Project: Alice Austen House Museum: a more resilient, intentional community anchor for Staten Island and beyound.
Client: Alice Austen House Museum, Staten Island.
Team: Studio in placemaking and historical preservation, school of Urban Studies, Pratt Institute.
Role: Historical research, field research, analysis of the land, design of solutions, illustrations.
Article: https://www.pratt.edu/news/amplifying-an-unsung-site-of-queer-history-on-staten-island/
Client: Alice Austen House Museum, Staten Island.
Team: Studio in placemaking and historical preservation, school of Urban Studies, Pratt Institute.
Role: Historical research, field research, analysis of the land, design of solutions, illustrations.
Article: https://www.pratt.edu/news/amplifying-an-unsung-site-of-queer-history-on-staten-island/
Our approach:
As students in the Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment (GCPE), we understand the power of place and the power of storytelling. We also understand that some stories are told through memory, place and interpretation, while others are lost and forgotten. From listening to Victoria Munro, the Executive Director of Alice Austen House Museum (AAHM), describe Alice Austen’s story and her personal experience living on Staten Island, to conducting our own research on the Lenape tribes, women’s histories, and Staten Island itself, we hear these stories of the forgotten. Going beyond simply acknowledging these stories, we aim to draw connections across the history of the site, Alice Austen, and the surrounding area in order to honor the stories that have been overlooked.
Our studio: We are a multi-disciplinary studio combining placemaking, historic preservation, city and regional planning, and industrial design students, each bringing their unique perspectives and expertise. The joint studio focuses on preservation, placemaking, and planning tools to advance community goals and connectivity.
As students in the Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment (GCPE), we understand the power of place and the power of storytelling. We also understand that some stories are told through memory, place and interpretation, while others are lost and forgotten. From listening to Victoria Munro, the Executive Director of Alice Austen House Museum (AAHM), describe Alice Austen’s story and her personal experience living on Staten Island, to conducting our own research on the Lenape tribes, women’s histories, and Staten Island itself, we hear these stories of the forgotten. Going beyond simply acknowledging these stories, we aim to draw connections across the history of the site, Alice Austen, and the surrounding area in order to honor the stories that have been overlooked.
Our studio: We are a multi-disciplinary studio combining placemaking, historic preservation, city and regional planning, and industrial design students, each bringing their unique perspectives and expertise. The joint studio focuses on preservation, placemaking, and planning tools to advance community goals and connectivity.
Report content:
For our client, the Alice Austen House Museum, we realized an analysis of the site, its existing conditions, and history; alongside recommendations and propositions to improve the site.
With our diversity of professional expertize, we proposed strategic and design solutions, from school programs to the redesign of the waterfront.
For our client, the Alice Austen House Museum, we realized an analysis of the site, its existing conditions, and history; alongside recommendations and propositions to improve the site.
With our diversity of professional expertize, we proposed strategic and design solutions, from school programs to the redesign of the waterfront.
Objectives:
1/ Rebuild Connections by using the past to imagine new dynamic elements on the site
2/ Embrace opportunities afforded by the land and water
3/ Expand intentional learning to create a conscious sense of place, history, and community
4/ Amplify Alice and Queer History by increasing visibility of her name, face, and contributions
1/ Rebuild Connections by using the past to imagine new dynamic elements on the site
2/ Embrace opportunities afforded by the land and water
3/ Expand intentional learning to create a conscious sense of place, history, and community
4/ Amplify Alice and Queer History by increasing visibility of her name, face, and contributions
— Strenghts
— Opportunities
— ThreatsElements of the report:
