Post-Industrial Holes: Landscape Remediation and Cultural Revitalization in Urban America

The revitalization of post-industrial cities lies both in landscape and in culture.  It is paramount that the core of the city does not lose its potency as industry moves to suburbs and leaves gaps in the urban fabric in the way of abandoned buildings and open space because it detracts from the quality of city life and destroys and contaminates land.  Horizontal urban sprawl is detrimental to a city’s vitality because it results in lack of activity, to mitigate this, brownfield sites must be remediated and built upon again to reconnect people and the cityscape.   The physical changes in the evolution of a city parallel the dynamism of city life in regards to technology, culture and academia.  In the past these abandoned spaces have become large-scale urban parks, such as the Millennium Park in Chicago.  A smaller scale example is Highline Park, constructed on a former industrial site in New York.  However it is critical that these smaller scale sites are revitalized as more than just as outdoor spaces.  In addition to restoring the landscape and soil quality, culture also needs to be brought back to give the postindustrial city identity again.  This can be achieved by designing the landscape and architecture using a holistic natural and cultural system, engaging water, topography and post-industrial contaminants. 

This is relevant today because of impending stagnation of cities today.  Cities are the fast paced centuries of culture and academia.  In the 19th and 20th centuries technology revolutionized work, life and how goods are made available to customers across the country.  In the 20th century manufacturing technologies migrated out of the city due to a variety of social and economic factors leaving gaps. As programs leave the city they must be replaced by something new and different because people look to the city as a node for surrounding ideas. Without this cities lose their responsiveness to people and civic life around them.

Site Analysis

Site Location

Sectional Analysis

Expanded Figure Ground

Initial Figure Ground

Initial Urban Density Study

Thesis Abstract

The revitalization of postindustrial cities lies both in landscape and in culture.  It is important that the core of the city does not lose its potency as industry moves to suburbs and leaves holes in the urban fabric in the way of abandoned buildings and open space because it detracts from the quality of city life and destroys and contaminates more land.  Horizontal urban sprawl is detrimental to a city’s vitality, to mitigate this brownfield sites must be remediated and built upon again.   In the past these spaces have become great urban parks, such as the Highline in New York.  However it is critical that smaller scale sites are revitalized as well and not just as outdoor spaces.  In addition to restoring the landscape and soil quality, culture also needs to be brought back to give the postindustrial city identity again.  This can be achieved by constructing the building in section, engaging water, topography and post-industrial contaminants.  

New Site in Hartford

This diagram shows the relationship between the proposed site for the art forum, the Wadsworth Atheneum and the Science Center.  It is located at the southern end of Hartford next to the Colt Factory building (which is currently being renovated into apartments).

This map shows the Colt Factory on the southern edge of the city in 1877.  Since then Hartford has grown and this site is very much a part of the urban fabric.

This was a drawing on the same map of a close up view of the Colt Factory building looking from the Connecticut River.  The original office building has been replaced by the one seen below.

 

This is a bird's eye view of the current abandoned office building on the Colt Factory campus.  This is looking south.

This is the view of the current building on the site from the highway.  As it is a two story building only the very top of it can be seen from the elevated highway.

This is the view looking south on Van Dyke Avenue.  The section cut shows that you can potentially see underneath the highway to the waterfront, which is off to the left of the photo.  I have not been to this part of Hartford, so I am not sure if the different levels of the highway begin here and block the view or not.

 This is the north edge of the site.  From here you can just barely see the tip of the dome over the current two story building.

This is a view from the Blue Onion dome in 1918 looking north looking towards the Travelers Tower under construction.

This is a view looking east at the 1938 flood of the Connecticut River.  The Colt Factory can be seen to the far right.

Thesis Abstract, Site and Program

Thesis Abstract:

The revitalization of postindustrial cities lies both in landscape and in culture.  To maintain the urban fabric urban brownfield sites must be remediated and built on again instead of extending the city horizontally.  It is important that the core of the city does not lose its potency as industry moves to suburbs and leaves holes in the city in the way of abandoned building and open space because it detracts from the quality of city life and destroys and contaminates more land.  In the past these spaces have become great urban parks, such as the Highline in New York.  However it is critical that smaller scale sites are revitalized as well and not just as outdoor spaces.  In addition to restoring the landscape and soil quality, culture also needs to be brought back to give the postindustrial city identity again.

Site Criteria and Selection: 

The primary element of my site is for it to be located in a secondary city where the population is lower and there is less activity due to a post-industrial migration.  This will enable my program to become a tool for revitalization in the city.  A site that was industrial at one point where remediation is necessary is also critical.  This is important because it will create a deeper tie between the architecture and the land—water, soil and geology.  Finally it should have a connection to nature making the remediation faster and clearer to the user.

I’ve chosen my site in Hartford, Connecticut.  It is the abandoned office on the Colt Armory campus at 19 Van Dyke Avenue.  This site is connected to riverfront… as much as any site in downtown Hartford can be as I-91 runs parallel to the river.  However, this creates an opportunity to bridge the gap underground giving the building a direct connection to the waterfront.  It also references the history of the city, as it is adjacent to the iconic Blue Onion Colt Armory building.

Program Statement:

What is culture?

Oxford English Dictionary Definition: Cultivation, tending.

2 The action or practice of cultivating the soil; tillage, husbandry.

3 The cultivating or rearing of a plant or crop.

3d The training of the human body.

4 The cultivating or development (of the mind, faculties, manners, etc.); improvement or refinement by education and training.

5 …the intellectual side of civilization.

In an effort to revive the culture, all elements that collectively identify culture must be explored.  The identity of a city is tied to its traditions, progressiveness and idiosyncrasies.  Some elements connected to tradition would be the flavors used in cooking in the region, the craft of the area, specifically in its architecture and also in the arts here.  Art can also be connected to the progressiveness of a city.  The dynamism of a city is what makes it an icon.  Avenues of art that can be connected to identity might include music, fashion, literature, and theater.  Another example of the capacity for change in a city lies in the digitalization of our era.  Evidence of this can be found in interactive site interventions and university and research facilities in the area.  Finally the idiosyncrasies are what set it apart from it’s sister cities.  These can be the celebrated sports team, particular flora and fauna that are native to the area, politics and religion.

That said looking at Hartford as a city in need of revitalization.  A program that is appropriate to the city would be an art forum.  Hartford is home to America’s oldest art museum and more recently a science center.  The Wadsworth Athenaeum is not an interactive space, the science center is, but Hartford is still lacking a space where ideas in art and literature can be openly communicated.  This space would include some spaces for exhibition but would mostly contain places for the exchange of ideas.  These spaces could include lecture halls, lounges classrooms and main circulation spaces where the passer-by could contribute.

Hartford: (was) America's Filing Cabinet

In keeping with the idea of a rejuvenation of landscape and culture I am interested in using Hartford as a site for my thesis project because it needs identity.  As one of the older cities in the country many significant events have occurred here making it a pretty happening place in its hey day.  Today it is known for the insurance companies, but even those have begun to migrate to the suburbs, shrinking the city core.

The footprint of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is overlaid onto the blocks I am interested using in Hartford, Connecticut to give a sense of scale.

This shows the rift in the urban fabric Interstate 84 created. A historic image of the city can be seen below depicting density of buildings.

This map shows the landmarks in Hartford, both historic and urban renewal programs.  The State Capitol overlooks Bushnell Park, the oldest public park in America.  The Wadsworth Atheneum is America's oldest Art Museum.  The Phoenix Building was built in the modernist era and is the world's first two sided building.  Union Station was built in 1889, and was rebuilt after a fire in 1914.  Today it is Hartford's transportation hub for trains and buses.  The XL Center is a convention center.  Riverfront Recapture is an urban renewal project along the Connecticut River.  It is a series of bike paths an green spaces.  It includes a dock for river cruises and a pavilion for concerts in the summertime.  Cesar Pelli's Science Center, finished in 2009 is one of Hartford's newest attractions.

This is a small piece of a bird's eye view of Hartford looking at the city from the Connecticut River drawn by O. H. Bailey & Co. in 1877.  I've highlighted the blocks that are now barren and of interest to me.  The image above also shows the river that used to flow alongside Bushnell Park.  The image below gives more detail about the demolished buildings.

A link to a Hartford Courant article about the demolition of a building on Main St. on one of the blocks I am interested in can be found here:

http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-butt-ugly-building-1028-20101027,0,6116643.story

Program Diagrams

Concept Diagram

Narrative.  Diagram on top shows different types of landscape. Diagram on bottom shows activity over time.

Diagram of Circulation

Diagram of Adjacency