School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation
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The collections in this community comprise faculty research works, as well as graduate theses and dissertations.
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Item Sailing Into the Unknown: Applying the National Historic Preservation Act to the SS United States' Final Voyage(2025) Rekowski, Elizabeth; Kern, Susan; Stachura, FrederickThe National Historic Preservation Act was passed in 1966. It has since been amended several times and additional guidance has been published to assist federal agencies and the public in the preservation of America’s historic resources. Despite the continued expansion of the Act to include additional resource types and resource circumstance, there remain instances of first impression that do not fit into the official guidance. This paper seeks to apply the existing preservation legislation, regulations, and guidance to the SS United States. The ship has been listed in the National Register since 1999, and she was listed while docked in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In February 2025, the United States departed Philadelphia for Mobile, Alabama to begin the process of being converted into an artificial reef. The plan is to sink the ship in Gulf waters off the coast of Florida. The move raises several questions regarding her status in the National Register. First, does the relocation of the ship from Philadelphia mean the ship should be delisted? Second, if the ship remains in the National Register, which state historic preservation office has jurisdiction? Will it be Pennsylvania because that is the office on the National Register nomination form, or will it be Florida because that is the jurisdiction in which she will reside? Third, the SS United States was listed as a floating historic vessel, but she will no longer be floating when she is a reef, does this change in her classification or impact her place in the National Register?Item Rhythms of the Blue Ridge: Historic African American Entertainment Venues of Western Maryland(2025-05-21) Wilkerson, Rachel; Kern, Susan; Woehlke, StefanThroughout the twentieth century, musical innovations such as the blues, jazz, and rock n’ roll were being fostered on the edges of cities and towns in African American communities, separated from white society by racially restrictive housing and zoning policies. Within these communities, entertainment venues catering to a Black clientele were established by influential Black entrepreneurs. These spaces became the landscape of the Chitlin’ Circuit– an unofficial network of establishments that were safe for traveling Black artists and patrons alike. Because Maryland is uniquely situated between major influences of the African American entertainment business in Washington, DC, and New York City, the state became a geographic and cultural crossroads for Black culture. Even as Jim Crow-era segregation took hold throughout the United States, Maryland became simultaneously a place of great racial strife and respite. This study identifies and contextualizes the African American entertainment venues of Western Maryland– a region that, despite having the lowest Black population in the state during the period of interest (1900-1960), still fostered vibrant Black communities and cultural traditions.Item Rediscovering Brooklyn: A Forgotton Architectural Landscape of Baltimore(2025) Engel, Celia; Kern, Susan; Arnold, W. BrettThis project consisted of a reconnaissance-level architectural survey of Brooklyn, a working-class Baltimore neighborhood whose significance has traditionally been overlooked by historians and preservationists. Established in the 1850s as an independent town in Anne Arundel County, and annexed by Baltimore in 1918, Brooklyn has been largely omitted from the historiography of both jurisdictions. Architecturally, Brooklyn’s “inconsistent streetscapes” have been cited as a key factor in the neighborhood’s ineligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. This report aims to reframe “inconsistent streetscapes” as architectural variety that does not invalidate Brooklyn’s architectural significance but provides an opportunity to examine temporal changes to regional vernacular housing trends. Brooklyn consists of approximately 900 acres and over 3,000 buildings. Of the extant buildings, 97% were constructed prior to 1975 and are considered historic. The neighborhood is mixed-use, with housing as the dominant building type. Through the reconnaissance survey, 3,007 dwellings were documented. The architectural survey was supplemented with archival research to better understand the historic context of the neighborhood. Five periods of development were identified based on local or national historic events that seem to have impacted Brooklyn’s built environment. The impacts include changes in development trends, construction methods, and building styles. Each period of development illustrates Brooklyn’s evolving identity, marked by a persistent tension between urban and suburban development. While Brooklyn’s homes are modest in size and stylistic embellishments, they reflect the distillation of local and national trends through the lens of a working-class community. The “inconsistent streetscapes” are a feature of Brooklyn’s landscape that allows for further exploration into local vernacular housing trends and the history that shaped them. This variety, rather than signaling a lack of cohesion, represents a working-class neighborhood’s flexibility in response to local and national trends.Item What Remains: Memory, Urban Renewal, and the Erasure of Alley Communities in Southwest(2025-05-19) Arcidiacono, Amanda; Kern, Susan; Williams, JosephThis project examines the long-term consequences of urban renewal on the historical and cultural landscape of Southwest Washington, D.C., focusing on the erasure of its alley dwelling communities. Using “The Island” as a case study—a neighborhood once defined by its close-knit, working-class residents and named alleys—the research interrogates how redevelopment has displaced marginalized populations and erased both tangible and intangible heritage. The study draws on archival materials, planning documents, and preservation reports to trace the transformation of Southwest from a diverse, culturally vibrant area to a modernized space marked by exclusion and loss. Alley dwellings serve as both a physical remnant and a symbol of deeper spatial injustices, shaped by D.C.’s unique urban form and racial history. Despite their marginalization, these spaces housed resilient communities whose stories have largely been omitted from mainstream preservation narratives. This research critiques traditional preservation approaches that prioritize architectural significance over social history and proposes a reparative framework that integrates memory work, programming, and community engagement. This work urges preservationists, planners, and policymakers to reconceptualize what historic preservation can do for lost landscapes.Item The Mechanicsburg Commercial Historic District: A Case Study of The National Register Amendment Process & Analysis(2025-05) Kauffman, Ericka; Kern, Susan; Linebaugh, Donald W.The Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office approved the Mechanicsburg Commercial Historic District, located in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, for listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. According to the nomination, the historic district consists of 102 buildings with a suggested period of significance beginning in 1800 and continuing through the present. The entire document is eight pages long with half dedicated to the physical description and historic narrative of the district. In my prior research, I looked into the Black history of Mechanicsburg and identified it as a crucial area missing from this National Register form. For this project, I will research the underrepresented histories of people who made significant contributions within this historic district and amend the record, which will be reviewed by Pennsylvania’s Historic Preservation Board and the National Park Service. In addition to the National Register amendment, I will write an analysis of the National Register amendment process, the difficulties therein, and potential areas for improvement.Item Woven in Time: Defining the Historical Significance of the Knitting Mills for National Register Consideration(2025) Ravert, Megan; Kern, Susan; Sincavage, RhondaThis project examines the eligibility of the Knitting Mills campus in Reading, Pennsylvania, for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). An early contributor to the American textile industry through the Wyomissing Industries, the Knitting Mills campus contributed to local economic development and shaped the social fabric of Reading throughout the 20th century. Despite its historical significance, the site has yet to be formally evaluated for consideration on the National Register of Historic Places. This study will analyze the site in the context of the NRHP criteria to assess whether the site meets the standards of designation based on historical significance, architectural design, and community impact.Item Live! From Prince George's County: Exploring the History of Music and Place(2024-12-18) Arcidiacono, Amanda; Hall, Caitlin; Engel, Celia; Rekowski, Elizabeth; Kauffman, Ericka; Gill, Katherine; Wilkerson, Rachel; Lanza, Rebecca; Duncan, Wanjiru; Crescendo Preservation HISP 650: Historic Preservation Studio Workshop; Kern, Susan; Bissett, RachelThe history of live music in Prince George’s County is inextricably linked to place—landscapes, communities, and structures have all influenced, and been influenced by, music. Crescendo Preservation, a team of nine graduate students in the University of Maryland, College Park, Historic Preservation program enrolled in the Historic Preservation Studio Workshop (HISP650), completed this project in response to a Request for Proposals from the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC). The Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS) hosted and funded the project as part of the M-NCPPC series, “The Sounds of Prince George’s County.” The team researched live music venue history from 1910- 2010 in Prince George’s County, identifying over one hundred sites that encapsulate the county's rich history of live music. A multitude of famous musicians, varied genres, and clientele made each venue unique. Twenty-seven key sites were determined to be particularly significant to the history and development of live music in the county. Some of these sites require further evaluation for historic designation in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and the Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties (MIHP). The compilation of this research revealed additional contextual information on larger themes, such as cultural history and contributions to live music, strong emphasis on craft through activities like entrepreneurship and grassroots efforts, as well as a complicated history of the relationship between live music and the law.Item Improving Vending Services for Universities(2025-04-24) Rodriguez, VictorItem CONSTRUYENDO GUATEMALA Tradition & Technology: Living in a 21st Century Latin American City(2024) Velasquez, Deisy Noemi; Bell, Matthew MB; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)In Guatemala, 21.5% of the population is living in extreme poverty. Poverty is a leading factor in poor-conditioned housing and a high percentage of children not attending primary school. This thesis focuses on constructing communities in Guatemala using innovative solutions and sustainable materials. Mass timber construction is an energy-efficient alternative material that is changing the built environment due to its sustainability, biophilic design, construction process, and economic development. This thesis focuses on exploring timber technology in an earthquake-prone region by learning, understanding, and embracing place with new technology that can sustain the future.Item Sustainable Living: Integrating Climate Adaptation in Bangkok's Informal Settlements(2024) Pipatpongsa, Ploy; Kim, Taejun; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis intends to demonstrate how the largest urban vulnerable communities in Thailand, using the case of At Narong in Khlong Toei, an informal settlement of over 30,000 residents who rent lands adjacent to the Port Authority of Thailand (PAT) in Bangkok. The PAT plans to evict the slum dwellers and develop the land, posing a severe threat to their lives and livelihoods. The thesis a multifaceted design framework that leverages social assets to enhance community resilience and inclusivity, particularly among vulnerable populations. The site location in PAT presents an opportunity to relocate informal settlements in the Lock 1-2-3 and 70 Rai communities, proposing multipurpose wetlands that serve as flood control, recreation areas and a market plaza that encourage social interaction and community cohesion.