The Utility of Value: Rectifying the Flaws of Significance and Integrity in American Public Housing

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dc.contributor.authorHaarstad, Elsa
dc.contributor.programMA in Historic Preservationen_US
dc.date.accessioned2020-06-30T16:58:49Z
dc.date.available2020-06-30T16:58:49Z
dc.date.issued2020-06-29
dc.description.abstractPublic housing of the twentieth century is a significant historic and cultural resource in the United States. It represents the homes of tens of thousands of people, housing and social reform in America, the evolving practices of services for the poor, and histories of segregation and displacement. However, less than 0.2% of constructed public housing sites have been listed in the National Register of Historic Places. I assert that this lack of recognition in preservation is a result of the intersection of devaluing spaces associated with poor people of color and the erroneous conflation of architectural significance with physical integrity. While several public housing sites are discussed in this thesis, the primary focus is Barry Farm Dwellings’ evaluation of historic significance. Through community engagement and organizing, Barry Farm Dwellings, a site that was originally determined not eligible for historic designation, was successfully designated as a District of Columbia Historic Landmark. This thesis explores why historic preservation has undervalued public housing and the how the tools for evaluations are failing to address complex sites. Grappling with how historic preservationists evaluate historical significance and integrity with regard to public housing, this thesis demonstrates that a values-centered approach can bring more holistic and defensible methods to public housing evaluations. Ideally, this could result in the preservation of historic public housing, or at the very least, result in mitigation measures if the housing is demolished. Public housing is an exceptionally important historic and cultural resource, yet many preservationists and agency reviewers have failed to apply the criteria for evaluating significance and integrity in a good faith effort. This thesis argues that the integration of values-centered preservation methods will yield more robust, transparent, equitable, accessible, and legally defensible preservation practices. Ultimately, the integration of values-centered preservation into the determination of eligibility process will produce a preservation practice that fosters community empowerment, a critical component to equitable preservation of public housing.en_US
dc.format.extent135 pagesen_US
dc.genrethesesen_US
dc.identifierdoi:10.13016/m2lhet-6rmj
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11603/19034
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.relation.isAvailableAtGoucher College, Baltimore, MD
dc.rightsThis work may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. To obtain information or permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the Goucher Special Collections & Archives at 410-337-6347 or email archives@goucher.edu.
dc.subjectPublic Housingen_US
dc.subjectPerkins Homesen_US
dc.subjectBarry Farm Dwellingsen_US
dc.subjectLangston Terrace Dwellingsen_US
dc.subjectValues-Centered Preservationen_US
dc.subjectStigmaen_US
dc.subjectEquitable Preservationen_US
dc.subjectHistoric Preservationen_US
dc.subjectSignificanceen_US
dc.subjectIntegrityen_US
dc.subjectValueen_US
dc.subjectFred McGheeen_US
dc.subjectLawrence Valeen_US
dc.subjectThomas Kingen_US
dc.subjectRandall Masonen_US
dc.subjectJeremy Wellsen_US
dc.subjectBaltimoreen_US
dc.subjectWashington DCen_US
dc.subjectDistrict of Columbiaen_US
dc.subject.lcshHistoric preservation -- Theses
dc.titleThe Utility of Value: Rectifying the Flaws of Significance and Integrity in American Public Housingen_US
dc.typeTexten_US

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