I
9
tI
Walter Baker Chocolate Factory:
An Adaptive Reuse Exploration
Fernando D. Castro
By
B.A., Columbia University,
1975
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
For the Deqree of
Master of Architecture
at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
June, 1981
(c
Fernando D. Castro
1981
The Author hereby grant ts to M.I.T. permission to
reproduce and distribul
te publicly copies of this
thesis document in who]le or in part.
Signature of Author
-Dejartiient of Arciitecture
February 11, 1981
Certified by
Barry Zevin, Assistant Professor o)(AjWchitecture
Thesis upervisor
Accepted by
MASSACHUSETTS
OF TECHNOLOGY
JUN 1 0 108
LBRARIES
pNDIPtmental
Professor Tmre Halasz, Chairman
Committee for Graduate Students
'1
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1312
Abstract:
Walter Baker Chocolate Factory:
An Exploration of Adaptive Reuse
by Fernando D. Castro
Submitted to the Department of Architecture on
March 10, 1981, in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture.
This thesis explores the processes of building evolution and the
methods in which old buildings are recycled for continued use.
Reuse
is
the process in which a building's life is extended through a preservation
or alteration of its existing morphology.
memories are both extended and interpreted;
Aerial view of Walter Baker Chocolate Factory taken in 1965
when buildins were put on sale.
It is a process in which
designers try to renovate
outdated structures into rich and diverse environments in
which people
can once again live and work.
This thesis is a case study in reuse, in which I study the process of
recycling several old industrial buildings.
Factory sits
The Walter Baker Chocolate
on the boundary line between the Massachusetts
Milton and Dorchester, straddling the Neponset River.
morphology of the existing buildings,
an artists'
colony.
towns of
I discuss the
and I explore their conversion into
Reuse makes sense economically and environmentally,
and also helps us preserve a connection to our ancestry, our cultural
heritage, and our collective memory.
In Working Places:
C. Kidney says:
the Adaptive Use of Industrial Buildings, Walter
L
I
I
I
America, at least in its attitude toward material wealth,
In the
may be undergoing a major psychological change.
recent past,
it
was a building,
a car or a
saucepan,
was liable
I
whether
anything made the day before yesterday,
to
1
be scrapped.
Today, this trend is beginning to reverse, and architects are looking to
explore the potential for reuse of outdated buildings.
exploration,
Gelardin,
selected the program that
Ihave
Bruner,
and Cott used to create
As a guide for my
the architectural
team of
the "Piano Craft Guild",
artists' colony in the South End of Boston.
I have, however,
an
taken the
freedom to tailor the program to fit the specific conditions extant at the
east complex of the Walter Baker Chocolate Factory.
Thesis Supervisor:
Title:
Barry Zevin
Assistant Professor of Architecture
J
-.
I:
Acknowledgments
To the Memory of My Father
I would like to extend my thanks to Professor Barry Zevin,
whose patience and dedication made this thesis possible.
His insights
and criticism were extremely valuable throughout the duration of the
thesis.
Professors Imie Halasz and Edward B. Allen were of the utmost
help as well.
My deepest gratitude for the technical assistance provided by
Mark Kane,
Rafael Olguin, Paul Pressman and Eric Gustafson.
My
special thanks to August Schaeffer for his assistance and support during
the final phases of production.
and Michael Sela, whose advice,
Thanks to peers Charles Triester
support and humor made the experience
bearable;
to my friends Mark Kane and Paula Thelan for the tea and
sympathy;
to my cousin Melida Scarpetta for her affection and support.
Thanks to James Moore who patiently edited the final draft, and finally,
to Don, Karen, Nick, and Monica, my roommates, who put up with me
during the last stages of production.
Table of
-TABLE
Contents
PAGE
OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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ABSTRACT
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PREFACE:
ADAPTIVE REUSE AND CURRENT ISSUES IN ARCHITECTURE.
6-12
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INTRODUCTION:
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FORMS OF ADAPTIVE REUSE
SECTION 1
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II
III
IV
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13-17
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THE CONTEXT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
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NEIGHBORHOOD MORPHOLOGY AND ITS ORIGINS
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CHARACTER OF EXISTING BUILDINGS .
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ORIENTATION OF BUILDINGS
SELECTING THE BUILDING PROGRAM
THE EXPLORATIONS .
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PROGRAM AND PARTI
FINISHED
II
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LANDSCAPE AS FORM-GENERATOR AT WALTER BAKER .
SECTION 2
I
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DRAWINGS
REFERENCES OF TRANSFORMATION
STUDIES
ELEVATION
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CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69-70
FOOTNOTES
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BIBLIOGRAPHY . . .
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I
Preface
PREFACE:
ADAPTIVE REUSE AND CURRENT ISSUES IN ARCHITECTURE
In her book,
Buildings Reborn:
New Uses, Old Places, Barbaralee
Diamonstein quotes urban designer Johnathan Barnett:
Adaptive re-use of old buildings is also a form of
architectural criticism; people reject many of the
new buildings they see, preferring what they have
In the same
to what they expect to get instead.
hears any more of a "remodeled"
vein, one rarely
Because the word connotes
Why?
apartment or house.
More and more, people seem
the junking of the old.
to prefer what the past had to offer in the way
of handcrafts, custom design of hardware and
moldings, attention to details (newness still
prevails, though, when it comes to choosing
Ornamentation, decreed a crime by
appliances).
modernists, is no longer taboo but desirable, a
from the glass-and-steel grid that epitorelief
If you doubt the significance of
mizes modernism.
this trend, if you question whether people really
do feel this need for embellishment in their
me
They tell
talk to a rental agent.
surroundings,
the reference to a "landmark building" in an ad
that
2
is the ultimate lure.
The failure
of modern architecture
caused a crisis amongst architects.
to satisfy
these personal desires has
Some have reacted by re-enacting the
traditions of 19th century eclecticism and have begun to reproduce historical styles.
The Getty Museum in California,
replica of the Villa at
Papiri.
In
England,
for example,
is an exact
Raymond Erith and Quinlan
Terry have produced some recent recreations of Georgian prototypes.
Other designers,
such as Robert Venturi,
a master at caricaturing the
cultural trends that shape the modern environment, have tried to take
advantage of the crisis to advance their personal conceptions of modern
L
architecture.
JENCKS.
CHARLES
-ir
-
a
Garapie Rotunda
cosmetics
the New York critic and author of The Language of Post
Modernism endorses Venturi's views while emphasizing
semiotics as a
discipline to help designers evaluate the aesthetics of buildings,
"...to speak the common language of the culture first".
The designer should logically start with an investigation of the semiotic group and always keep in
his mind the varying views of the good life as
seen by the people involved since architecture
ultimately signified a way of life - something not
3
entirely understood by the Modern Movement.
IBroadly speaking, these groups are classified in
socio-economic terms by sociologists and market
researchers, even though there is a lot of
overlap and borrowing between groups, and there
4
are other forces at work.
Both Venturi and Jencks accuse the Modern Movement of lacking a contextural foundation.
1977
"Cosmetics and Prefabrication" - architecture as a stage set.
Jencks - the so-called Post-Modernist - follows many of Venturi's
In their search for "freedom" from the
architectural precepts.
formal severity of Modernism, both men have given way to a selffr"7 indulgent architecture based on a social interpretation of contemporary
culture.
7--
Charles Jencks,
Welifieet
Arcnieciure as prefaorication clus
S
I feel that their criticism is accurate but misguided:
their interpretation of contexturalism is near-signted and shallow.
I.
0
()
Both men feel that buildings are objects/monuments.
Objects/monuments
are appropriate only to celebrate or to commemorate people or events
from history.
When monuments are used as containers for daily human
activity, however,
the livinq environment becomes fragmented and
incomplete.
Equivocacy,
problems,
reuse.
ambiguity, and cliche are not recent inventions.
These
which abound in modern architecture, can also occur in adaptive
Calvin Trillin addressed this issue in an article for the New
Yorker.
When old warehouses and abandoned factories all over
the country started being scrubbed up into boutiques
several years ago, we travelling people accepted
them more or less the way we had accepted the
advent of Holiday Inns - at first marvelling at
their presence, and then grumbling that they all
The brick exposed in Ghirardelli
looked alike.
Square in San Francisco tended to look like the
brick exposed in Pioneer Square in Seattle, which had
some similarity to the brick exposed in Old Town,
Chicago, or Underground Atlanta or the River Quay
in Kansas City or Larimer Square in Denver or Gas
5
Light Square in St. Louis.
Trillin clearly summarizes the problem with much of today's adaptive
reuse.
6
"Some of the historic renovations are chic and some are tacky."
Meaningful -
not "tacky" -
architecture is both relevant to its
context and truthful in its use of materials.
The designer must pay
attention to the existing vocabulary of form as well as to its geneology,
and must look at both the building and its natural surroundings
for the new design work.
for clues
Without this sensitivity, the meaning of an
existing building can be easily lost or destroyed.
Meaningful architec-
ture and quality construction have always been worth saving, but this
I.
II
attitude has only recently resurfaced in America.
whelming American creed,
has turned buildings
of years of use they are to be discarded.
Consumerism, the over-
into objects;
Buildings,
after a number
however,
are essen-
tial Darts of our lives as well as of the lives of those who came before
us and those who will follow.
As pieces of our collective heritage,
they
deserve to be respected and treated with a sensitivity towards their
past history,
their present use,
Happily,
and their future potential.
this consumerist attitude appears to on the wane.
In the near future, then, we may see an America that
Should this be so, a
has relearned frugality.
region, understood as a delicate ecological mechanism, will be developed cautiously according to
a comprehansive plan - and its scenery will benefit
In the towns, vacant lots will be built
greatly.
upon, and abandoned buildings rehabilitated or
land, even as in
gotten rid of if too far gone:
to squander.
precious
too
be
will
the Netherlands,
will be
sort,
whatever
of
Existing construction,
gotten
examined to see what further use can be
Building materials, including decorative
out of it.
7
work, will be salvaged, not broken up or burned.
The Walter Baker Factory has a distinguished history.
is presently abandoned -
the victim of consumerism -
sound and its materials are in good shape.
for reuse.
Although it
it is structurally
It has enormous potential
Whether that potential is achieved depends on the designer's
sensitivity to history, his understanding of structure
and materials,
and his awareness of the building's context.
The factory can be seen as an ecological entity.
facades of the buildings flanking
painted a uniform white -
At present,
Adams Street and Pierce
the
Square are
as if a coat of paint can unite the complex.
In fact, these buildings not only date back to different periods, but
f
I
they also have completely dissimilar styles.
The Baker Company expanded rapidly, and because land was scarce and
the topography awkward, buildings were haphazardly scattered around the
site and randomly connected by bridges.
Despite its heterogeneous develop-
ment, however, this complex of buildings has an order to it.
What appears
to be a disorderly intrusion of buildings upon the river banks is actually
also a richly layered architectural environment.
In order to understand the potential of such an entitity, I outlined
the hierarchial order under which the buildings currently exist and used
these observations as a foundation for my design work.
The first part
of this thesis evaluates the observations that I made while preparing
for re-design.
The second part contains the actual design work and
presents a personal expression of adaptive reuse.
So that the reader will fully understand the background I brought
into the observation process,
I have first included a brief discussion
of the prevalent forms of contemporary adaptive reuse.
Kti~
Jencks' Semiotic Groupings
LUCILLE BALL'S House.
Berly Hills. c
1955. Movie Star
House tourism has been a mass industry
since the twenties. and maps are thankfully provided for visiting anthropologists
The habitat and layout of these houses is
so conventionalised as to constitute a
norm: first a public street and sidewalk.
then a layer of manicureo verdure discreetly signifying privacy, then tne
rambling house in one of five acceptable
styles; the garage to one side. Behind
this the tennis court, swimming pool ant
shrine room where the star s previous
triumphs are shown to invited guests
This screening room often doubles as an
exercise and game room, since physical
fitness and relaxation are the two major
drives of this tribe. The 'California
Colonial' of Lucille Balls house, with its
raised eyebrow dormers. is the most
popular style, followed closely by
pseudo-Tudor. (Carol Barkin and
Stephanie Vaughan).
Swiss crolet Stye
pitched root
colonial cupola
IL
cabtorrtnma
ranch style
neighbor
-
aeStyie
~
fJ~5
begenVy
--k -
crnonmenta
personal touch
name
-
-
-
-*T-
s9rweepingw
- --- -
-...
-c -ro
c rriage lamp -ds
at ir POSts=p - g9
-
-
doorway
--ranch style tence
-
KEVINFISHER.EnglishPopuler HouseAnalysi, 1976. This
synthesis of several reigning trends in the market shows how
and permissavethe popular English house is becoming. A
pastiche of Japanese, American and English. modern and traditionaL
urban and rural. Few architects would dare use such a language because of its impuinty.so the market remains open to the speculators.
It is of course possible to use any language to send any message.
eclectic
1
Suburban
K
~
-.
E~rcAh2t
'M4
2 Movie Star
PORTMEIRION, view into Battery Square, showing seaside
architecture and Italian campanile. This stage-set architecture has.
not surprisingly. been used in several films and commercials. This
was the first creation of a formula that was later applied, in a cheapened version. to communities such as Port Grimaud. and ride-through
parks such as Disneyland.
3 Building in Nature
RICHARD MEIER. Douglas House. Harbor Springs. Michigan.
1971-3. The villa in nature. enclosed. protected. and yet standing out
as aran-made element. This Italian tradition. taken over equally by
and the
Le Corbusier and the upper classes contrasts the
cooked, the untouched and the finished Here Meier uses a Corbusian
syntax to represent the interior space. which is layered both horizontally and vertically through four storeys. (Ezra Stoller).
Estate
raw
"If one wants to change a culture's taste and behaviour, or at least
influence these aspects, as modern architects have expressed a desire
to do, then one has to speak the common language of the culture first.
If the language and message are changed at the same time, then both will
be systematically misunderstood and reinterpreted to fit the convenThis is precisely
tional categories, the habitual patterns of life.
Pruitt-Igoe and
what has happened with modern housing estates.
(Charles Jencks,
Pessac are the two most celebrated examples".
"The Language of Post-Modern Architecture", p. 130).
rc itecture as Decorated Shed
1.
2.
3.
4.
Rural Architecture School by Francois
Variations on the decorated shed.
Week-End Home Project, 1977.
Sketches for a Science Museum.
Cointeraux
Venturi uses his architecture as a critical comnent on contemporary
culture.
The "shed decorated at a monumental scale" is meant to
portray modern architecture laughing at itself.
Humor aside, however,
society looks for more substance in its
buildings and is generally
left
empty-handed.
1.
rcdidd
Ewk
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Rre.,..rn
Aitu,, Af"ct,. 4gttcua~ elCArchiWci
uxfrangan
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Introduction
FORMS OF ADAPTIVE
REUSE
There are three prevalent
recycling,
and transformation.
seldom pure,
forms of adaptive reuse:
preservation,
Although specific examples of reuse are
and the methods usually overlap, each form possesses some
distinct characteristics.
1.
Preservation
The preservationist attempts to bring a building back to its
original state of existence.
construction,
Care is taken to recreate the original
detailing, and ornamentation.
However,
liberties are
sometimes taken when construction methods are no longer available for
-e
-ow
At Quincy Market,
to their original
special
state.
attention was given to restoring buildings
In many instances, the renovations left the
Market more opulent than its initial design had ever been.
use.
Preservation generally implies a continuation or restoration of
the building's original use.
Quincy Market is a good example of the
preservationist approach to reuse.
2.
Pragmatic Recycling
Building renovation usually attempts to accomodate a new use within
an old building, using contemporary means of construction for any
changes.
Architects generally try to keep design intervention to a
minimum and attempt to use the existing qualities and elements of the
building as much as possible.
the building's parti:
Reuse through recycling usually preserves
its diagrammatic organization, and physical arti-
culation.
In the introduction I quoted from Trillin's remarks on the tendency
he calls it "cliche in adaptive reuse" -to
-
expose the masonry and beams
which were part of the original building construction.
Because modern
construction no longer relies on individual craftsmanship, quite often
it cannot match the quality of the older methods.
Creating new structures
and materials to match the qualities of the old would be far too
expensive and labor intensive for economically successful reuse projects.
Recycling, however, does not do away with ornament.
It is very much
a part of our architectural culture and manufacturers have found that
there is always a market for second-rate imitations of classical proto-
As discussed by Calvin Trillin, the designers of the PTano Craft Guild
took no risks in recycling, continuing the parti of the original buildings and taking a minimalist approach throughout.
-
T
-
I.
I
y
types.
In fact,
some of the most mundane works of modern architecture
rely almost entirely on second-rate plastic replicas and cheap imitation
classicism.
The 60's witnessed a movement away from this trend and a revival
of workmanship and quality.
analogous to "cheap":
quality.
E;,.2_
-sdjaa-ach,
a-----"
ar'h
The attitude developed that "plastic" was
mass produced articles were felt to be without
People once again became concerned with the propriety of a
material for its task and the propriety of ornament to its material.
This concern became a central issue in adaptive reuse projects.
Fkrs. 4 and 5.
Dwgraum of Oh fagads of S. Mana Novella
David Pye, author of The Nature and Art of Workmanship, deals with
the equivocacy of materials and construction, a problem which has begun
to trouble architects.
...every material has, as a matter of objective
fact, a specific nature, a fixed set of inherent
properties which can be expressed or supressed
rather as though it were a child
when it is used:
They are both essentially
being brought up.
concerned with design, and insist that the material
shall not be shaped or treated so as to suppress
the set of inherent properties which constitute
its nature. 1
Fw. 7. Fagadeof S. Sebariao, MAntu. Recnuction of
Alborn''s pojc of 1460
A good example of this minimilist approach to renovation can be
found in the Piano Craft Guild where the original structure and walls
were exposed and new construction was only added to create partitions
between different use spaces.
3.
Transformation
The evolution of a formal
Art historians write about representative examples from different
periods of architecture.
transformation as discussed
The triumphal
by Wittkower.
arch and temple facade
They comment on the evolution of form with
the passing of time, and not that each generation invents its own
combined over time to create
3---Plladmo. It Redemor, Ven
1576-92.FromRenortiSam..z=
Mb-l
Redemore
fawde
a new concept of the
Renaissance church.
L
vocabulary based on assumptions established by previous generations.
Transformation,in the terms of art historians, deals with the evolution
of form through the invention and juxtaposition of architectural vocabularies.
Rudolph Wittkower, in his book Architectural Principals in the Age
of Humanism, cites the transformation of church architecture as one of
the greatest achievements of the Renaissance.
Alberti, Wittkrower
claims, transformed the basilica, a prototype much used during the
Middle Ages, from "Wall Architecture" to an architecture which used a
12
more expressive definition of its function as the house of God.
Somewhat later, Palladio added the final touches to Alberti's work.
Neither architect, however, used new forms; they merely juxtaposed
vocabularies which had been used for other purposes - triumphal arches
and pagan temples.
The disassociation of these juxtaposed vocabularies
from their previous meanings created the transformation.
Were we to extend some of these concepts into adaptive reuse,
we would be dealing with recyclable buildings as a series or architectural elements which are combined according to the rules of a specific
vocabulary (wall architecture, for instance).
Following the concepts
of transformation, architects can intervene with different degrees
of intensity.
Some go as far as to use only the foundations of the
original building and add new construction to the old structure.
Unlike
renovation, transformation, by definition, alters the building's parti.
In my thesis, the need for an adeauate circulation system,
definition of public areas and privacies, and the need for light forced
me to make significant changes to the existing buildings.
Since I was
both adding and subtracting, I had to use an architectural vocabulary
suitable to sustain these changes.
I created such a vocabulary after
examining meaningful reference examples of both adaptive reuse and new
construction.
[
Im
_____j_r
18
Section 1
The Context
F
I
Generator
I. Landscape as Form~%
I.
LANDSCAPE AS FORM-GENERATOR
AT WALTER BAKER
The eastern complex of the Walter Baker Chocolate Factory has a
strong morphological association with the water,
which form the essential
rocks,
In fact,
elements of its natural environment.
the factory owes its very existence to the rapids:
abundant water power,
and escarpments
were it not for its
the site would never have been developed.
Even
as one stops on the bridge to look at the turbulent waters one can see
the evolution of the mill begin to come alive.
The heavy masonry walls
which echo the forms of the steep escarpments anchor the building solidly
74W
to the ground and provide a safe haven from which to watch the rushing
river.
It is as if the waters -
like the flames in a fireplace -
have
~
been successfully harnessed,
and one feels the same thrill
the rapids as in watching a fire.
~.,'
watching
The analogy can be taken further
when one realizes that both the river and the
keeping men alive.
in
fire serve a purpose in
In fact, the BRA has recently passed a proposal to
begin to use the river to supply Dorchester with "home grown" hydroelectric power.
Anchorage and bridging are recurrent themes within the complex.
Building 4 projects clear out over the water,
which are bolted into the river bed.
standing on steel columns
Other buildings are interconnected
by numerous bridges as if each structure was a ship on the bay with only
a thin gangplank connecting it to other ships and the land.
L andscape as the generator of form,
F rench master, Corot.
as depicted by the
After studying a contour map and then viewing the actual landscape
one can understand
the analogy between the buildings and their
site.
The heavy masonry walls form a "footprint" for the buildings, providinga solid anchoring base from which the lighter structure springs.
on-
either side of the river, massive escarpments spring up from the water,
rising high into the air
and bushes.
before they climax with a
These escarpments
topping of treesP
form exquisitely chisled natural
witness to an age-old evolutionary process.
A
OKXIZIWV
sculpture,t
Any attempt to add to this
context must be made only with a sensitivity to and regard for the-existing natural beauties.
Heri..ge.Park
-
;-zriae
Phtogrph
t th
is
ake
wes
ofthe
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I.
I
Morphology
II. Neighborhood
II.
AND ITS ORIGINS
NEIGHBORHOOD
MORPHOLOGY
In his book,
Streetcar Suburb:
(1870-1900),
Sam Bass Warner,
Jr.
The Process of Growth in Boston
traces the urbanization process that
took place in Boston after the Civil War.
During those thirty years,
Boston evolved into the metropolis that it is today.
And,
although War-
ner focusses his attention primarily on the city proper, many of the
patterns he develops apply equally well to the area around Lower Mills.
He coins the term "romantic capitalism" to label the trends of upward
mobility in the late 19th century society of immigrants who rose from
the ranks of the impoverished workers to the upper classes.
In a society
of intense economic growth and confusion,
people idealized village life
and rural surroundings centered about the
family and the community.
This idealization marked, says Warner,
"...the attempt by a mass of people
each with but one small house and lot to achieve what previously had been
the pattern of life of a few rich families with two large houses and
ample land."
He concludes:
The grid plan of the suburbs did not concern itself
It was an economically efficient
with public life.
geometry which divided large parcels of land as
The arrangement of the
they came on the market.
blocks of the grid depended largely upon what farm
The
or estate came on the market at what time.
-esult was not integrated communities arranged
about common centers, but a historical and
accidental traffic pattern.
Where a railroad station and arterial streets
came together,stores, churches, and sometimes
schools were build to serve some of the needs of
The old industrial relationship: millowner's house overlooking his mill. House c. 1860, picture 1880
In Dorchester, for
the residents of the area.
village clusters
historic
were
there
example,
that grew with the increase of population
around them: Meeting House Hill, Harrison
Other
Square, Codman Square, Lower Mills.
clusters -
cENTRAL
sosTos
such as Fields Corner, Grove Hall,
and Columbia Square - were largely the workST
of the new streetcar transportation network.
Most characteristic of the new suburban order
was the commercial strip which followed the
main transportation lines and had no center
Washington Street, Dorchester, from
at all.
ROXBURY
I
s,
Codman Square to Grove Hall lacked any historic
It was simply a long row of little
center.
stores which served those passing by and those
living in the houses behind. 8
GDCE
GROVE
4
Company officials situated the chocolate factory at an intersection
of several major transportation routes.
*
The location also offered the
highly desirable advantages of free hydro-electric power; in addition,
I
the river provided navigable water transit from the rapids to the ocean.
~cODMAN
SQUARE
The area around the mill did not develop into a crowded urban network.
Rather, Lower Mills represented the idea of a rural community,
very similar, on a smaller scale, to the town of Lowell.
As Warner
points out, however, there was little direct planning involved in the
growth of Lower Mills.
O,
Facilities sprang up and became outdated.
Companies found it easier to relocate and construct new facilities than
to renovate or reuse existing ones.
Nor did they usually bother to
destroy the old buildings, but chose instead to simply abandon them.
HYDE PAR
MATTAPAN
MILTON
Major streetcar stops which even a century later remain
as community nuclei.
rii
0
~0
Neighborhood Character
(
1Am.
5.
2.MO
1.& 2.
Building 30-31 wrap around
Adams Street like a small city
fortification.
3.
Milton, to the south, is an
affluent middle-class community.
4.
A small parking area, used as
service area to the complex on
Building 34.
5.
The Dorchester
Lower Mills.
-
section of
1-.
3.
4.
4
III. Orientation
III.
ORIENTATION OF BUILDINGS
The first buildings in the Walter Baker complex date back to 1868
and were positioned to take advantage of the power supplied by the river.
Later buildings were positioned wherever they could fit on the crowded
site.
As a result of initial positioning, later additions,
and subse-
quent urbanization of the surrounding locale, the Walter Baker Chocolate
Factory currently presents several major orientations and directions.
One can interpret these directions in a variety of ways, and I have
included graphics to help illustrate the major factors.
forms
The site can be interpreted as a hand where the Pierce Mill
the palm with fingers extending from it:
the fingers are the Ware Mill,
BR,A., eve vi-w. af L.tap. Park i ;t-or
H-ri
the Preston Mill, and Buildings 20,
Mill forming the index finger.
21, and 22 with the Adams
These
Street
i
pmthv-vna-r'np" t'
r
Ri" e
ilIsIi,th
Ceta.
ad
anA
i''11
it
res-pe.
r.
Park
-
mp e
Hannon
'
oe
Paru
p.- o"'w
fingers are bounded by or buried
in the protruding escarpments of the river.
Four major axes are generated in this organization.
The primary
access is Adams Street, and as one walks from the MBTA one is
immediately
attracted by the gate which forms a visible landmark and point of
reference.
Buildings
A second direction is created as Adams Street wraps around
30 and 31.
Another passageway begins at the gateway,
perpen-
dicular to Adams Street, and ends at a rack escarpment creating a third
direction.
Beginning as an alley,
this space becomes a rather charming
courtyard although at the moment it is isolated from the rest of the com-
nnen--eninin
(I88PI-O.
th.
the W.r- Ms
l
H--ll
aieht th- AA- SI--n
vro
f
-Adthe Pret"n.111 100, XA
Pierce Mil l
t11r).
.I
plex.
For the purposes of this
The footbridge creates a fourth axis.
thesis I have included Building 38
(the Ware Mill) and Building 39
(the
Ware Storehouse) which are located on this axis.
The factory buildings themselves are directional, in keeping with
the topography, the river, and the street.
Industrial buildings, they
were designed to be straight-forward and efficient:
long and thin to
admit lots of daylight and to facilitate the transmission of power via
long belts and axles.
a
~ml~
j'j Ii
-fl
7-7~
~,
~
1=t
V
IV
L4ZL~
L
t-I--
L~
Both slides capture the key
clues to the nature of site in
its
urban context:
aloof,
fortification-like.
U-'
Orientation of Buildings
MAP (F
PROPERTY
IX
MAJOR
Insurance map depicting numbering system, date of construction,
and defining area of study for the purposa of this thesis.
AXES
OF
BUILDINGS
211
IV. Character of Existing Buildings
IV.
CHARACTER OF EXISTING BUILDINGS
In 1966, students working on architectural preservation with Professor
Seckler of Harvard, analyzed a building across the street from the
chocolate factory.
For the purposes of this thesis,
their observations
on that structure are considered to hold true for the Walter Baker
buildings.
_
'The prosaic designation "Mill No. 4, Buildings A-B"
seems somehow appropriate for this sturdy but
stolid example of nineteenth century industrial architecture - impressive more for its durability and
At the time
continuing utility than its style.
of its construction, the Baker Chocolate Company
was rapidly expanding and improving its production
facilities on both banks of the Neponset River at
Milton's Adams Street bridge.
Today the Baker
Company has followed the migratory path of other
New England industries southward in search of
cheaper labor, but Mill No. 4 is partly rented
and, with little difficulty, is being renovated
for new industrial uses.' Construction is described
in this manner:
'On the interior, timber floors lie upon a grill of iron
The iron girders run from front
and wood girders.
(Adams Street) to rear, resting between cast iron
columns; the wood beams are suspended from the iron
by metal brackets and traverse the building from
In Building B, however, the floor
side to side.
above the basement is of brick and is supported
by masonry vaulting filled to floor level between
iron girders.
Most of the heaviest loading appears
to have occurred on this surface.'
"The plane, undisguised brick surf as...ad long
been a part of this native tradition."
'In
dramatic contrast to the techniques employed
at the Baker site, the Menier Chocolate Works of
Jules Saulnier had already pioneered skeletal
construction ten years earlier at Noisel-sur-Marne.
The anonymous industrial buildings of the St.
Louis waterfront, rising between 1850 and 1880,
mini
had demonstrated with their iron and glass facades
how utilitarian structures could be more amply
lit and shed their masonry heaviness. And the
years following the completion of Mill No. 4 (1883),
William Le Baron Jenney's Home Insurance Building
rose to punctuate the Chicago skyline.'
'About the architecture of the Walter Baker Chocolate Factory:
In fixing the mill's architectonic
treatment, its designers appear to have borrowed with
partial success from contemporary masters while
also unconsciously retaining much that was of value
in a century of anonymous American architecture.
The
plane, undisguised brick surfaces, cleanly penetrated by doors and windows - such as exhibited
by all the buildings in the Baker complex - had long
been a part of this native tradition.' 9
The complex at Walter Baker is an example of an
industrial prototype.
The idea is to give an image to
the company rather than to emphasize the manufacturing
Buildings as such are sturdy structure
process.
witnesses to the prosperity of the firm.
Existing Buildings
VIEW
EAST FROM BRIDGE
51
Existing Buildings
Isv,'*
-'
rtrr~
~
-, r .
II
im
a
too
1.
4L-
-4.-
I*
ADAMS
STREET FAI ADE
L
t
Existing Buildings
BACK
VIEW OF
BUILDINGS
FROM
ESCARPMENT
V.
Building Program
Artists face a work space crunch
The struggling artist.
partk-uiarly with the redisco
starving artists,
very of the eity hv affltent professionikoston ai1eager to hvv condominlums
miliar with all the problems facing
creative peoplein their search for liv
ing and working spaces
Pineda lives with her husband.
sculptor larold Tovitsh. on MarIbnrough street to the Back Blay, but they
work in separate studios In the Fort
Point Channel area behind South
alone In a garret. Is a citche that re-
fuses to go away
Bit In the
area in recent years. Industrial and
carved out of structures originally de
commercial building iofts have rplaced garrets. colective action has
become the way to .olve housing and
signed as wharf buildings. warehoses and manufacturing plants buiktings ideally suited to artists
"Artitsts need space. light and
porerty restudio problems. and ti
mains a fact of life for many rreative
penple. new
galteries
and exhibition
spaces have emerged to give lwir
work greater phtic exposure
a suillable.
Nevertheless.
affordable work space remains one of
finding
the critical pronms facing Hoston
said
sense
greater
sculpor Marfreight elevators."
oanna
Pida. "and a
ofhelnngto a eommuinity Is of
and
Ing
Station. the fatest growing artits'
community In the city. Other enclaves exist in the Snuth Fnd. Fenway. Chinatown's leather district.
greater importance as well. For the
past few years. Pinrda has headed
ot fhe toston
the iotuving Commit tee
Visual ArlIsts Union. and she 1s fa
.amaica Plain and. stightly further
afilid. in Cambridge's Le humere
arra. Somerville and Waltham.
Noone has a solid estimate of the
lowed the hixry housinr demand to
detrov the artiss e-unmunitle's
The i'uston Wharf to owns 3M
numter of professional artists. but
the BVAU1sent out a questionnaire to
3000 artists on its mailing list three
years ago, and got 2000 rrplies Musiclans
and other
miltion
square
fee( of space In (th
Fort Point Channel area and has begun m"nverting buildines into luxury
condominiums The arlists now are
organized. hopeful they can negotiate
with their landlord for a future for
themselves and their spaces The rot come can he predifted. because athe following
articles show. every
group ft arlisis has a different tale
I
tell
performing artists
would swell that census
"'Artists like this area." said Pineda. "It Is a liveable city. with gonud
museums. good music. an arttsts'
union. and a way to join the artistic
communIty We also feel we have a
Wntto contribute In Roston. and the
city has a chance In avoid the mis
takes
New York made when it al-
two
-JEFF
MeL.AllAIL-IN
Boston Sunday Globe,
V.
SELECTING THE BUILDING PROGRAM
Included in this section
is a copy of an article from the Boston
Globe which describes the space crunch that artists are currently
experiencing.
is taking away the precious loft
Speculative housing
space that people in the arts need.
thesis around an artists' colony,
And, although I have centered my
I have taken a larger group of users
into consideration, attempting to think in terms of a person who needs
not only a living space but also a space in which to work.
There is a
growing trend towards integrating home life and work life,
and writers
such as Alvin Toffler and Lewis Mumford have predicted
scenarios in
which people would rather work at home than subject themselves to a
nine-to=five routine.
(In one of my original thesis proposals I
developed the concept of a self-supporting facility similar to the communes of the 60's, the urban housing cooperative of the 70's,
and the
July 1980
utopian communities from the 19th century.
Due to the lack of an ade-
quate program incorporating a real client, however, the proposed
exploration proved unworkable.)
The Walter Baker industrial buildings would not only be an ideal
artists' colony, but is also worthy of renovation as a magnificent example of our architectural heritage.
In addition, the community surrounding
the complex would benefit by creating these cultural facilities.
I
have adopted the following program from the Piano Craft Guild to be used
as a guideline for this design project:
- Apartment units ranging from 400 to 1600 sq. feet
- 30,000 sq. feet for gallery, lobby, resturant, and small
business enterprises.
- Theater with seating for 200 people, and a small reception area
- Space for workshops and a small performing company
-
Service utilities
Economics did not play a major role in making design decisions.
As a design exploration, this thesis is intended to be an academic
exercise in form-making; a more disciplined financial focus could easily
form an entire thesis in itself.
Michael B. Johnson's thesis deals with
the renovation of the Close Factory in East Cambridge and provides
a scenario which is not dissimilar to my own proposal.
It is assumed that the renovation process will be
(A
initiated by a base or "seed" corporation.
tenant's association would be the deal base
The base corporation would purchase
corporation.)
and
property from the Redevelopment
building
the
Many municipalities, eager to stiAuthority.
mulate development in decaying-areas, will sell
old buildings to prospective developers at
bargain prices.
Thus, it is conceivable that a tenant's group or
other private entity might be encouraged to
undertake development of an existing building.
Once the building and property are acquired, the
corporation will obtain financing, either from
a private agency, or from HUD under Section 312
for the actual renovation (up to $17,500 per unit).
56-
Section 2
The Explorations
dl
I. Program and Parti
I.
PROGRAM AND PARTI
I spent a large part of the semester developing a circulation sys-
tem adequate for mixed use development.
Throughout this period
on defining and differentiating public and private areas.
*
I focused
I used
the patterns of movement in pedestrian networks as references
and I
studied the patterns that currently exist in such mixed use areas as
the North End.
At Lower Mills, a public path begins at the gateway on Adams Street,
penetrates Building 20 and crosses over the small bridge between Buildings 28 and 39 and then leads back either to Adams Street or the MBTA.
The private areas begin between Buildings 33 and 21 and between
Buildings 21 and 25.
public pathway:
The North End provided a good reference
lesser streets are screened from the busiest part of
town, and while they are still public spaces,
sonal qualities.
they have special per-
The pedestrian, who at first might overlook the side
streets, is pleasantly
surprised when he finds them.
The resolution of the existing directional axes
described earlier)
system.
for the
(which was
served as the organizing element for the circulation
The notion of the link and the joint form an analogy to the
circulation system and its open spaces.
The link is the linear circu-
"L'Escalier des Lavandieres" by
18th century French painter Hubert
Robert, used as a visual reference
to the gate-like
19 and 20.
lation route and the joint is the point where two or more links meet.
In this particular study,
the topography and the buildings create a
opening at Buildings
circulation system similar to ones found in Mediterrean villages.
I have penetrated through Building 20 making a gateway to the
other side of the river, and I have created a joint or open space on
either side of the gate.
The joint between Buildings
serves as a transition to a smaller
30,
31 and 32.
Buildings 30,
30,
33, and 20
joint at the entrance of Buildings
Because they were much too awkward for housing,
31,
and 32 have been zoned for commercial and office
space.
The joint around these buildings also serves as a transition to the
private housing area which is further defined by a gate between
Buildings 20 and 33.
The space between Buildings
30 and 34 and Buildings
19 and 23 is sufficient to allow vehicular access on special occasions.
(This alleyway currently handles a considerable amount of traffic:
it can easily accomodate an occasional truck or emergency vehicle.)
In addition, deliveries can be made at the lot next to buildings
33
and 34.
I have placed a gallery in Buildings 20 and 21 where artists can
exhibit their work and share their ideas.
The gallery is also a transi-
tion to the theater lobby which is buried between Buildings 33 and 34
and Buildings 20 to 23.
Though it could be an expensive piece of
construction, the theater imparts a necessary vitality to the entire
artists'
complex.
I have moved the elevator from the end of Building 21 over to the
space next to the gallery in order to allow a more efficient circulation
to the upper level units and to create a means of vertical access adjacent
to the main gateway.
The shed north of Building 20B has been removed
to create a sunny space.
Part of this space serves as an outdoor spill-
over for the resturant and gallery.
The space also serves as a transi-
tion between Buildings 21 and 25 beyond the gate.
I have also demolished
Shed 20 C and created a deck for the resturant which can also serve as
I,
a point where people can simply relax and look at the landscape.
Buildings 21 and 22 are so high that they block the sun from the
spaces between Buildings 30, 33, and 34.
The lack of southern exposure
I
would render these existing open spaces uninhabitable throughout much
of the year.
In addition, the existing axes through these buildings ter-
minates in the sheer walls of the escarpments.
So, for purposes of
light, open space, and circulation, I have cut through Buildings 22 and
27 and formed the remaining buildings into a conclusive
"spine".
The
Early efforts dealing with gallery!
theatre space in
open space formed by this cut is
oriented in
the direction of the
river and also contains a level change which gives it additional richness.
From either of these spaces one can follow a set of stairs in
the
northern terrace to the back of the spine, or one can go through a
passageway into another open space.
like the terraces in
the hill
This open space is to be landscaped
towns to suggest a place where people
might want to retreat and rest.
The point between Buildings 20,
19,
and 25 also serves as a transi-
tion to the bridge, which can be repaired and converted into a charming
thoroughfare.
Because the bridge is wide enough for truck passage, it
could also be used for some emergency vehicles and for special deliveries.
Buildings 28 and 39 lack the enclosure and privacy found in other
Buildings 20 and 21.
buildings.
space.
Therefore,
I have designated these structures
The storehouses in Buildings
37
as office
and 38 can be maintained as they
currently exist or these buildings can be converted for use as an openair marketplace on weekends.
Due to the proximity of the complex to the MBTA trolley and bus
services, on-site parking can be kept to a minimum of 1.5
dwelling unit.
parking spaces.
With
40
dwellings on the site,
spaces per
this requires
60
Because of the lack of land on the eastern complex,
one might put some of the parking on grounds across the
street.
A
tenants cooperative could manage and maintain the open spaces and parking areas.
The Red Line subway tracks will eventually be converted into
recreational facilities as part of the plans to create the Heritage Park.
Until then,
the front lot of Building 38 and the space on the northern
side can remain as a green walkway with some provisions for parking.
1--.
Heritage Park
Walkng, Jogging,
andBiking
11
The Neponset riverfront offers a continuous opportunity
for bicyclists, walkers, joggers, and is served at several points by the Red Line
Pathways
trolley extension.
should be created on the
higher riverbanks and along
the marsh edge; access to
these pathways should be
created in accordance with
the reconsnendations of the
recent City report on Boston's Urban Wilds, which
identiies
several key acThe
quisitions or easements.
pathways themselves should be
constructed with sensitivity
envirto the area's fragile
onmental features by remaining off the wetlands and
by taking advantage of
bridges and archways already
in place.
Between Butler Street and
Cedar Grove, the Red Line
trolley curves northward,
leaving a pair of former Old
Colony freight tracks running
This
along the marsh edge.
spur is used but minimally,
and if an alternative means
users can be
of serving its
found, the lengthy process c'
track abandonment should be
This would allow
attempted.
eventual public acquisitioc
of the right-of-way, and its
conversion to part of the
In the
linear park system.
interim, an easenent on the
dry-land side of the tracks
should be sought.
Boating
andPicnicking
12
tween the Ventura Street
playground and the River is
owned in part by the MDC and
in part by a private property
It should become the
holder.
site of both a public boat
dock and the Park's major
picnic area.
This is the
picnic grove to which the
eastern riverfront walkways
of the Mills will lead, and
the view upriver into the
gorge is dramatic. This area
is within walking distance of
47-.
-
Potential joggingebecle path
an abandoned rail nvrit-of,==.
U
Privateownership and
dc velopmentofrthe riverbanL
haivescreened off this potential
re reationalresourcefrom the
ipie who should most enoi
i 4he residents of Dorchesw.
atnapan, and Milton.
Just east of the Heritage
Park at the Mills, the opportunity exists to create
attractive boating and picnicking areas on both sides
In Dorchester,
of the River.
the hillside which lies be-
/
g,,
4
4
The Heritage Park at the Mils
emphasiesconcentrated.
active, largely educational
activities in facilities that ae
built. while the Heritage Park
along the Neponset emphasimes
diffuse, passive, more purehs
recreational activities in an environment that is natural.
-
The state Department of
Environmental Management is
familiar with the concept plan
(or the Heritage Park and
itendsto support it.
Potential Active
Recreation Areas
Conservation Areas Open
to Walking & Biking
'4
Mills Complex &
Industrial Use
ED
M Museum
0
Heritage State Park Visitor Center
Commercial
Fie d
Areas
Existing Boat Doocks
Proposed Public
Boat Docks
Pages 46 and 47 reproduced from the study "Dorchester Iower Mills" from the BRA regarding Heritage Park which bypasses
the Walter Baker Chocolate Factory.
Plans by the BRA are at the moment vague.
Rather than following their proposals,
I have made the assumption that in regards to my specific site,
such recreation would only take place on the southern
part of the river since most development on the northern side is already private and the topography much too steep
to be of any use.
On the left
bank the soon-to-be-obsolete T track can, as the text explains, be used efficiently.
S
--
// H=I*
-MHlton
.I'*
-=
N
L
--
Midterm Plans
b-~ ~-/~---
FIRST FLOOR
PLAN
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
Midterm plans show original programatic concerns.
Nevertheless, problems with building, light and orientation remain to
be solved.
The open-ended buildings make one believe that there is an ongoing network.
However, beyond lies only a
small patch of landscape and then steep escarpments and water.
For this reason I have filled
the space between
Buildings 23 and 27 to give the project a sense of completion.
On the following page there is a diagram where one
can see how a new joint has been created with a path in the direction of the water and this built area eliminated.
Concept
,1
Diagrams
>~'-~
L
(
....
UKmiN1T....AK
RECREATIMOL
VEHICULA. ACCESS
EXISTENG
EXISTING BUILDINGS* *VEHICULAR ACCESS
Existing Buildings --
Vehicular Access.
buildings before transformation.
Drawing shows existing
Existing organization relates
Future Heritage Park developsolely to vehicular service access.
ment will take place on southern bank of river.
TRANSFORMATION
DIAGRAM
Concept Diagram of Transformation. The new public and semi/private
paths related to a sequential order given to the new use. Vehicular
access is still possible in new scheme as on the other drawing at
the left.
e
Finished Drawings
Finished Drawings
Page
Dorchester/Milton .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
. .
.
.
.45
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
. .
.
.
.46
1.
Site Plan ***
2.
First Floor Plan with Context. .
3.
Ground Floor Plan.
4.
Adams Street Facades
5.
North Elevation -
Buildings 19, 20, 21,
6.
South Elevation -
Buildings 19,
20,
7.
North Elevation -
Buildings 19,
24,
8.
South Elevation -
Buildings 19,
24, 25,
9.
Section A - A
10.
.
.
.......
..47
(Existing)
48
22, 23.
49
21,
22,
23.
50
25,
26,
27.
51
26,
27.
52
(looking west).
.
53
Section B -
B (looking east).
.
54
11. Section C -
C (looking east).
.
55
D
.
56
12.
Section D -
44
(looking north)
.--
',236
4r)
4W
!W
so".1 -.
A
ft
so
Aj
-I-
N
N
%
-DORCHESTER/MILTON
SITE PLAN LOWER MILLS
WALTER
FERNANDO
BAKER
CHOCOLATE FACTORYz---
ADAPTIVE
D. CASTRO
NIASTER'S T IES IS
IASSACI'LSEITs
INSTITI'TE
OF TEICINOLOGY
::
FALL 1980
REUSE
EXPLORATION
-1
0 0
204)
46
L~.
I
SEIuCE
IL
ARE~A/
PARKING
~t&(IOMMERCIAL
(
.-
rIt.OFF1CfrS
I
Ij
Pr'
U
U
WORKSM)PS
i
.3.
N
FIRST FLOOR PLAN WITH CONTEXT
WALTER BAKERoCHOCOLATE
FERNANDO
D. CASTRO
FACTORY w
D
ADAPTIVE
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MASTER'S THESIS
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY n o o FALL 1980u
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MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOL.OGY coo FALL 1980
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SOUTH ELEVATION
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WALTER BAKER CHOCOLATE FACTORYooo ADAPTIVE REUSE EXPLORATION
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SECTION A-A
(Jooking west)
WALTER BAKER CHOCOLATE FACTORY oo
FERNANDO D. CASTRO
MASTER THESIS
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGl'noc FALL 1980
ADAPTIVE REUSE EXPLORATION
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SECTION B-B
(looking east)
- WALTER BAKER CHOCOLATE FACTORYooo ADAPTIVE REUSE EXPLORATION
FERNANDO D. CASTRO
MASTERS THESIS
;-.~
~MASSACHU1SE:TTS
INSTITUTE OF TE(HNOLOGV;Y
FA~LL 1930
MAINTENANCE
SECTION C-C
(looking east)
WALTER BAKER CHOCOLATE FACTORYo0o
FERNANDO D. CASTRO
MASTER'S THESIS
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY coo FALL 1980
ADAPTIVE REUSE EXPLORATION
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WALTER BAKER CHOCOLATE FACTORY ooo ADAPTIVE REUSE EXPLORATION
FERNANDO D. CASTRO
MASTER'STHESIS
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY oco FALL
190
11
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.
III
a
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I
I
57
II. References of Transformation
II.
REFERENCES OF TRANSFORMATION
I have used three projects as references for a building vocabulary
at Walter Baker.
Belgium,
The Housing
for the Medical
Lucien Kroll;
by Belgian architect
Emmons' Ghiradelli Square in San Francisco;
also in San Francisco.
Students at Louraine
Wurster,
Bernasi,
in
W
--III\IIy
r_
GhtrardelMlSquaft
and
and Joseph Esherick's Cannery,
Kroll's project is entirely new construction,
while the latter two projects are examples of adaptive reuse through
transformation.
Of the three references, Ghiradelli Square bears the closest
resemblance
to the Walter Baker Chocolate
of buildings
architectural
from different
Factory.
Each complex consists
styles and periods.
In
each
case, a new circulation system gives the renovated complex new unity
and identity.
In Ghiradelli,
the addition of two new buildings near
the corner facing the Bay and the emphasis on the open
created the transformation.
spaces between
The buildings now become a container for
the interior spaces as well as terraces, which have been articulated
through the use of screens,
tains and seating areas.
gates and other furnishings such as founNew construction is
subdued high enough only
to define the spaces it creates.
I have taken a similar approach to redesigning
the Chocolate Factory.
The physical and visual hierarchy of spaces is intended to locate these
spaces within their social context.
There are, however,
some important
At Ghiradelli, an existing morphological entity
has been transformed through the resolution of the
original parti brought about by the completion of
the city block and the division, via screens, of
the large central volume into smaller, more manageable spaces.
Compare with diagrams on page 43.
----------IL-
IA
V.' 0
do
differences between Ghiradelli and Walter Baker.
Lower Mills,
Unlike Ghiradelli, at
While
the riverfront.
one must deal with the landscape:
Walter Baker is somewhat isolated from Dorchester, Ghiradelli is a
shopping center, a public space,
urban context.
located right in the heart of an
Therefore, the direct application of specific references
from Ghiradelli to Walter Baker is not as effective or reasonable as
an indirect connection to the inherent qualities of the references.
2.
N
SECTION C-C (EAST)
3.
1.
1.
Exterior view of Ghiradelli
2. New corner additions
3. Screen-like partitioning of large
square into smaller courtyards.
-- ?
1,;
The new aggregations
at Ghiradelli
provide subtle, indirect references
Square
for
The corner additions act as
W.B.C.F.
backdrops, meant to define the spaces
Interior aggregations draw
they enclose.
attention to the screen-like subdivision
Detailing, throughout
of the courtyards.
the project, is somewhat mundane and
low key.
Compare with rest of elevation studies
at the end of this section and with
finished elevation drawinqs in previous
chapter.
SECTION A-A(WEST)
The Cannery by Joseph Esherick is also in San Francisco and serves
as a contrast to both Ghiradelli and Walter Baker.
The buildings at
the Cannery are more monolithic, with thicker walls and larger openings.
Esherick uses the repetitive arches to create an exquisite variety of
uses:
gates,
galleries, windows.
The rich and heavy textures,
are still true to the structure and its materials.
however,
The clarity of the
structural elements and their contrast with Esherick's glass additions
provide beneficial examples
for the project at Lower Mills.
1.
2.
4.
-&
Although it is new construction,
La Maison Medicale by Lucien Kroll
is also a useful reference for Walter Baker because it possesses a physical relation to its landscape and its neighborhood.
At La Maison Medi-
cale, Kroll displays a major effort to deal with the spaces in between
buildings.
At the project, which is for a variety of users, he attempts
to simulate the idea of the village:
a self-contained entity which allows
and stimulates personal interaction.
Kroll's physical articulation of
the buildings makes references to growing organisms:
there is a concern
1.
2.
3.
4.
U"
Interior passageway
Exterior view of building
Floor plan
Prototypical window/door opening
Like Ghiradelli Square, the Cannery concerns itself with
the creation of a pedestrian path throughout the complex.
Instead of buildings of different styles as in Walter
Baker Chocolate Factory or at Ghiradelli, there is a
uniform vocabulary of heavy masonry throughout
and variations are a propos to the complex.
3.
for overall structure but there is also a concern for detail with
many localized decisions.
The footings of the buildings at the Maison Medicale,
to Gaudi's buildings,
are literally feet.
Made from rusticated stone,
they are outgrowths of the rocks and the ground itself.
grows from the rustication to make walls and piers:
organism.
which refer
Brick masonry
the limbs of the
The large glazing areas become the skin of the body which
shingled areas and greenhouses create an analogy to a head.
This three-part articulation is readily applicable at the chocolate
factory.
The footprints of the building are,
the rock ledges.
in fact,
extensions of
Like Kroll, one can extend local vocabulary into the
9
new construction as well as the areas that have disassembled and now
- Future
9Sa
,
2
Isomeinc
pl*g
Th. M.ct
Contstruction!
Concerrng the future Pro
...
th...otr..ctior,
TheFachste
3 - The Res.aum
require new facades.
In the main structure, masonry walls and piers
4 - TheEolUe
5 Th
eure~u
6
MetroIUnck-
can establish the link between new and old, and the old elements of
metal flashing and shingles can be repeated in new roof construction.
Finally, as a means of breaking the
similarity between the two projects,
and to establish contrasts between new and old, glazing can be added to
the factory buildings to diminish the severity of the original construction
and to lighten the intensity of the new additions.
The Village, the venacular as the general organizing element in
Kroll's Maison Medicale.
Refere nces
3.
2,3,4 generating form from the clues
1. roof and light mateon the site.
coming out of the masonry,
rials
2. the masonry openings, 3. use of
these clues for elevation studies.
1.
-7-4
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14
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1. Professor Halasz's
sketches regarding the
Center
use of masonry.
left of sketch, Palazzo
Farnese begun by Raphael,
completed later by
Michaelanqelo, hiqher
ratio of wall vs. window
Underneath,
openings.
later perversions of
the palazzo prototype
where the ratio becomes
At lower right
50%-50%.
A. Higher percentage of
wall vs. openings
B. The frame, C. 50%50% of open vs. wall,
D. Same as A. but
the masonry
illustrating
arch and erosion of wall.
4-
w2.
-
j
~z -~~
-
SECTION C-C (EAST)
5. Lucien Kroll's Maison Dominican at Froydam Belgium; 6, 7, 8 Maison Medicale at
Kroll's work displays a calculated effort to generate form from the landscape and
Louvian.
It's
building vocabulary reveals an anthropromorphic order and is a
the vennacular.
return to the origins of architectural order which the moderns seem to have forgotten in
their high-brow vision of architecture as art. Kroll's vacabulary derives from how
As shown by
elements are put together and how they are generated by a common mainstream.
it is the smaller elements that generate the larger order.
these illustrations,
5.
7.
8.
References
F"'
V
SOUTH ELEVATION
ELEVATION STUDIES BLDGS. 19,24,25,26,27
0
s
a
20I
2
Reference - direct and indirect - to La Maison Medicale (as shown in the pictures on this
The masonry has been used to
page) can be found in the Walter Baker Chocolate Factory.
generate a continuity from landscape to building, and the larger buildings, in turn,
Compare studies
"erode" to support the smaller, transparent additions and outgrowths.
- -- - -above and at end of this
section with finished
elevation drawings in the
previous chapter.
-SECTION A-A (WEST)
NORTH ELEVATION
STUDIES BLDGS. 19,20,21,22,23
asaIL
F
Elevation Studies
What follows is a graphic presentation of my adaptation of the Walter Baker Chocolate Factory, and, as can be seen, the new building
vocabulary reflects the influence of the three primary references.
Compare these studies with final drawings at the end of Chapter I,
Program and Parti.
Elevation Studies
1.
North Elevation -
Buildings 19,
20,
21,
22,
23.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
. 64
2.
South Elevation -
Buildings 19,
20,
21, 22,
23.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
. 65
3.
South and North Elevations -
27
.
4.
Section A -
A
.
.
.
. 67
5.
Section C -
C (looking east) Same Scale as Previous Drawing
.
. 68
Buildings 19,
24,
(looking west) and Section B -
25,
B. .
26,
.
.
.
.
66
tt,
(44
NORTH ELEVATION
STUDIES BLDGS 19,20,21,22,23
'510
20
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ELEVATION STUDIES BLDGS. 19,20,21,22,23
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NORTH ELEVATION
ELEVATION STUDIES BLDGS. 19,24,25,26,27
F
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20
(67
1L~
II
SECTION A-A (WEST)
SECTION B-B(EAST)
0 5
10
20
;((-
SECTION C- C(E AST)
Conclusion
CONCLUSION
Adaptive reuse is a new endeavor in the United States.
formal research in this area is scanty.
As such,
The only existing publications
tend to be pictorial surveys of the most noticeable projects of
recent times.
This design thesis has been an exploration of only the
most rudimentary of the design issues involving the buildings at the
Walter Baker Chocolate Factory.
of adaptive reuse,
Rather than being an intensive survey
it is merely a case study of one direction that
reuse and the contextural approach can follow.
Many times during the duration of the thesis,
I felt that certain
issues could have become entire thesis topics in themselves.
I still feel
somewhat puzzled by the issues in the last chapter which deal with the
notion of an architectural vocabulary and its construction.
concept of an anthropomorphic
The
vocabulary that was raised by Lucien
Kroll's work could use further study.
A vocabulary and a building method
appropriate to the vocabulary are both subjects which merit continued
exploration.
More than anything else, however, this thesis has been a rewarding
educational experience,
and I learned a great deal through my efforts
to develop a sensitivity while enhancing the richness of these old
buildings.
Although my efforts aren't nearly up to the
standards the
buildings truly deserve, the opportunity to work with them has been
extremely beneficial, and will undoubtedly have some effect on my future
[
II
direction.
Architecture is currently in a state of confusion.- Part of the
problem, I believe, stems from the recent misinterpretations of our role
as architects.
a vehicle for
Is architecture only an art form:
expressing the concerns and perceptions of a particular culture?
Peo-
ple also have to live in buildings, and as an environment for supporting
and fostering human activities, architecture must have more than purely
symbolic qualities.
In recent times, many architects have seen them-
selves as aesthetic sibilings of modern artists.
Their attitudes -
that architecture is primarily a three-dimensional art form - have led
to social estrangement and environmental impoverishment.
Adaptive reuse presents a way out of this dilemma.
It is a prag-
matic solution to an architectural problem - what to do with buildings
that no longer "work" - and rebels at the notion that architecture is
merely glorified art.
It is essential that architects once again begin
to develop more than their aesthetic sensibilities.
They must be sensi-
tive to the social and environmental ramifications of their work.
Adaptive reuse presents a chance to develop these sensitivities.
thesfis is a small effort in this direction.
My
r
I
-1
I
7'1
Footnotes
FOOTNOTES
1. Walter C. Kidney, Working Places:
(Penn., 1976), P. 3.
Buildings.
the Adaptive Use of Industrial
2. Barbarlee Diamonstein, Buildings Reborn:
(New York, 1978), p. 15.
3.
Charles Jencks,
(New York, 1973), p.
New Uses, Old Places.
The Language of Post Modern Architecture,
130.
55.
4.
Jencks, op. cit., p.
5.
Trillin in Diamonstein, op. cit., p.
24.
6.
Trillin in Diamonstein, op. cit., p.
24.
7.
Kidney, op. cit., p.
Sam Bass Warner, Jr.,
8.
(Cambridge, Mass.), p. 158.
3.
The Process of Growth in Boston
(1870-1900).
9. Peter Epstein, Allan Goodheart, Geoffrey Swan, unpublished manu(Harvard U., Cambridge, Mass.,
script on "Preservation" for Prof. Seckler.
1966).
Michael B. Johnson, Renovation for the Closed Factory, A Proposal
10.
(MIT, M. Arch. thesis, Cambridge, Mass., 1977), p. 11.
for Urban Housing.
11.
David Pye, The Nature and Art of Workmanship.
(Camb. U. Press),
p. 46.
12.& Rudolph Wittkower, Architectural Principals in the Age of
(New York), p. 52, 91.
Humanism.
L
F
I
Bibliography
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Alexander, Christopher, A Pattern Language, New York:
Oxford Univer-
sity Press, 1977.
Architecture d'Aujourd 'Hui, Joe Esherick's The Cannery, V. 43,
August, September 1971.
Architectural Forum, Joe Esherick's The Cannery, V.
128,
#157,
#5, June
1968.
Benevolo, Leonardo, The Origins of Modern Town Planning, M.I.T., Cambridge,
The MIT Press, 1971.
BRA, a report by Harrington, Keefe & Schork Planners and Skidmore,
Owings & Merrill,
Architects.
Dorchester, Lower Mills,
Boston,
Massachusetts, August 1979.
BRA, Dorchester, Fields Corner, Neighborhood Profile, Boston 1979.
Diamonstein, Barbaralee, Buildings Reborn:
York, Harper & Row, 1978.
New Uses, Old Places; New
Hayden, Dolores, Nine American Utopias, MIT, Cambridge, MA.
MIT Press,
1976.
Hitchcock, Henry Russel and Philip Johnson, The International Style,
New York:
Jencks,
W.W. Norton & Company,
1966.
Charles, Modern Movements in Architecture, Garden City, New
York:
Doubleday, 1973.
Johnson, Michael B., Renovation for the Close Factory, A Proposal for
Urban Housing, MIT, M. Arch. thesis, June 1977.
Kidney, Walter C., Working Places, The Adaptive Use of Industrial Buildings,
Pittsburg, Penn., Ober Park Assoc., Inc., 1976.
Kroll, Lucien,
"Architecture and Urbanism", November 1979.
Lowell Historic Canal Commission, A report on the Lowell Historic Canal
District, Lowell, MA, Jan 1977.
McHarg, Ian L., Design with Nature, Garden City, New York:
Museum of Natural History, Doubleday & Company, 1969.
American
I
Mass. Department of Community Affairs, Built to Last: Washington DC,
National Trust for Historic Preservation, The Preservation Press,
1977.
A New Building in Historic
Polhemus, Peter, The Present in the Past:
Salem, Mass., MIT M. Arch. thesis, Feb., 1979.
Tofler, Alvin, The Third Wave, New York, William Morrow & Company, Inc.,
1980.
Venturi, Robert, Architecture d'Aujourd'hui, June 1978.
Warner, Sam Bass Jr., The Process of Growth in Boston (1870-1900),
Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press.
Wittkower, Rudolph, Architectural Principals in the Age of Humanism,
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-Li