DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE / California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
ARC 499 Architecture and Historic Preservation (4)
4 units total Winter Quarter 2013
The American Latino Heritage Initiative
and the Search for Historic Sites in California
Instructor:
Luis G. Hoyos RA
Office: Building 7, Room 104C
(909) 869 6704
(323) 377 1953 (cell).
E mail:
Course times:
Studio sessions: TUE/THU 10:00 – 11:50pm. Room 7-217. Lecture sessions and field trips are integrated into studio times.
I. CATALOG DESCRIPTION.
Study of a selected topic, the subject matter and title to be initiated by the faculty in advance. Instruction is by lecture, laboratory or a combination.
II. PREREQUISITES.
Prerequisites: Undergraduate standing in architecture and ARC 203 or graduate standing in architecture.
III. COURSE DESCRIPTION.
ARC 499 Architecture and Historic Preservation (4)
Seminar course in historic preservation.
IV. COURSE OBJECTIVES AND LEARNING OUTCOMES.
The course will introduce students to the study of U.S. and California history in relation to historic sites through the lens of the American Latino Heritage Initiative, a multi-year effort undertaken by the National Park Service, whose staff was tasked by the Secretary of the Interior with the correction of an imbalance in the National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Programs, as these programs do not reflect the cultural and ethnic diversity of the country.
Embedded in the Initiative are various projects including the preparation of new Latino nominations to the registers, youth engagement summits, academic conferences and outreach to Latino communities and academia. At its center is a collection of essays entitled “American Latinos and the Making of the United States: a Theme Study”. The essays were written by invited scholars from American universities and address the subjects of Latino participation in politics, labor, commerce, media, arts and intellectual thought among other subjects. The essays will be used to unlock the stories of the diverse communities that make up the nation and the State of California with special attention to Latino communities in hopes of generating new research on historic sites.
THEMES
The seminar course will examine new collected research on the contributions made by Latinos in the formation of the modern-day United States. Students will read a series of essays that refocuses American history in a more inclusive way, thereby uncovering heretofore undocumented (or improperly documented) events and persons behind the events and the places where they took place. The National Historic Landmarks and the National Register of Historic Places are programs that record history tied to geographic space. The rules that govern the registers demand that the events be palpable in the structures and landscapes that were the settings for historic actions and that the historic elements retain original features otherwise known as historic integrity. This requirement, that the sites retain historic integrity has become problematic in the eyes of scholars as Latino (and other minority) communities have historically inhabited low-income environments that have undergone significant changes over time. The priorities of making ends meet have far outweighed the need to maintain buildings in pristine condition, The seminar will examine the potential for new nominations to the registers in light of the integrity requirement.
Major historical themes that will be examined are:
o The colonial period of the Spanish and Mexican occupation of what is now the United States
o Wars of conquest the consequences for immigration
o The formation of intellectual traditions
o Latino media and the arts in the United States
o Religion and spirituality
o Food and culture
o Latino contributions to sports
o Latino labor and commerce
o Latino contributions to the military since the war of Independence
o Latinos and the Law, key legal cases surrounding voting rights
o Latino and education, key cases surrounding access to public education in this country
o 20th Century immigration by Latino groups.
There are several projects embedded in the seminar course:
Project 1: Analysis of the Theme Study Essays. Duration 2 weeks.
Students will read a number of the essays contained in “American Latinos and the Making of the United States: a Theme Study” (to be published in 2013, but available to the class in draft form) and familiarize themselves with the historical facts and patterns that are explained by the authors. Additional readings and bibliographical research will be assigned.
Project 2: New research on historic sites uncovered by the theme study. Duration 5 weeks.
The theme study identified historical facts that involved persons acting in physical space. The student research team shall select two essays and explore their attending historical themes and will investigate the buildings and landscapes (historical resources) where specific events took place. The teams will ascertain if the resources still exist and what is their current condition. The team will be asked to develop an informed opinion on whether the historic events may be interpreted in our own time given the condition of the resource, or whether the resource is severely impacted and thus loss to society as a historical artifact.
Project 3: How to document a historic building. Duration: 3 Weeks.
An historic building attains significance due to its age, its authorship by a certain architect or its association with historic events or persons or may yield important information about history. Regardless of why a building is significant, there is a process that historians and preservationists follow to record and /or document the subject building. The process and the key documents that the industry uses, essentially the use of nomination forms for listing, will be discussed in detail in class and is available in government publications such as “Instructions for recording Historical Resources” 1995 by the Office of Historic Preservation or “National Register Bulletin 16-A: How to complete the National Register Registration From” 1991 by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior.
The class will document a selected historic structure and site, following an abbreviated process. The exercise asks the student team to research the relevant facts surrounding the building by collecting and organizing information about the site, its history, the people and events associated with the building and the design architect (if any) and his/her practice. Additionally, the team must identify and document the character defining features of a building and be able to discuss its condition of the building, explaining the major alterations through time. Students shall:
1. Gather existing documentation on the site; this will include previous survey work, historic and recent photographs, aerial photographs, historic maps, etc.
2. Perform new field work to determine current condition of site; this will include new photographs, measurements of certain building elements and documentation in drawings.
Perform new research on the property; this may include conducting interviews with property owners, tenants, contact historical societies or local libraries, etc.
3. Identification of historical themes that will be the basis for the historic significance of the district.
4. Conceptualization of the preservation project; consideration of boundaries, contributing and non-contributing features, traditional zones of use, and proposed new uses and assessment of needs to assure compatibility with historic features of the district.
6. Description of the building; detailed physical description of the architectural features that contribute to its historic significance.
7. Statement of historic significance of the building.
8. Coordination of new photographs, historic photos, and other supportive documentation.
Global Imperative Language:
Cal Poly and the College of Environmental Design support the 2010 Global Imperative. Historic preservation is by itself “green” and sustainable. The studio will explore sustainable means and methods of achieving the stated aims of the project. This includes the materials used in making models and presentations. Beginning in 2007 all studio problems will concentrate on projects in which: "the design engage the environment in a way that dramatically reduces or eliminates the need for fossil fuel”. By 2010, achieve complete ecological literacy in design education, including: Design studio, history/ theory, materials/ technology, structures/ construction and professional practice/ ethics.
V. REFERENCES AND RESOURCES / HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE.
The seminar courses has a Blackboard site. Please log on to Blackboard to find the project documentation as well as the syllabus, the essays, the studio schedule and other information. Your instructor has digital copies of the documents.
The course will require students to read portions of the following texts plus other handouts:
o U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Cultural Resources Department and National Historic Landmark Program: “American Latinos and the Making of the United States, a Theme Study”, 2012, Washington DC.
o U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service Washington, DC: “Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and Illustrated Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings”, reprinted 1997, Available online from the OHP Website.
o U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service Washington, DC : “The Preservation of Historic Architecture. The U.S. Government’s Official Guidelines for Preserving Historic Homes”. The Lyons Press, Guilford CT, undated. Students may choose to purchase a copy from Amazon or another source.
o Gebhard, David and Winter, Robert: “An Architectural Guide to Los Angeles”, (Revised edition by Robert Winter). Gibbs Smith Publisher, 2003. Layton Utah.
o Gebhard, David and Von Breton, Harriette: “Los Angeles in the Thirties: 1931-1941”, 2nd Ed. 1989, Hennesey and Ingalls, Los Angeles, CA.
o Byard, Paul Spencer “The Architecture of Additions, Design and Regulation”. W.W. Norton and Company, New York, 1998.
o Freedman, Donald and Oppenheimer, David: “The Design of Renovations”. WW. Norton and Company, New York, 1997.
o Freeman, Donald: “Historical Building Construction, Design, Materials and Technology”. W.W. Norton and Company, New York, 1995.
o Rabun, J. Stanley: “Structural Analysis of Historical Buildings”. John Wiley and Sons, New York, 2000.
o Douglas, James: “Building Adaptation”. 2nd Ed. 2006. Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK.
o Prudon, Theodore H. M.: “Preservation of Modern Architecture”. John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Hoboken, N.J., 2008.
o Tyler, Norman with Ligibel, Ted and Tyler, Ilene: “Historic Preservation, an introduction to its History, Principles and Practice” Second edition, 2009. WW Norton and Co. Inc. New York, NY.
o Fitch, James Marston: “Historic Preservation: Curatorial Management of the Built World”, Third Edition, 1995. The University of Virginia Press, Charlottesville Va.
o Murtagh, William J.: “Keeping Time, the History and Theory of Preservation in America”. Revised Edition, 1997. John Wiley and Sons, Inc. , New York, NY.
Hardware and Software.
Students are encouraged to bring their laptops and printers into the studio. Recommended software include Microsoft Word and Excel, Adobe Illustrator, AutoCad, Archicad or similar and other software recommended by instructors for specific tasks.
VI. COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING.
Course grade:
1. Class participation, field trips. 10%
2. Essay research report 40%
3. Documentation work 30%
4. Final research report 20%
TOTAL: 100%
VII. POLICIES.
University Policies:
Students must adhere to University policies with regard to academic integrity (plagiarism), health (drug and alcohol abuse), conduct and discipline and proper relations between students, faculty and staff, including policies on sexual harassment. The policies are contained in the University Catalog, available online. Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with these policies.
All courses within ENV utilize safe practices and strive for students' success within a safe environment. Failure to comply with written safety practices may result in referral to Judicial Affairs for Disciplinary Action.
College of ENV and Department of Architecture Policies:
The College of Environmental Design as well as the Department of Architecture have established specific policies regarding the use of studio spaces. It should be noted: All courses within ENV utilize safe practices and strive for students' success within a safe environment. Failure to comply with written safety practices may result in referral to Judicial Affairs for Disciplinary Action. In addition:
1. Students will be held responsible on the appropriate use of studio space, furniture and equipment.
2. Students are responsible in cleaning up their studio space at the end of this quarter.
3. Students are responsible for transportation to and from field trip destinations.
4. Students are encouraged to bring their own personal computer to the studio, though the security of such item will be the sole responsibility of each student.
5. Student with more than two unexcused absences will be subject to a lower letter grade. Instructor also holds the right to administratively drop the student if their absences exceed four.
VIII. SCHEDULE.
(A detailed schedule shall be made available).
Week 0: Introduction. Team formation. Reading assignments.
Week 1: Essay reading and seminar sessions
Week 2: Essay reading and seminar sessions
Week 3: Essay reading and seminar sessions. Field research
Week 4: Field research
Week 5: Documentation work. Field trips.
Week 6: Documentation work.
Week 7: Documentation work. Mid-term research review.
Week 8: Statements of significance
Week 9: Statements of significance
Week 10: Final research review
Project 1
The basis for the course and for Project 1 is the collection of commissioned essays contained in “American Latinos and the making of the United States: a Theme Study”, unpublished but available in draft form. The volume was produced by the staff of the National Park Service and consists of sixteen essays plus a core essay and several introductory articles. The essays themselves were written by recognized scholars in the field of history and reflect a wholesale re-examination of the standard narratives regarding the development of Latino cultural groups in this country.
Student teams will read the essays that give a fundamental sense of the formation of Latino groups in America. Those essays include: The Core Essay (Pitti) and the essays on immigration (Gutierrez, D), wars and revolutions (Gutierrez, R.) and labor (Vargas). Following that, student teams will adopt one of the essays and subject it to a deeper analysis by discussion and presentations in class on the substance of the essay and the possibilities of uncovering heretofore unknown sites.
Specific instructions:
1. Read and be prepared to discuss Pitti, Gutierrez, D., Gutierrez, R. and Vargas. Duration: 4 class sessions
2. Describe and write a one page analysis of the main historical dynamics that the essays cover.
3. Speculate about the role of person and organizations in the Western states (esp. California) in the events