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The Historic Dimension Series

Informational pamphlets on architectural topics created by students in the Interior Architecture department at UNC Greensboro.

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A Story Often Untold: The History of Segregated Swimming
Even after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, swimming pools continued to be places of segregation. This can be attributed to common ideas from the time about swimming being an intimate form of socialization and therefore subject to racist and unfounded fears about Blacks and whites of all genders using pools at the same time. As public spaces were desegregated, many public pools were quickly privatized as a means to avoid government mandates, ensuring the continuation of barring African-Americans from participating. This brief examines several pools as examples of places where stories of segregation continue to go untold versus pools that have chosen to interpret their history for public education purposes. Key concepts discussed in this brief include swimming pools, segregation, history interpretation, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, racism, African-American communities, and social history.
A marvel of Modernism: The hyperbolic paraboloid
The mid-century modernist architectural movement (1950s-1960s) espoused the progressive optimism felt during the years following World War II. The hyperbolic paraboloid, a highly distinctive curved shape resembling a saddle, arose out of this architectural movement and symbolizes the innovation predominant during the time period. This brief examines the rise of the modernist movement and the development of the hyperbolic paraboloid as a significant architectural feature, examines several notable examples of its use, and discusses issues salient to preservation efforts. Key issues include mid-century modernism, the modernist architectural movement, the hyperbolic paraboloid, post-war design, cultural history, and post-war material innovation.
A privy history: How the modern bathroom was born
Not until the end of the nineteenth century did the bathroom as we know it--a separate room with toilet, tub, and sink--begin to appear as a fixture in American houses. Influences from culture, technology, and health science impacted changes made to the bathroom, turning it into the separate room still designed in the same basic way today. This brief examines the history of the bathroom, as well as the cultural shifts, technological innovations, and scientific advances that brought about its current, standardized design. Key concepts include history of the bathroom, bathroom fixtures, water closet technology, plumbing advances, germ theory, and cultural history.
A stone's throw: Asheville's legacy of Pebbledash & Roughcast
Pebbledash and roughcast are two types of stucco application that have their roots in ancient building history. Brought to Asheville, NC in the late 19th century by Richard Sharp Smith, the architect tasked with designing Biltmore Village, these render types can be found throughout the city's historic residential neighbhorhoods. This brief discusses the history of pebbledash and roughcast stucco, techniques for application and repair, and maintenance considerations related to preservation efforts. Key concepts include pebbledash, roughcast, stucco, Richard Sharp Smith, Asheville NC, Biltmore Village, vernacular architecture, and skilled building trades.
Abandoned cemeteries: A guide to their identification & care
Cemeteries and gravesites dot the rural American landscape. As development efforts reach further into previously undeveloped or abandoned areas, the discovery of burial grounds--and questions regarding how to properly recognize and care for them--becomes increasingly common. This brief provides information on common cemetery types, identification and mapping procedures, and recommendations for repair and long-term maintenance work. Key concepts include abandoned cemeteries, historic gravesites, historic burial practices, gravesite maintenance and restoration, cemetery identification, and cemetery mapping.
Airstream trailers: A blast from the past
Seen today as an American icon, the Airstream trailer was developed in response to the Machine Deco and streamlining design movement of the 1920s, Americans' increased interest in traveling via automobile, and the ideas of businessman and caravanning enthusiast Wally Byam. This brief examines the history and design of the Airstream trailer within the context of American design and lifestyle movements and explores modern examples of adaptive reuses for the trailers. Key concepts include Airstream trailers, the Machine Deco style movement, streamlined design, Wally Byam, automobile traveling, caravanning, and adaptive reuse.
Aladdin Mail-Order Homes: Magic Kit Houses
At the beginning of the twentieth century, new homeowners turned away from the local architect and builder in favor of turning catalog pages to buy their dream mail-order kit home. While the kit homes sold by Sears, Roebuck and Company are the most well-known, Sears was neither the only company nor the first to sell mail-order house kits. Operating from 1906 to 1981, the Aladdin Company was both the first and the longest operating mail-order home catalog business. This brief explores the method of Aladdin construction, pinpoints known locations of select Aladdin homes, and analyzes how to identify an Aladdin home using historic catalog images. Key concepts discussed include Aladdin magic kit houses, mail-order kit homes, American domestic architecture, the impact of industrialization on the built environment, DIY, and vernacular architecture.
Architecture with a capital A: The importance of preserving the A-Frame
A distinctive architectural form born of the post-war modernist design movement, the A-frame structure has typically not been viewed as significant enough to receive historic preservation attention. This brief argues that A-frame structures, because of their unique and characteristic shape, are deserving of preservation efforts. The brief also examines the history of the A-frame's development and varied uses and explores considerations for preservation efforts. Key concepts include post-war architecture, A-frame houses, A-frame structures, mid-century modernist architecture and design, American vernacular design, and endangered architectural styles.
Brightening the 20th Century: The influence of prismatic glass
Prismatic glass, developed to improve the amount of daylight reflected into interior commercial spaces prior to the widespread use of electric lighting, consisted of small tiles of ribbed, textured glass. The use of ribbing and patterned textures on the surface of the glass enabled the refraction of light deeper into an interior space. Not only did this invention improve existing commercial spaces, it resulted in changes to the design of commercial spaces, which could be longer in depth and made with fewer windows. This brief discusses the history of prismatic glass development, its manufacturing and application processes, and considerations for restoration or replication. Key concepts include prismatic glass, history of prismatic glass, history of commercial retail interiors, material culture, historic daylighting, pre-electric lighting strategies, and glass manufacturing history.
Carpenter Gothic architecture: Its history, care, and repair
Revivalist architectural styles were popular during the late 19th and early 20th century, informing the design of residential, commercial, and civic structures. Carpenter Gothic was an offshoot of Gothic Revival, a style popularized in Great Britain that eventually made its way to the United States. This brief examines the history and defining characteristics of Carpenter Gothic style and offers maintenance and repair strategies to assist in preservation efforts. Key concepts include Carpenter Gothic architecture, A. J. Davis, Andrew Jackson Downing, American revivalist architectural styles, American residential architecture, and the impact of industrialization on the built environment.
Castles & cottages: Tudor revival architecture in America
During the late 19th and early 20th century, revivalist architectural styles informed the design of American residential architecture. Among the most popular of the styles was the Tudor revival, which referenced the cottages and manor houses of England and suggested a level of wealth and pedigree which Americans sought to achieve. This brief examines the characteristics of Tudor revival architecture as interpreted for the American residential home and discusses the societal changes which made revivalist architecture appealing in the first place. Key concepts include American revivalist architectural styles, Tudor revival architecture, residential architecture, the impact of industrialization on American culture and society, and architecture as a symbol of wealth and status.
Concrete privacy in the Madmen era
Originally found in high architectural designs, screen walls made of pierced, decorative concrete masonry units became ubiquitous across the American suburban landscape by the Atomic Age (1950s-1960s). This brief examines the history, application, technical issues, and preservation concerns for decorative concrete blocks, particularly as related to their exterior use. Key concepts include post-war suburban design, post-war material innovation, post-war DIY trends, and high design versus vernacular interpretations.
Conserving American treasures: Progressive & New Deal Era murals
The first half of the 20th century was the most prolific period of mural painting in U.S. history. Two specific time periods, the Progressive Era (1904-1933) and the New Deal Era (1930s-early 1940s), saw the creation of Federal Public Arts projects, which received federal funding for murals painted in federal buildings, such as post offices and schools. Using the Norwalk Transit Authority (Norwalk, CT) and Chicago Public School Systems mural collections as case studies, this brief examines the particulars of conservation and restoration efforts. Key concepts include mural painting history, Federal Publics Arts projects, mural conservation and restoration techniques and challenges, conservation and restoration funding, the Norwalk Transit Authority (Norwalk, CT) mural collections, and Chicago Public School System mural collection.
Cooking Up the Past: Preservation and Interpretation of Kitchens
As spaces at the intersection of race, gender, and technology, kitchens are uniquely situated to tell an engaging narrative at a variety of historic sites. They have the ability to relay the ceaseless, yet highly-skilled, labor of an enslaved cook or the narrative of how technology has changed how and what we eat. However, this interpretation remains limited by preservation of those spaces, as well as current food safety laws. Through four case studies, this brief explores the intersection of preservation and interpretation of kitchen spaces, analyzing how reconstruction or restoration lead to varying levels of interactive and experiential interpretation. Key concepts discussed in this brief include historic kitchens, American domestic architecture, reconstruction, restoration, interpreting history, cooking technology, enslaved cooks, Colonial Williamsburg, and Thomas Jefferson.
Deep Conversations about Conversation Pits
Conversation pits are a unique architectural feature used in residential spaces and some commercial structures primarily in the 1960s and 1970s. Featuring a seating area recessed below the floor level, conversation pits were costly to install and, later, costly to remove or conceal. This brief discusses the rise and fall of the conversation pit, their use in residential and commercial spaces, and modern adaptations. Key concepts include interior architectural features, social history, cultural history, conversation pits, conversation stairs, sunken fire places, and interior design trends.
Downtown Roots: Street Trees in Central Business Districts
Throughout modern urban history, cities and towns have incorporated trees into their streetscapes in various ways and for various purposes. As today's cities work to revitalize their downtown commercial districts, the protection of existing trees and the installation of new ones is now viewed as an essential component of the revitalization and renewal process. This brief examines the history of street trees in urban environments, benefits to their use, and best practices regarding protection, selection, and maintenance. Key concepts discussed include street trees, the City Beautiful movement, the Main Street program, downtown historic districts, historic central business districts, urban planning and design, sustainability, and urban revitalization.
Future so bright: A history of neon signage
Neon signage has fallen in and out of favor since its invention in the early 20th century. At first considered a necessary form of commercial advertising and later deemed tacky and obtrusive, today it is experiencing a resurgence as an artistic alternative to digital signage. This brief examines the history of neon signage, from its invention to present-day, and discusses the role historic preservation has played in both its demise and its conservation. Key concepts include neon signs, commercial districts, materials innovation, historic advertising, and iconic American signage.
HVAC's New Look and Style: How HVAC is Evolving for Historic Buildings
Heating and cooling strategies have evolved over time, from passive strategies that involved designing a structure to work with its environment to active strategies that utilize technological innovations irrespective of climate surroundings. Cultural expectations regarding the heating and cooling of interior space have likewise changed over time, and such philosophies impact historic structures that must now meet modern needs. The retrofitting of historic buildings to accept modern HVAC temperatures and equipment brings numerous challenges. This brief discusses the history of temperature control technologies and expectations, as well as strategies for incorporating modern HVAC equipment into historic spaces, examining each from a lens of sustainability. Key concepts discussed in this brief include HVAC, historic heating and cooling methods, building technology, sustainability, energy retrofitting, and the impact of cultural shifts on the built environment.
Historic Aluminum Windows: Foiling the Myth
Aluminum windows from the 20th century are the new historic windows and they are just as much worth the effort to maintain and preserves as their wooden counterparts. Through proper maintenance, cyclical cleanings, necessary repairs, and installation of storm windows, an historic aluminum window can perform as well as an historic wood window. A Tru-seal triple-awning aluminum window is used as a case study to illustrate maintenance and repair of historic aluminum windows.
History pasted on the wall
Invented by the Chinese as early as 200 A.D., wallpaper has a storied history across numerous cultures and continents. Because it is susceptible to frequent changes as a result of stylistic trends and personal tastes, as well as damage and deterioration, wallpaper rarely survives intact through the centuries. This brief provides a succinct overview of wallpaper's history, particularly in American and European applications, and offers tips for dating historic remnants. It also examines methods for preserving, restoring, and recreating historic papers. Key concepts include material culture, the history of wallpaper, wallpaper identification and dating, historic wallpaper preservation, historic wallpaper restoration, and historic wallpaper reconstruction.

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