Masters Thesis Fall 08

District Design Process

2009-03-22T11:31:00.004-04:00

I started looking at the early transportation and what is currently available to the site. The earliest form would have been by wagon, but at one point Newark could be accessed by boat, train, interurban, or motor vehicle. All but the car has been considered obsolete and have been retired from service.

Some of the comments were about letting the artists design part of the area and start to make it their own. As I looked around the site and the entry points into the city, I figured that what could be better than letting them design the first impressions of the area. The below is a compilation of the major entry points into the city.

Looking back towards the jail and open park area across the canal.

Looking towards the jail form below the Amphitheatre

Another view looking more towards the Amphitheatre

A view looking towards the expanded parking garage. The thought is to make the side facing the street would be a little more historical in appearance so it would relate to the surrounding buildings while the sides towards the parks could be done in a manner to relate more to the use of the parks.

Site Sketches

2009-03-03T21:17:00.002-05:00

I finally was able to find the right weather where I actually wanted to be outside and went to the site to do some sketches. I think for me the biggest thing that jumps out is the wide open spaces and the axial relationships between the different areas.

Top Left: Front facade of the Works.

Top Right: Front corner of parking garage

Bottom Right: Looking down the alley towards the original locks

Bottom Left: Rear parking area behind buildings

Top Left: Looking towards the jail.
Top Right: Looking towards the Works along parking garage
Bottom Right: Looking at rear of buildings
Bottom Left: Rear parking area behind buildings looking towards square

Top Left: Looking towards the square from park
Top Right: Looking towards the jail
Bottom Right: Looking down the alley towards the courthouse
Bottom Left: Rear parking area behind buildings
Middle Left: Original railroad station across from park

Where am I Going?

2009-02-19T22:15:00.005-05:00

Since the intensive I have been looking at other areas of the country and how they have developed arts districts or expanded and connected existing facilities to each other. Basically trying to see what has been successful and what has been a failure. Some of the cities have focused solely on artist studio space, leaving residential completely out of the picture. Others have combined the two, having the artist living and working in the same space, with community baths and kitchen facilities.

As I looked at the possibilities, I realized that I want to do something in between. I want to have units that can be large enough to have residential and studio space, some just studio, and others just residential.

Overall the district seems to be as I had started to envision, large open areas for festivals and concerts, intimate areas for people to sit and enjoy the art around them and a feature that somehow points back to days gone by. Tying the past to the present and building for the future.
In the coming weeks I am trying to work on creating an identity for the area through lighting, signage and having art placed throughout the area. Maybe allowing the artists creating seating, bike racks and signs, the artist can showcase their art in ways that can be seen and experienced by the entire community.

With some of the of these thoughts in mind I started working on the vision and objectives for the area which follow.

Vision
The creation of an arts district that connects existing cultural, historical, and artistic resources for people to live, learn, work and play. A place where people can gather and celebrate

Objectives
· Reinforce the connection of the key facilities to each other
· Encourage public and private investment that rebuilds the local economy
· Publicize the vision of the district
· Attract artist in residence to the area
· Create artist lofts and studio in existing and new building stock
· Improve interaction between artists and residents
· Mark boundary of district with special lighting fixtures and banner
· Create features and areas for public use while adding a new sense of safety and accessibility
· Create and strengthen the connections in the district to surrounding art schools and other educational facilities outside the district

One of the areas I started looking at was the where the canals ran throughout the area and how they handled the rise and fall of the land. As I studied I started thinking of replacing the canal, in a more modern way and making it the feature I was looking for to help define the area. As my interpretation of the canal goes through the site it drops in elevation as it follows the original path, crossing under the roads and sidewalks and appearing on the other side at a lower level, much the same as the original would have.

Original canal lock

My interpretation of a modern lock.

Final Intensive

2009-02-10T19:44:00.008-05:00

Pre-Intensive

2009-02-10T19:24:00.008-05:00

Revised Plans

2008-12-21T10:31:00.008-05:00

New Rear Entry

New Elevator Tower and Enclosed Light Well

Demo and Unit Plans

Site / First Floor Plan

Second Floor Plan

Third Floor Plan

Roof Plan

Building Section

Plan Updates

2008-12-14T15:16:00.007-05:00

Unit Plans

The building plans break out to six units per floor ranging in size from approximately

800 s.f. to 1400 s.f.

Demolition Plans

When doing the demo plans I tried to take into account any significant features that were worth saving. There are many of the units that have existing fireplaces that will be saved and put into working order for a gas log system. There are also a couple of units that have the original tin ceilings that have been really well preserved. Both were covered up with a drop ceiling.

First Floor Plan

The first floor has existing businesses that are to remain. The only changes here will be the addition of the rear stair tower/elevator, some site upgrades and some exterior facade improvements.

Second Floor
The second floor retains much of the original trim, the fireplaces and the tin ceilings in units two and three. The large mechanical room is for one of the businesses located on the first floor.

Third Floor

The third floor follows along with the second floor in keeping or reusing the original trim, tin ceilings and fireplaces.

Building Section
The section through the now open light well that will be enclosed. This makes the space a little more usable and will actually be the walkways that will allow circulation from the front to the back. Since this building was designed with the idea of natural circulation using transoms above the doors, I have set the light well up so that there are operable windows at the top to allow a stack effect.

Lansing Building Proposed Plans

2008-12-03T03:01:00.002-05:00

After multiple trips to the building to verify significant historical items, I was finally able to come up with a plan that retained the fireplaces, stairs and tin ceilings.

Demolition Plans

First Floor Plan

The first floor is based off of observations, rather than actual measurements. I didn't put as much thought into the first floor since the majority of the work is on the upper floors.

Second/Third Floor Plans

The upper floors are arranged to maintain the historical character of the building and retain significant features. I tried to keep demolition to a minimum, but in some areas there was no real options other than wall removal. I still need to finish the third floor but it is mostly done with the exceptions of the final locations of the baths and kitchen cabinets.

Infill Elevations

2008-11-20T22:38:00.003-05:00

Street view showing building orientation and stair locations going to the lower level shops.

Front elevation with the upper openings to the roof garden

Rear view showing the roof garden and building location within the existing footprint

Close up view of the roof garden with the courthouse in the background

View from one of the roof decks looking towards the courthouse

Third floor view

Building Section

2008-11-15T15:41:00.002-05:00

Building section through the stairwells showing the glass roof for light and ventilation

Revised Floor Plans Infill

2008-11-12T22:14:00.003-05:00

I went back and looked at the floor plans and tweaked the stair location which at first I wasn't sure would work, but after going through the plans, I think they actually work better.

I added restrooms and an office in both the basement and first floor and got rid of the stairs going up to the main entry. I liked them, but I don't think they really give me anything.

The second and third floor units are much better with a bigger bedroom on the west side and also introducing more natural light and ventilation.

Lansing Building Photos

2008-11-09T15:55:00.005-05:00

I was able to get into the Lansing Building and take some photos and asses the interior layout, as well as the views to the exterior and views from the roof. Overall the building is pretty solid and has retained most of the significant features including the original stairs, fire place surrounds and a couple of rooms with original tin ceilings. After being able to see the building firsthand I may have to rethink a couple of my design decisions.

View of the courthouse from the roof.

Looking down to the existing front entry.

One of the existing mantles that will be replaced in its original spot.

View from one of the second floor windows

Existing stair leading to the third floor

Looking out into the existing lightwell.

Preliminary Exterior Elevations Infill

2008-11-09T15:30:00.002-05:00

I still have a lot of details and design decisions But I think overall this is the overall direstion I want to head.

Front elevation showing the stairs going to the lower level shops.

The rear of the building is pretty confined so all exterior amenities for the residents is limited to the roof. To bring more light into the building there are skylights at each stair. At each floor there will be windows into the stairwell that will allow light into the units as wel as the first floor retail area.

Infill Project/Renovation Uupdate

2008-11-03T19:19:00.008-05:00

Since the site creates defined boundaries that cannot be changed, I have tried to maximise the available space. In many of the original photos of the site, like the one below, the basement level was used for retail adding another floor for available businesses to locate. It was quite common to see street level businesses during the early part of the 19th century. Much like today the building owners needed to get as much usable rental space to recoup their investments. My thinking is that the lower level would be rented at a lower than market rate due to it not being as prime a location as street level shops.

The basement is set up so that it could have one or two businesses. According to past studies, the First Floor would probaby be a single business, but with the multiple front entries could be separated into two.
The second and third floors are setup to be four one bedroom apartments. I debated on the second floor use, and still may elect to do a business use there. The roof will be a green roof and will have patios for residential tenant use. There is a skylight over the front stair that will allow full lighting to flood the stair, and with light shelves and window properly placed, maybe aven into the apartments.

I am still working on the elevation studies and will post them soon.

Asfor the renovation of the Lansing building, I thought I had the plans pretty well worked out, that is until I had a chance to get into the building and look around. There are a few features that I didn't know about that I want to keep. I will post some photos along with the plans.

Business Surveys

2008-10-15T23:55:00.006-04:00

I have been fortunate enough to get my hands on a number of surveys dedicated to downtown Newark and specifically the Lansing Building, which is the historic building that I am proposing to renovate into a mixed-use building consisting of office, business and residential uses. The purpose of going through the reports was to get a better idea of what had been looked at and if anything had been accomplished.

A market feasibility study was done for the Lansing building in July 2002, proposing 12 to 14 loft-style apartments in the upper stories which could be efficiency/ studios, two bedroom or three-bedroom units. The units could be either garden or townhouse arrangements. To make the units more marketable, the study recommended that the building be equipped with an elevator, both front and rear entries, laundry and community room. The goal of the developer was to market the units towards young professionals and empty-nesters who don’t want or need yards. Parking was to be either in the lower parking garage in the adjacent building behind and to the north, or on the street or an adjacent surface lot.

A couple of the key points the report makes in favor of the renovation is the proximity of a grocery, restaurants and hardware store nearby. The report also mentions that Columbus being 40 miles away and having a local mall that is less than two miles away, most of the needed goods or services are close by.

There are five major companies within three miles of the site that employ about 6,500 people. In the downtown area alone, there are four employers with approximately 1,200 people. Downtown area housing is limited to really three buildings, all geared toward government subsidized apartments. The Avalon, which was renovated after this report is located about three blocks away; the Candlewick Apartments, located about a block away; and the Licking County Metro Building, which is about three blocks away. There are a few non-subsidized apartments, but they are very sporadic. With the low amount of units available and the high number of people within the area, there is a good chance the units could be filled rather easily.

The distribution of available apartment units in the Newark area breaks down as follows:
· 31 percent studio with a vacancy rate of 2 percent
· 30.7 percent one-bedroom with a vacancy rate of 7.3 percent
· 50.5 percent two-bedroom with a vacancy rate of 6.7 percent
· 18.7 percent three-bedroom with a vacancy rate of 2.8 percent
· 0.1percent four-bedroom
Four-bedroom apartments have negligible vacancy because there are so few available.

According to the report, one can expect a median gross rent for units as follows:
· A studio is $299 with a median high rent of $550 to $579
· one-bedroom is $516 with a median high rent of $625 to $649
· two-bedroom is $625 with a median high rent of $725 to $749
· three-bedroom is $738. with a median high rent of $825 to $849

The only comparable projects that are located are at 3 West Church that rent for $500 to $600 a month and the 5 North Third which rents for $1,300 a month. Now when looking at this information, one has to realize that this report is five years old and a lot has changed in the area, especially with the economy dropping and new job loss in the area.

Before the Lansing report, there was a Downtown Market Analysis that was prepared and presented to the city by Main Street Connections that was done in July of 1999. What makes this report better than the usual rhetoric, was that they actually talked to merchants to get their view of what is wrong with the downtown and what could be done to fix things. The report also looked at the total number of storefronts on the Courthouse Square. At the time of the report there were 78 first-floor units available, which is about 30 percent of the total downtown commercial spaces. This is down from 71 percent in 1987. There were 15 vacant storefronts on the Square.

The market analysis started by talking to the local merchants and collected information from the merchants about them and their businesses. The typical merchant has been open for a median time of 16-1/2 years with about 10 percent having only been open less than a year. The majority of the businesses are run with minimal staffs, most having two full-time employees, one of which is the owner, and three part-time employees. Some have only one full-time employee.
Of the merchants interviewed, 23 percent owned their properties and 77 percent rented. Their stores averaged about 2,200 square feet with a retail area of 1,100 square feet. If renting space, one would expect to spend $2.50 to $8.00 per square foot with the average being $7.35 per square foot.

One of the biggest problems from the public perception followed along with the merchants’ thoughts that the store close too early. Most, if not all, stores close at 5:30 on weeknights, and are closed on Sunday. The only places open after 6:00 o’clock are the area restaurants and the Midland Theater if there is a performance.

Merchants also had a different perspective of customer mix. Fifty-five percent of the merchants thought their base was female, 5 percent male, and 45 percent a mix of both. The ages tended to be 21 to 64 by 63 percent, with 20 percent over age 65 and 11 percent under age 21. Many perceived their customers to be fairly affluent income group. The merchants tend to rely on the downtown workers for approximately 38 percent of their sales. They also reported that 25% of sales to other merchants.

Asking the merchants’ opinion is the best thing this report has done, especially with them being in the thick of things and can really understand where to look for strengths and weaknesses of the downtown. The merchants surveyed had some good ideas about what is great about the downtown. Among the strengths mentioned were the historic buildings, being the county seat, the green space around the courthouse, and merchant commitment to change and the huge potential for the upper stories for residential and new businesses, as well as some of the quality business that already exist. Now for all the strengths, there were just as many, if not more, weaknesses. At the top of the list is the problem with parking. Most feel as there isn’t enough and what there is it used up by county employees and juries that park on the street all day instead of using the parking garage, using the reason that the garage is unsafe and dirty.

Many would like to see more retail establishments as there are no drugstores with them all leaving back years ago. They would also like to see more clothing stores, restaurants, and a home goods store. The merchants also would like the businesses to stay open later.

They one area I agree with the merchants completely is the need for better building maintenance. Many buildings, whether vacant or occupied, are poorly maintained, which affects surrounding properties. Many merchants have felt that why should they put money into their building if their neighbor doesn’t which creates a negative atmosphere in the downtown area.

There is also a perception from the merchants that the local government is full of “good old boys” who have good intentions, but lack the experience and background to make a difference. Most are okay with the way things are and don’t want to do anything different.
Other comments included making the area more pedestrian friendly whether crossing the street or preventing loitering on the Square, and no real connection between the square businesses and businesses outside the Square, along with having no transit system in the downtown area.

Now with the merchants knowing the problems, many had some suggestions to make the downtown better. The most pressing is parking. Most feel that parking should be limited to two hours daily to stop government workers from parking all day and increasing the appearance and security of the parking garage, which would encourage more people to park there. Most solutions to improving the downtown concern the buildings themselves, whether it be fines for people who don’t maintain their existing properties, to encouraging the renovation of existing buildings.

The merchants also want the upper floors to be utilized for housing, feeling that that would be the best use for the space. If the upper floors were turned into Class A office space, it could be leased quite easily for $4.50 to $11.75 a square foot. Of the property owners who turned their upper floors into office use, many have been successful in attracting tenants.

When looking at commercial occupancy rates of the Courthouse Square for 1931 to 2001, you notice an upward trend in business, peaking in 1941 and slowly declining from then on according to the R. L. Directory. Newark went from 49 businesses on North Park Place and 37 on South Park Place in 1941 to 13 on North Park Place and 37 on South Park Place in 2001. The significant number here is the 37 businesses on South Park Place. This is due to the reinvestment of the upper stories of an existing building for office use, proving that if you build it, they will come.

Since the 1999 survey, there have been many more, but each one took the original information and put it out in a new survey. The names changed, but the results have been the same. Each starts out with great fanfare and excitement, then slowly fizzles out, at least until the next time. The problem as I see it is that the plans are too big and attempt to do everything at once, usually ending in failure. It’s not to say that no progress has been made, but it has been very limited.

During the last nine years I have seen two or three buildings get renovated, and only one of those is on the Square. The thing is there has been no real benefit to the area. The buildings may be cleaned up, but there isn’t much income coming into the area. I think that is due to the fact that there have been no new residential units created in years. This leaves a void of people that won’t be able to support the businesses. It’s interesting to read the surveys and talk to local officials and developers because each one of them points back to the very surveys that proposes some form for residential be developed because without people, the other pieces can’t fall into place. Many of the cities that have succeeded have created residential, knowing that the residents will need services and goods that will locate in the area when they see the need. I would equate this to the way in which surburbia has grown, the people come before the businesses, and when the businesses see the need for their goods and services they locate there. It is a simple supply and demand.

The survey and other research that I have done lead me to believe that the best way to approach this project is to create small steps that can be accomplished. I want to set goals that will be achieved and built upon to create a vibrant downtown.

2008-10-06T01:36:00.004-04:00

Precedent # 2 Mansfield, Ohio

2008-09-28T13:23:00.005-04:00

Precedent #1 Colorado

2008-09-23T21:54:00.005-04:00

Thesis Schedule

2008-09-23T21:25:00.004-04:00

Proposed schedule for work to be done between semesters three and four

Revised Thesis

2008-09-23T21:09:00.012-04:00

The following is my revised thesis proposal:

Intensive Thesis

2008-09-23T20:38:00.011-04:00

The following is my prelimnary thesis produced during the intensive.