
Under the guidance of her adviser Will Raynolds, Sarah has explored how preservationists engage in the highly conflicted realm between remediation, destruction and the preservation of significant structures. Her work focuses on a series of three case studies (Uravan, Colorado; West Orange, New Jersey; and Ottawa, Illinois) that illustrate how radiologically contaminated historic environments have been treated during the EPA Superfund cleanup process.
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Student News
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
2020 Zabar Family Scholarship
Two of the three recipients of the NYS Preservation League’s 2020 Zabar Family Scholarship went to current to second-year students: Erin Murphy and Claire Cancilla. This $1,000 scholarships is awarded to the best and brightest preservation students from around the state (and is frequently awarded to Columbia HP students!)
2020 Zabar Family Scholarship
Two of the three recipients of the NYS Preservation League’s 2020 Zabar Family Scholarship went to current to second-year students: Erin Murphy and Claire Cancilla. This $1,000 scholarships is awarded to the best and brightest preservation students from around the state (and is frequently awarded to Columbia HP students!)
Winners of the 2020 Zabar Family Scholarship: Erin Murphy & Claire Cancilla
Studio Work in Practice
In an attempt to finance and implement a plan for elevators at the 125th Street station of the #1 train, the Morningside Heights Community Coalition and community members (such as Robert Stern) distributed handouts of innovative design plans for the 125th Street viaduct, including elevator installations and a platform extension, created by Yu Song ‘20 and Bingyu Lin '20. These drawings can be found on pages 219-224 of the Spring 2019 Studio II report entitled “The Columbia Community: Promoting Inclusion Through Preservation”
In an attempt to finance and implement a plan for elevators at the 125th Street station of the #1 train, the Morningside Heights Community Coalition and community members (such as Robert Stern) distributed handouts of innovative design plans for the 125th Street viaduct, including elevator installations and a platform extension, created by Yu Song ‘20 and Bingyu Lin '20. These drawings can be found on pages 219-224 of the Spring 2019 Studio II report entitled “The Columbia Community: Promoting Inclusion Through Preservation”
Section & renderings by Yu Song ‘20
COMPETITIONS
Following in the footsteps of the award-winning “Arch Team,” Ph.D. candidate Anna Gasha and first-year students Madison Story, Bruno Elias, Katie Foster, Emily Kahn, William McCallum, Thomas Rice, and Tucker Simmons with faculty advisor Tim Michiels have entered APT’s Preservation Engineering Technical Committee’s Student Design Build Competition! They have researched and designed and will build a timber bridge based on the National Register-listed Beaverkill Covered Bridge in Sullivan County, New York! Wish them luck!
Following in the footsteps of the award-winning “Arch Team,” Ph.D. candidate Anna Gasha and first-year students Madison Story, Bruno Elias, Katie Foster, Emily Kahn, William McCallum, Thomas Rice, and Tucker Simmons with faculty advisor Tim Michiels have entered APT’s Preservation Engineering Technical Committee’s Student Design Build Competition! They have researched and designed and will build a timber bridge based on the National Register-listed Beaverkill Covered Bridge in Sullivan County, New York! Wish them luck!
Beaverkill Covered Bridge
Photo courtesy of New York State Covered Bridge Society
Photo courtesy of New York State Covered Bridge Society
STUDENT WORK
Despite unprecedented challenges, students rose to the occasion and completed high quality work. Here are a few highlights!
National Register- Andrew Dolkart
12 students wrote National Register nominations for properties in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester. These nominations have or will be submitted for state and federal approval!
Digital Heritage Documentation- Bilge Kose
Although they were unable to 3D-scan, students completed photogrammetry of objects they had at home! Here are two examples from Lai Ma ‘21 and Emily Kahn '21. View a full model of Emily’s basket purse and Lai’s skull on SketchFab!
Rendering by Lai Ma
Rendering by Emily Kahn
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Investigative Techniques- Norman Weiss & Amanda Trienens
In week one alone, students had the opportunity to practice acid digestion of mortar. They also practiced using various scanners, tested water on the side of a Columbia building, and completed other experiments.
In week one alone, students had the opportunity to practice acid digestion of mortar. They also practiced using various scanners, tested water on the side of a Columbia building, and completed other experiments.
Investigative Techniques
Investigative Techniques
Investigative Techniques
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STUDENT ACTIVITIES
GSAPP Climate Summit Presentations
Three HP students participated in the GSAPP Climate Summit on April 15th! Bingu Lin ‘20 and Qian Xu '20 presented their work with augmented reality and acqua alta in Venice from Studio III. Madison Story '21, called upon her cohort’s Studio II work, discussing climate change and social inequity in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Jorge Otero-Pailos also presented. Watch the full event here!
GSAPP Climate Summit Presentations
Three HP students participated in the GSAPP Climate Summit on April 15th! Bingu Lin ‘20 and Qian Xu '20 presented their work with augmented reality and acqua alta in Venice from Studio III. Madison Story '21, called upon her cohort’s Studio II work, discussing climate change and social inequity in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Jorge Otero-Pailos also presented. Watch the full event here!
Presentation by Bingu Lin & Qian Xu
Presentation by Madison Story
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APT Northeast Annual Meeting
A group of HP students, including Lai Ma ‘21, Erin Murphy '20, Thomas Rice '21, and Tucker Simmons '21, visited Providence, Rhode Island to attend the Association for Preservation Technology Northeast’s Annual Meeting & Symposium: 20/20 Vision- New Uses for Old Buildings. While there, they received a tour of Central Congregational Church and learned about Guastavino tiles!
A group of HP students, including Lai Ma ‘21, Erin Murphy '20, Thomas Rice '21, and Tucker Simmons '21, visited Providence, Rhode Island to attend the Association for Preservation Technology Northeast’s Annual Meeting & Symposium: 20/20 Vision- New Uses for Old Buildings. While there, they received a tour of Central Congregational Church and learned about Guastavino tiles!
Tour of Central Congregational Church
Tour of Central Congregational Church
APT Symposium (can you spot Mary Jablonski?)
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Program Events
NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES
Mentor Mingle
In January, Preservation Alumni celebrated new mentorship pairings between alumni and first-year students with a celebration hosted by Beyer Blinder Belle! Thank you to all the alumni who offered to serve as mentors!
Mentor Mingle
In January, Preservation Alumni celebrated new mentorship pairings between alumni and first-year students with a celebration hosted by Beyer Blinder Belle! Thank you to all the alumni who offered to serve as mentors!
Mentor Mingle
Mentor Mingle
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Recent Graduate Panel
As part of the GSAPP Career Fair in February, the Historic Preservation program hosted a Recent Graduate Panel. Maria de la Torre, Diana Araujo, Halley Ramos, and Kat Gardner visited campus to offer tips and share their experiences on finding and applying to jobs to current students!
As part of the GSAPP Career Fair in February, the Historic Preservation program hosted a Recent Graduate Panel. Maria de la Torre, Diana Araujo, Halley Ramos, and Kat Gardner visited campus to offer tips and share their experiences on finding and applying to jobs to current students!
Recent Alumni Panel
Virtual Alumni Panel
On May 13th, Jennifer Whisenhunt ‘13, president of Preservation Alumni, moderated a panel of alumni who graduated in a recession. Speakers included Angel Ayón '02, Alenya Becker '09, Matthew Coody '09, and Mary Jablonski '90.
On May 13th, Jennifer Whisenhunt ‘13, president of Preservation Alumni, moderated a panel of alumni who graduated in a recession. Speakers included Angel Ayón '02, Alenya Becker '09, Matthew Coody '09, and Mary Jablonski '90.
EVENTS
Welcome Back Potluck
To kick-off the semester, students and faculty gathered for a potluck dinner! People shared family recipes, treats from NYC classics, and stories from Winter Break!
Welcome Back Potluck
To kick-off the semester, students and faculty gathered for a potluck dinner! People shared family recipes, treats from NYC classics, and stories from Winter Break!
Welcome Back Potluck
Virtual Coffee Hours
Students and faculty stayed connected by gathering weekly to share coffee and conversation over Zoom. They discussed how everyone is doing, thought about the role of preservation during and after a pandemic, and even met some of each other’s pets! Events like this really helped us stay a #GSAPPfamily
Students and faculty stayed connected by gathering weekly to share coffee and conversation over Zoom. They discussed how everyone is doing, thought about the role of preservation during and after a pandemic, and even met some of each other’s pets! Events like this really helped us stay a #GSAPPfamily
Students and faculty gather for a coffee hour
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Field Trips
Although only half the semester took place in person, multiple engaging field trips took place!
Aesthetics of Decay- Jorge Otero-Pailos
Second-year and Ph.D. students visited sites in Westchester, including Lyndhurst Mansion, to see ruins and experience them in their natural states of decay.
Aesthetics of Decay- Jorge Otero-Pailos
Second-year and Ph.D. students visited sites in Westchester, including Lyndhurst Mansion, to see ruins and experience them in their natural states of decay.
Aesthetics of Decay in Westchester
Aesthetics of Decay in Westchester
Aesthetics of Decay in Westchester
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Housing Depression-Era New York- Andrew Dolkart
This class took multiple trips to see Depression-era housing around New York City. This photo was taken on the roof of Castle Village in Hudson Heights!
This class took multiple trips to see Depression-era housing around New York City. This photo was taken on the roof of Castle Village in Hudson Heights!
Housing Depression-Era New York at Castle Village
Investigative Techniques- Norman Weiss & Amanda Trienens
This class visited Low Memorial Library to see the conservation work being completed by Evergreene Architectural Art! They also travelled to Highbridge Conservation Service- an organization that works on historical and material conservation!
This class visited Low Memorial Library to see the conservation work being completed by Evergreene Architectural Art! They also travelled to Highbridge Conservation Service- an organization that works on historical and material conservation!
Site visit to Low Memorial Library
Site visit to Low Memorial Library
Site visit to Low Memorial Library
Visiting Highbridge
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Modern Building Technology- Theo Prudon
This class took advantage of resources on campus! They started the semester by studying the evolution of technical documents in the Avery Archives and then took a walking tour of campus to better understand construction techniques!
This class took advantage of resources on campus! They started the semester by studying the evolution of technical documents in the Avery Archives and then took a walking tour of campus to better understand construction techniques!
Avery Archives Visit
Campus Tour
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Sustainability & Preservation and Studio II- Erica Avrami
Erica Avrami’s two classes travelled to Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Queens for a Waterfront Adaptation Tour! They learned about the multitude of ways that communities have adapted their buildings in reaction to sea level rise, hurricanes, and ongoing flooding.
Erica Avrami’s two classes travelled to Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Queens for a Waterfront Adaptation Tour! They learned about the multitude of ways that communities have adapted their buildings in reaction to sea level rise, hurricanes, and ongoing flooding.
Waterfront Adaptation Tour
Waterfront Adaptation Tour
Waterfront Adaptation Tour
Waterfront Adaptation Tour
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Lectures & Talks
PRESERVATION LECTURE SERIES
Before the complete transition to online classes, Columbia GSAPP Historic Preservation was able to host three exciting in-person and one online lecture through the Preservation Lecture Series. Thank you to Rachel Ericksen, MSHP ‘21, for her help organizing these lectures!
Björn Ehrlemark & Carin Kallenberg,
“Architecture in Character – the Unintentional Portrait of a Lost Building,” February 20, 2020
Laurajane Smith, “Weaponized Nostalgia: Heritage, Populism and Recognition,” February 27, 2020
Rob Thomson ‘05,
“From Post to Park: Innovation and Preservation at the Presidio of San Francisco,” March 5, 2020
Ozgun Ozcakir, “Sustainability and Cultural Heritage: Concept, Context and Cases from Turkey,” March 12, 2020
Preservation Lecture Series: Björn Ehrlemark & Carin Kallenberg
Preservation Lecture Series: Rob Thomson
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LUNCHTIME LECTURES
In addition to the nighttime Preservation Lecture Series, the program held two lunchtime lectures with visiting scholars.
Mo Michelsen Stochholm Krag, “Scenarios for a Radically Preserved Danish Rurality,” February 21, 2020
Gianmarco de Felice, “Safety and Preservation: The Restoration of the Abbey of San Clemente at Casauria, Italy, after the 2009 Earthquake,” February 28, 2020
Lunchtime Lecture: Mo Krag
LUNCH & LEARN
This semester, Columbia GSAPP Historic Preservation continued the Lunch & Learn discussions series after its success during its inaugural semester in the Fall! Adjunct faculty members spoke about their career trajectories and professional experiences and provided students with advice on working in the preservation field.
Will Raynolds, February 12, 2020
Francoise Bollack, February 26, 2020
We would also like to thank Bryony Roberts, Theo Prudon, Paul Bentel, and Kim Yao for volunteering to lead a Lunch & Learn, even though these talks were postponed due to the cancellation of on-campus GSAPP events. We look forward to hearing your talks in the future!
This semester, Columbia GSAPP Historic Preservation continued the Lunch & Learn discussions series after its success during its inaugural semester in the Fall! Adjunct faculty members spoke about their career trajectories and professional experiences and provided students with advice on working in the preservation field.
Will Raynolds, February 12, 2020
Francoise Bollack, February 26, 2020
We would also like to thank Bryony Roberts, Theo Prudon, Paul Bentel, and Kim Yao for volunteering to lead a Lunch & Learn, even though these talks were postponed due to the cancellation of on-campus GSAPP events. We look forward to hearing your talks in the future!
Lunch & Learn with Will Raynolds
Lunch & Learn with Francoise Bollack
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VIRTUAL HAPPY HOUR
The lectures, dinners, and lunch & learns were welcomed by students for their content and the chance to engage with professors and professionals outside of the classroom. In an effort to continue to provide students this opportunity, the Historic Preservation Program Office launched a weekly happy hour over Zoom hosted by a faculty member! Thank you to the following professors for hosting:
Andrew Dolkart, April 10, 2020
Claudia Kavenagh, April 17, 2020
Richard Pieper, April 24, 2020
Mary Jablonski, May 1, 2020
Jorge Otero-Pailos, May 8, 2020
The lectures, dinners, and lunch & learns were welcomed by students for their content and the chance to engage with professors and professionals outside of the classroom. In an effort to continue to provide students this opportunity, the Historic Preservation Program Office launched a weekly happy hour over Zoom hosted by a faculty member! Thank you to the following professors for hosting:
Andrew Dolkart, April 10, 2020
Claudia Kavenagh, April 17, 2020
Richard Pieper, April 24, 2020
Mary Jablonski, May 1, 2020
Jorge Otero-Pailos, May 8, 2020