Date of Graduation

5-2017

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Architecture

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Architecture

Advisor/Mentor

Matthews, Carl W.

Committee Member

Goodstein-Murphree, Ethel

Second Committee Member

Gaber, John

Abstract

Historical industrial warehouse districts in American cities have a unique and interesting history because of their rapid development and, in most cases, a subsequent neglect. However, because of its historical significance, its usual central location within the city, and architectural features, the warehouse district has become a focus for revitalization. Warehouse districts already have a historic identity and a cohesiveness in urban fabric and building typologies, but what are the effects of adaptive reuse in relation to the identity of the buildings and the district? In this thesis, three cities (New Orleans, Minneapolis, and Oklahoma City) with established and revitalized warehouse districts are analyzed and compared to determine what elements of the warehouse district and its buildings are kept through the process of adaptive reuse to support a cohesive sense of identity throughout the district. Each city is investigated through social and economic factors, the urban context, the marketed identity of the district, and the physical features of the buildings. Even though New Orleans, Minneapolis, and Oklahoma City have different backgrounds, they all expressed a level of preservation in the revitalization of their warehouse district - specifically in building exteriors and urban fabric. Influenced by city guidelines and historical context, the adaptive reuse of warehouse district buildings acknowledge the presence of the district identity and tend to preserve the areas notable characteristics more than independent, separate buildings converted for reuse.

Keywords

urban planning; New Orleans; Minneapolis; Oklahoma City; revitalization

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