Art and Architecture: New Life for Haverhill's Wingate Street Arts District

Abstract

Art and architecture have always maintained an important role in the shaping of public life and culture. Their definitions overlap and their reciprocal relationships are indisputable; the dichotomy between the two provides a strong basis for architectural design and urban renewal.

This thesis explores the design of an art facility in downtown Haverhill, Massachusetts. The design is used as a catalyst for further development of the existing Arts District and the rest of the downtown area. Through the adaptive reuse of a factory building, Haverhill's current inadequate Arts District will be rehabilitated by providing a flexible vehicle by which artists can live, work, display, and teach. The cyclical relationships of art and architecture will be used as a generator of public purpose and cultural interest, giving Haverhill a public purpose to its surroundings. The city, which once thrived in the shoe production industry, will be given a new industry: art.