Master's Thesis | Appalachian Front Porch

The Front Porch:

Creating Unification in Diversification Mobilizing the Front Porch to Give Voice to the Marginalized Appalachian Population + Rewrite Historical Record

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The Front Porch:

Creating Unification in Diversification Mobilizing the Front Porch to Give Voice to the Marginalized Appalachian Population + Rewrite Historical Record

A Master’s Project By: Emily Preece

Master’s Project Committee Dr. Gregory Marinic, Chair Julie Reisenweiber, Committee Member Rebekah Radtke, Committee Member

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For my family, my friends, and the hills that raised me.

Table of Contents Introduction

07_Abstract

The Front Porch

08_History of Porches

09_Stylistic Evolution + Influences

13_Purpose of the Porch

Oral History

14_Types of Oral History Space + Place

16_Porch as Place

22_Spatial Overlap + Configuration

Mobility in Appalachia

24_Mobile Homes in the US 26_Mobile Homes in Appalachia

Methodology + Design

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32_Quilting + Inspiration 36_Final Design

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Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the role and functionality of porches in creating unification in diverse communities. The porch has served many purposes over time, protecting users from the elements, supplying a source of shade and cooling, creating chance encounters with surrounding community members, and facilitating conversations in a comforting environment. Traditionally, porches have been studied simply as an architectural artifact, but the goal of this study is to recognize the porch as a facilitator for conversation.

With a focus on the Appalachian region, this project seeks to help facilitate conversations between the marginalized voices of those who occupy the area and outsiders. Appalachia has long been known for its ability to story-tell through folklore, a characteristic that inspired this project from its earliest stages.

To preserve these tales, this project mobilizes the very place where these discussions often occur, the front porch. Mobilization has long been a part of Appalachia, through the implementation and use of the mobile home. In creating a mobile front porch, this project combines the story-telling nature and nomadic lifestyles of the people and culture. The mobility allows for stories and conversation to travel past the hills and hollers and across the country for those who choose to listen. This approach to value-centered preservation puts the power of preservation into the people’s hand. Facilitating discussions of belonging and critical culture in everyday life, social justice, and the cultural landscape.

This project researches the history and form of the front porch and identifies why it is a successful platform to promote discussion. Informed by this research, the designed product of the mobile front porch represents the already successful forms of story-telling while promoting its preservation and distribution to the masses, giving voices to marginalized groups in Appalachia. Oral History is a viable, reliable, and valuable technique for the qualitative researcher. The design aims to contribute to social projects in ways that attempt to equalize and balance historical record, and promote a more accurate depiction of Appalachia and its people.

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History of Porches “Porches are as synonymous with American culture as apple pie. While not unknown in colonial times, they rose to nationwide popularity in the decades before the Civil War, and remained in fashion for almost one hundred years. Ironically, the very social and technological forces that made them both popular and possible were eventually responsible for their decline.”

- Kahn, Preserving Porches

Figure_01

Figure_02

Figure_03

Stylistic Evolution + Influences The front porch, an American Architectural staple, has been part of the country’s history for decades. It’s importance and appearance has revealed itself in time through various cultures, disappearing and appearing again.i The word “porch” is derived from the Latin word “porticus” or the Greek word “portico”, both of which signify the columned entry to a Classical temple.ii The porch held varying significance over its existence, representing cathedral vestibules in the Middle Ages allowing for conversation after service, as well as working interchangeably with the verandas and piazzas of the Victorian Era.iii The porch, defined as a small, enclosed vestibule, began to represent its present meaning in the nineteenth century.

This interpretation, adopted by Americans, generally refers to “roofed, but incompletely walled living area” attached to a residential home.iv Traditionally, in America, this structure is attached to the front of a home, offering a covered, sheltered area providing a variety of uses.

In the early eighteenth century, porches appeared in the Americas. It is unclear, the specific origins of the front porch in American culture. To understand the introduction, one must understand the origins and roots of the country.v America was settled by a diverse group of people, hailing from various cultural backgrounds, and influencing American culture. Architecture,

an important component of developing culture, was a shaping force of the land. Influence from the roots of new Americans was evident in the development of an “American Architecture”, becoming a melting pot of cultural ingredients. Historically, the American front porch originated and grew from these outside influences into a truly American architectural form and cultural object.vi

Considering most early immigrants to America came from Europe, many European architectural traditions followed.

Although, porches were not generally a feature in European architecture, hence porches in the colonies did not exist until the 18th.vii Some of the first American porches were built by African immigrants, possibly derived from the shotgun houses of West Africa. Some, including Professor James Deetz, question if this African influence served as an impetus for all porches in the new world. Although, it is also likely that the creation of the American front porch grew from European architecture adapting to new world climates.viii American climate was warmer and more humid than that of Europe, leading to the development of architecture to sustain pleasant climates in the household.

Colonial Architecture (1650-1850) Figure_01

Greek Revival Architecture (1830-1855) Figure_02

The primary styles that compromised Colonial Architecture are: Georgian, French Colonial, Spanish Colonial, and Dutch Colonial. Georgian homes were a dominant architectural style in the English colonies from 1700-1780, exhibiting a distinguishable paneled door and vertically aligned rows of windows and lacking any type of front porch.ix French Colonial Houses (1700-1830), most prevalent in southern lands formerly claimed by the French, were derived from French Norman, Caribbean, and Neo-Classical origins. These homes featured the gallery, a wide veranda covered by an extended ‘pavilion’ roof that often encircled the house.x It is thought that the introduction of a porch to this architecture could be influenced by the tropical climate of the southern New World. Spanish Colonial Homes (1700-1850) were comprised of thick masonry walls of adobe or stucco stone. xi In this instance, the porch typically overhung the ground floor, such of that from a balcony. This provided shade and cooling the house, further solidifying the assumption of the porch being produced as a product of surrounding climate.

Greek Revival architecture proved to play a political role, using large columnar structures placed in the front of the building to announce class and status to those who approach it. The front porch, usually an area covered by a gable resting on large columns, created a pronounced entryway. The entryway, often used only as a grand gesture, was often accompanied by a second-story sitting porch. xii Gothic Revival Architecture (1840-1860) Figure_03

The primary feature of Gothic Revival architecture attempted to blend the architecture with the natural landscape. Influenced by Andrew Jackson Downing and Alexander Jackson Davis, this style of architecture featured a “sitting porch” at the front of the house as an integral architectural feature. Porches were ornate, decorated with gothic framing, displaying porch posts, lattice, brackets, rails, and aprons. It was in this period, when Gothic Revival architecture was dominant, that the front porch became an essential element of American architecture. xiii

i_Cook, Scott. “The Evolution of the American Front Porch.” The Evolution of the American Front Porch. Accessed June 3, 2019.

ii_ Kahn, Renee, and Ellen Meagher. Preserving Porches. New York: H. Holt, 1990. iii_ Ibid.

iv_ McAlester, Virginia and Lee. A Field Guide to American Houses New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1996.

vi_ Cook, Scott. “The Evolution of the American Front Porch.” The Evolution of the American Front Porch. Accessed June 3, 2019.

v_ Cook, Scott. “The Evolution of the American Front Porch.” The Evolution of the American Front Porch. Accessed June 3, 2019.

viii_Ibid.

vii_Ibid.

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ix_Cook, Scott. “The Evolution of the American Front Porch.” The Evolution of the American Front Porch. Accessed June 3, 2019. x_Ibid.

xii_Kahn, Renee, and Ellen Meagher. Preserving Porches. New York: H. Holt, 1990.

xi_ Kahn, Renee, and Ellen Meagher. Preserving Porches. New York: H. Holt, 1990.

xiii_Ibid.

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Figure_04

Figure_05

Figure_06

Italianate Architecture

Figure_07

Second Empire Style Architecture

(1840-1885) Figure_04

The Italianate home, found mostly in New England and the Midwest, was typically square-shaped, with a low-pitched roof and bracketed eaves. A room could often be found at the top of the house, as a central viewing spot. The Italianate home often included a full or partial front porch, decorated with painted porch roofs, elaborate posts and columns, lattice, cast-iron elements, and ornately crafted brackets.xiv

1860-1900 Figure_06

xvi_Ibid.

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Bungalow or Craftsmen Style Architecture

Prairie Style Architecture

xvii_ Cook, Scott. “The Evolution of the American Front Porch.” The Evolution of the American

xix_ McAlester, Virginia and Lee. A Field Guide to American Houses New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1996.

xxi_ Kahn, Renee, and Ellen Meagher. Preserving Porches. New York: H. Holt, 1990.

xviii_ Kahn, Renee, and Ellen Meagher. Preserving Porches. New York: H. Holt, 1990.

xx_ Cook, Scott. “The Evolution of the American Front Porch.” The Evolution of the American Front Porch. Accessed June 3, 2019.

xxii_ Cook, Scott. “The Evolution of the American Front Porch.” The Evolution of the American Front Porch. Accessed June 3, 2019.

Medieval in appearance, Romanesque Architecture homes were built of heavy masonry.xviii These homes stood like fortresses, exhibiting large semi-circle arches (Evolution of the American Front Porch). Although porches were not a major feature of Romanesque Architecture, they could form a brief entryway to the house, sometimes found on the second-floor balcony, but they are not considered a primary element of this architecture type.

xv_Cook, Scott. “The Evolution of the American Front Porch.” The Evolution of the American

Queen Anne Style Architecture

Figure_11

Shingle Style Architecture

(1875-1895) Figure_07

xiv_Kahn, Renee, and Ellen Meagher. Preserving Porches. New York: H. Holt, 1990.

Figure_10

(1890-1920) Figure_10

Romanesque Architecture

1860-1890 Figure_05

Similarly, to Gothic Revival, Stick Style Architecture was influenced greatly by Andrew Jackson Downing, but offering the first truly American architectural form. This style of architecture featured extensive and purely decorative exterior wood framing.xv Porches were spacious, sometimes wrapping the entirety of the exterior. Porches could also be found on second and third stories, allowing access from the bedroom to the outdoors. Stick style porches including decoration of exhibited aprons, intricate balustrades, and angled y-shaped brackets.xvi

Figure_09

(1875-1900) Figure_08

First Introduced at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876, the Queen Anne style of architecture became a very popular English style from the time. This architecture is known for its steep roofs and embellished, picturesque detail. Porches were essential to this style, exhibited front, L-shaped, and wrap around porches. These porches were known for turned posts and railings appearing in multiple forms and fashions.xix

Influenced by French culture during Napoleon III reign, the Second Empire Style architecture consisted of a French mansard roof, double pitched, constructed in one of three designs: straight, concave, or S-curved design. Each of these homes included a porch, whether it was located on the front, back, or wrapped around the exterior. The porches pulled inspiration from a multitude of styles, varying greatly. Although, the porches often contained square posts and varying brackets.xvii

Stick Style Architecture

Figure_08

Derived from the “bungle” houses of British-ruled India, the Bungalow or Craftsman Style Architecture dominated the small housing market of its time. This architecture, like many forms before it, attempted to blend the home with its natural surroundings. Porches still contained architectural significance, “deep shaded” in style exhibiting plain rails and heavy posts.

The porches themselves took on a more contemporary style.xxi

(1880-1900) Figure_09

Shingle Style Architecture, as its name implies, offers a natural appearance with wooden shingles lining the exterior. The porch, appearing as a natural extension of the house, was placed appropriately to take advantage of the natural landscape. Porch posts and balustrades reflect the nature of the home, covered with shingles, or made of stone or simple sticks.xx

(1900-1920) Figure_11

Influenced by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, the Prairie Style of architecture is considered a truly American form. Typically, two stories high and of horizontal nature, they exhibited stucco, brick, or stained wood exteriors. Although not essential components to the architecture, porches were featured on the first story with wood or masonry posts.xxii

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Purpose of the Porch “Porches are as synonymous with American culture as apple pie. While not unknown in colonial times, they rose to nationwide popularity in the decades before the Civil War, and remained in fashion for almost one hundred years. Ironically, the very social and technological forces that made them both popular and possible were eventually responsible for their decline.”

Figure_12

Figure_13

Eclectic Revival Architecture

Figures: 01_https://architecturestyles.org/colonial/ 02_https://www.oldhouseonline.com/house-tours/greekrevival 03_https://www.architecturaldesigns.com/house-plans/styles/ gothicrevival 04_https://www.oldhouseonline.com/house-tours/all-aboutitalianates 05_https://www.oldhouseonline.com/house-tours/a-study-of-stickstyle 06_ https://architecturestyles.org/second-empire/ 07_https://www.hinsdalearchitecture.org/images/original_files/300_ North_Madison.jpg 08_https://www.oldhouseonline.com/house-tours/the-charm-ofqueen-anne-houses 09_https://www.architecturaldesigns.com/house-plans/styles/shingle 10_https://www.hgtv.com/design/home-styles/arts-and-craftsarchitecture 11_https://www.milgard.com/architecture/prairie-style 12_http://art-now-and-then.blogspot.com/2012/11/neo-eclecticstyle-architecture.html 13_https://w w w.nashvillesmls.com/blog/a-comparison-ofcontemporary-and-modern-home-architectural-styles.html

(1890-1940) Figure_12

Eclectic Revival Architecture, as it states in the name, is an eclectic mix of architectural forms in the United States from the turn of the century to until the depression. Influencing styles include Colonial, Tudor, or Spanish Colonial, often confusing past styles and inaccurately recreating them. Porches were of little significance in this style, often pushed to the back or the side. This style marked began a trend of unimportance of the front porch in American Architectural History.xxiii

Modern Style Architecture

(1935-present) Figure_13

Following World War II, Modern Style Architecture introduced fresh, new ideas non-reliant on historical precedent. Typically, only one or two stories high, this architecture emphasized structure and deemphasized decorative details. Although diverse in style, this architecture adopted the overall abandonment of the front porch, marking the end of the front porch as an American architectural form.xxiv

- Kahn, Preserving Porches

The porch has been a significant architectural feature since prehistoric times, capable of being traced back to overhanging rock shelters of prehistoric times.xxv The porch was essential in providing shelter from the elements, but also by separating interior and exterior space. Porches are a place to talk, tell stories while swinging, resting, reading, eating or do anything that is relaxing.xxvi Porches are known to promote grace and comfort encouraging good conversation simply by the virtue of the fact that on a porch there is no need for it.xxvii Porches promote socialization and friendship, allowing the user to observe surroundings, interact with passerby’s, socialize with friends, or simply relax on a nice day.

Some view the porch as an enhancement of the home, including increased communication, allowing visibility to the street from the front door, creating a separate space for people to have conversation, and even giving space to be watchful eye for the happenings of the neighborhood.xxviii Andrew Jackson Downing, a prolific landscape architect, considered the porch as a connection between the landscape of the house and the house itself. He also notes a biophilic manner exhibited by the front porch, allowing people to occupy natural forces without truly immersing themselves in nature.

xxv_ Donlon, J. H. (2001). Swinging in Place, Porch Life in Southern Culture.

Chapel Hill and London: The University Of North Carolina Press. xxvi_ Keillor, G. (1990). Lake Wobegon Summer, 1956. Retrieved April 8, 2007.

xxviii_ Janesick, V.J. (2000). The choreography of qualitative research design: Minuets, improvisations, and crystallization. In N.K. Denzin & Y.S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (2nd ed., pp. 379-399). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

xxvii_ McDonald, M. (2005). The Space Between: Appreciating the Porch/Verandah. Graduate Research Paper, Florida State University.

xxiii_ Cook, Scott. “The Evolution of the American Front Porch.” The Evolution of the American Front Porch. Accessed June 3, 2019. xxiv_ Kahn, Renee, and Ellen Meagher. Preserving Porches. New York: H. Holt, 1990.

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Oral History “Oral History collects memories and personal commentaries of historical significance through recorded interviews. An oral history interview generally consists of a well-prepared interviewer questioning an interviewee and recording their exchange in audio or video format. Recording of the interview are transcribed, summarized, or indexed and then placed in a library or archives. These interviews may be used for research or excerpted in a publication, radio or video documentary, museum exhibition, dramatization or other form of public presentation. Recordings, transcripts, catalogs, photographs and related documentary materials can also be posted on the Internet.”

- Donald Ritchie, Doing Oral History Oral history provides qualitative researchers with an avenue of thick description analysis, and interpretation of people’s lives though probing the past to understand the present.xxix Oral history has evolved since the early days of recording memories, beginning with pen and paper, to tape recording, digital audio recording, video and more. Likewise, it has evolved in its inclusion of participant. Traditionally, oral history occurred only with the elite, interviewing persons such as generals, famous artists or scientists, great leaders of nations, or anyone who surfaced as distinctive within a given community.xxx Although, to fully understand the society in all its complexity, both ordinary and elite participants have much to tell. It is helpful to view oral history as a continuum, as listed in (figure 14).

Elite Participants

Combination Participants (Some elite, some ordinary qualities)

Figure_14

available to conduct multiples interviews with their participants.

They also see oral history as a tool to repair historical record by including the voices of ordinary participants. This approach offers an opportunity to widen the repertoire of techniques, interview questions, and competing points of interpretation.xxxiii

When capturing the voice of the marginalized, like those of Appalachia, a postmodernist approach is appropriate because it seeks to repair history by including the voices of participants outside the mainstream of society.xxxiv False narratives of Appalachia have riddled mainstream media for years, portraying the area as uneducated, racist, and misogynist, amongst other generalizations. A native Appalachian, Roxie Todd, stated in an interview with Frances Hayes “the Appalachia identity is complicated and it is made worse by people outside of the region with power who say who we are. And then we adjust our perception to that.”xxxv The postmodernist oral history approach offers the opportunity to repair existing history of the city by interviewing those with extensive knowledge of the area simply by occupying it. It can even be argued that this form of oral history could be extended to be understood as a postmodern social justice project.

Within the postmodernist approach, Janeskin proposes a dynamic view of oral history. There are traditional forms of recording interviews (audio, video, digital) but this approach surpasses these methods. The postmodernist approach not only collects the data, but creates an analysis and interpretation

of the data within the transcripts.xxxvi This means the oral historian shares an interpretive role with the participant being interviewed. An approach like this seems more grassroots, allowing both the interviewer and the interviewee to engage in a mutual process of translating and making sense of each other, creating which one could deem a co-researcher relationship. xxxvii

When performing qualitative research, it is essential to develop an understanding from the participants’ point(s)-of-view.

The immediate face-to-face orientation and supplementary documentary evidence helps provide a path to understanding behavior from all participants.xxxviii The porch acts as a tool to promote these face-to-face orientations; creating a more personable relationship between interviewer and interviewee, detracting from the formality of a traditional interview.

xxxi_Ibid.

xxxiii_Ibid.

xxxii_Janesick, V.J. (2000). The choreography of qualitative research design: Minuets, improvisations, and crystallization. In N.K. Denzin & Y.S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (2nd ed., pp. 379-399). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

xxxvi_ Janesick, V.J. (2007). Oral history methods for the qualitative researcher. New York: Guilford Press.

xxxv_Hayes, Frances. “Perceptions of ‘Appalachia’.” Journalpatriot. January 30, 2018. Accessed February 16, 2019.

Janesick defines oral history recording by three different approaches: traditionalist, reconceptualist, and postmodernist (figure 14). Traditionalists typically do one long interview, often using tape recording, with an elite participant.xxxi Reconceptualists use multiple forms of technology to conduct interviews, and often interview participants more than once.

They may frame their oral history around themes, interviewing combination participants.xxxii Postmodernists use all tools xxix_Janesick, V.J. (2000). The choreography of qualitative research design: Minuets, improvisations, and crystallization. In N.K. Denzin & Y.S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (2nd ed., pp. 379-399). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. xxx_Ibid.

xxxiv_Janesick, V.J. (2007). Oral history methods for the qualitative researcher.

New York: Guilford Press.

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xxxvii_ Janesick, V.J. (2007). Oral history methods for the qualitative researcher. New York: Guilford Press. xxxviii_Ibid.

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Ordinary Participants

Porch as Place ““Porches, front and back and side and other, are powerfully constructed ‘places’, limially situated between indoors and out, where people must work to reconcile the demands of a family, the norms of a community, and the desires of individuals… to create an individualized space for themselves”

Architecturally, the porch has long been observed as a supplementary structure to an already existing structure. When observed from a lens of Interiority, the porch acts as a space of its own, it becomes its own place. To create great design, the designer must seek to understand the connection between communities and their places. These places, can be broad and varied, because place is defined by more than a room with walls.

Place is complex, and humans place heavy significance on place and its importance. The real question to ask is what makes a place, or places, significant enough to consider an entity of its own. To better understand place, Rachelle Lopez offers a guide to understanding place in design through: sense of place, experience of place, and design as place making.

- Author Unkown

Norberg-Shulz states “spaces where life occurs are places” and are the result of relationships between actions, conceptions, and physical attributes. Trowbridge describes place form an animalistic stand point, defining it in terms of survival, food and shelter.xlii Humans recognize these same features but their awareness in more expansive, including reorganization of place as space where he or she has grown or spent their time. This personal connection can create a sense of home in the individual giving them the feeling of comfort and safety providing a sense of control over time. The porch, as an entity of its own, can provide shelter and protection for animals but what sets it apart as a place?

In Appalachia, the front porch gained popularity through its capability of keeping humans shaded and comfortable in heated weather. It served this raw, animalistic purpose, but that wasn’t the extent of its purpose. Porches became platforms for conversation: conversation with family, visitors, neighbors, or simply people passing by. To be specific, I can paint a picture of a porch I spent time on growing up.

It’s a warm summer day in Inez, KY at grandma Edna’s house at the head of Fletcher Holler (named after her late husband Joe Fletcher). To give idea of context, grandma’s house was built into the hill with its front door facing the road that lead up to it. On the road, you would find a trailer home occupied by a newly-wed couple.

Sense of Place According to Lynch, “Sense is the interaction between person and place…[and]…depends on spatial form and quality, culture, temperament, status, experience and current purpose of the observer”.xxxix A sense of place can be “created by the pattern of reactions that a setting stimulates for a person”.xl This indicates that there is more than the physical space, how a space is interpreted also relies on the user’s observation of space.xli This observation is a product of the experience an individual a person in a designated setting, and how that setting causes the individual to feel, defines the individual’s sense of place. To be able to recall a place, the individual must create an identity of it that is unique in comparison others, created of character defining features.

Across from the trailer, you will find great-aunt Faye’s house, as well as great-uncle Carlos and Johnny Ray’s. The holler encompassed generations of our family, and Edna had a view of

xxxix_ Lynch, Kevin. 1960. The Image of the City. Cambridge MA: MIT Press. xl_ Steele, Fritz. 1981. Sense of place. Massachusetts, CBI Publishing Company, Inc.

xlii_ Norberg-Schulz, Christian. 1979. Genius Loci: Towards a Phenomenology of Architecture. New York: Rizzoli,.

xli_Ibid.

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everyone’s home from her porch. On the porch, you would find Edna sitting in a rocking chair smoking a cigarette in her apron.

She would great you as you walk up with a simple “holler” in your direction, usually asking if you were hungry.

with shelter, but that it not the reason why we think so fondly of it. The identity I had created for it in my mind was molded by the smells or pot roast and cigarette smoke, the sound of a wind chime blowing in the breeze, the swaying of a wicker, hanging porch swing with a chain that squeaked if you rocked too hard.

It was a multi-faceted experience that first the architect molded, that was altered by my grandmother at her choosing, and finally interpreted by me as the user. This place, like any other, is the result of relationships between actions, conceptions, and physical attributes.

Canter suggests that “what a place ‘is’ cannot be fully recognized until we know what behavior is associated with it, what the physical parameters of the setting is, and what the description, or conception, which people have of that physical environment is”. xliii It is important to recognize that even though the physical parameters may remain consistent, the individual’s perception of space may vary from others. From these observations, it is possible to understand multiple ‘sub-places’ that coexist in the given space.xliv Recognizing that places contain more than one use and accommodate a variety of behaviors allows us to provide a better designed environment that can accommodate human diversity.

Although not formally invited, you are expected to take the three steps up to the porch. There is a wicker swing hanging from the roof, next to a wind chime that blew gracefully with the wind.

After a quick greeting, which often included a hug from the big woman herself, you often took a seat on the porch and caught up, some would even describe it as “shooting the shit”. You would see seats all around, but the porch furniture was often considered the adults. Children opted for a seat on the ground either on steps or the edge, where their feet could dangle in grass or catch the droplets of rain trickling down on a rainy day.

Discussion could vary from the chocolate gravy breakfast you had that morning, to discussion surrounding the newest legislation passed that morning. Grandma often acted as a mediator, watching over the conversation, contributing here and there but more importantly making sure everyone was happy and content.

Often, she would shoot a quick glare to those who became too passionate in their argument, beginning to use slurs and swears unpleasing to her ears. She would also bring drinks and snacks out onto the porch for everyone to enjoy. When the dining room table couldn’t fill everyone at the table, many took to the porch to eat their dinners as well. Parents watched on as children played in the yard, and the children knew it was time to retreat when the adults began to disappear into the house, often followed by a verbal warning of “five more minutes”.

Another way to define “place” is through space and character.

Norberg-Shulz discusses space as the three-dimensional organization of elements that create place, while character defines the general atmosphere, the most comprehensive property of place.xlv The physical world we experience around xliii_Lopez xliv_Norberg-Schulz, Christian. 1979. Genius Loci: Towards a Phenomenology of Architecture. New York: Rizzoli,.

The porch, and more specifically my great-grandmother’s porch, was an architectural structure that provided me and my family

xlv_Hiss, Tony. 1990. The Experience of Place. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

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us defines the space. Relationships that are formed between the individuals and the physical space can determine the place.

This definition of place can be used to argue that the formation of relationship is dependent on the spatial organization of the space, rather than the materials used to create the physical space. The physical attributes and other elements that create space assist, but do not define, the recognition of place. For a place to be considered successful, ‘it needs to be accessible to all the senses, engaging the perceptions of its occupants because it is this perception that allows for a direct sense of continuing membership in communities and regions”.xlvi Another factor that aids in a sense of belonging is if the area is in some way either “appropriate to the person and their culture, makes them aware of their community, its past, the web of life, as well as of time and space in which those are contained”.xlvii

Tuan believes that “of the traditional five senses man is more consciously dependent on sight to make his way in the world than on the other senses”.xlix This allows us to understand and see the space in terms of meaning, appearance, and function.

Nasar furthers this idea stating, “Appearance and meaning are not separate from function but central to it”.l Architecture can create aesthetically pleasing cities with a range of visual qualities and attributes. Building density, scale, and type are key factors to the design of a space because people can create a relationship between evaluative responses and the building’s visual attributes.li Positiviely, the environment can play a role in the better well-being of an individually but adversely, it can create a “recipe for homogeneity, sensory-deprivation, and lack of environmental or social identity”. lii Tuan believes that open space signifies freedom and the public realm while enclosed spaces signify cozy, secure private places.liii The front porch rests between the two realms of public and private. It is tight, and cozy where you can have small conversations and interactions with one another in short distance. The lack of dividing walls allows it to also brush into the public realm, allowing exterior factors to affect ones use of the front porch. For example, two people could be having

Experience of Place Despite deliberate physical attributes, a person’s experience of place is not believed to revolve around a proposed function.

Individuals characterize place by using their five senses, their history, and their moods while experiencing it.xlviii In creating an identity, the individual will often shape their experience of a place based off exposure to other similar places in their lifetime.

Experience is highly subjective based on the individual, their past experiences, and their interpretation of place in relation to other places.

xlix_Tuan, Yi-Fu. 1974. Topophilia: A Study of Environmental Perception, Attitudes, and Values. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall l_ Nasar, Jack. 1998. The Evaluative Image of the City. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. li_Ibid.

xlvii_Ibid.

lii_ George, R. Varkki and Marcia Caton Campbell. 2000. Balancing different interests in aesthetic controls. Journal of Planning Education and Research (20), 163-175.

xlviii_Greenbie, Barrie. 1981. Spaces: Dimensions of the Human Landscape.

New Haven: Yale University Press.

liii_ Tuan, Yi-Fu. 1974. Topophilia: A Study of Environmental Perception, Attitudes, and Values. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall

xlvi_Lynch, Kevin. 1960. The Image of the City. Cambridge MA: MIT Press.

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a conversation on the porch while watching neighbors and outsiders move amongst them. It would only take a simple “holler”, as they say in Appalachia, to extend the conversation outward past the boundary of the porch. According to Hiss, a person’s sense of security in a public space needs to be “spatially anchored”.liv The porch itself is an anchor to the public neighborhood provided a space with designated edges, as well as tools to signify how to navigate the space, like simple stairs and a door to enter and exit the space.

Design as Place Making The dictionary definition of design is to devise for a specific function or end while community design takes it a step further, defined as the art of making sustainable living places that both thrive and adapt to people’s needs for shelter, livelihood, commerce, recreation, and social order while interpreting a sense of belonging and way of life. The porch is often seen as a private staple of the American home, but it is the intent to mobilize the space and give it a new meaning in the larger community context. To do so successfully, the designer needs to consider that all places are a composition of social, biological, and physical aspects. Also, the decisions should be made with the future in mind, answering questions such as “What will happen?’ What is better? Better for whom? And how can better design be achieved and improved?” With these thoughts in mind, the designer must also observe the context of the designed area.

The growing availability of low-cost mobile homes has contributed to the increase of home ownership in the United States in the last several decades. Mobile homes, about fifty years ago, housed mostly low-income families living in clusters.

Trailer parks gained significance during the time, supplying land, water, and electric to the mobile home owner. Mobile homes have gained popularity in today’s nomadic culture,

liv_ Hiss, Tony. 1990. The Experience of Place. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

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Single Pen

Double Pen House

Single Unit Housing + One Porch

Double Unit Housing + One Porch

The first cracker homes were called “single pen� homes, consisting of a main room, serving all necessary functions for the family. Typically housing a single fireplace and a stone chimney, the single pen included a porch that reached the expansion of the front of the house, providing a retreat from the sun and breeze. he assumption of the porch

With the need for more space, came the design for the double pen house. The house contained two separate units, each with its own chimney and separate entry way. Sometimes, there was a connection in between the homes, but there was always a shared porch with shared entryway. e assumption of the porch being produced as a product of surrounding c limate.

being produced as a product of surrounding climate.

Four-Square Georgian Four Unit Housing + Two Porches

Although the architecture of the Four-Square Georgian House varied greatly of from that of its predecessors, it still included not one, but two shaded porches in its design. Housing four separate rooms, a walkway ran through the middle of the building, depositing to two larger porches on opposite sides of the building. Each porch, though serving two separate units, included only one staircase. ch being produced as a product

of surrounding climate.

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Plantation Houses

I-House

Dog-Trot

One Traditional + One L-Shaped Porch

The I-House, the first cracker home of its type to contain two-stories, included a pathway that lead to other units within the structure that was now covered. Each room contained individual access to a chimney as well as a porch to help heat and cool the interior and the individual users. the assumption of the porch being

To accommodate the needs of the growing families, the dog trot expanded the structure of the original cracker home by adding a separate unit, divided by a covered, outdoor walkway that divided the units. The walkway allowed an entry to the two units and emptied to two large porches on either side of the structure. assumption

Three Unit Housing

Following an I-House structure, the Plantation house was two story, with an extension home in the back. The extension home often housed enslaved workers, so the corridors were smaller and more confined, but they did also include a porch that allowed them to catch a breeze on a warm day. The larger, main porch, was like other style but also contained large columns on the front serving aesthetic purpose. he assumption of the porch

produced as a product of surrounding climate.

being produced as a product

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of the porch being produced as a product of surrounding climate.

PUBLIC SPACE 25ft-12ft

SOCIAL SPACE 12ft-4ft

PERSONAL SPACE 4ft-1.5ft

INTIMATE SPACE 1.5ft-0ft

Personal Space “Bubble” Radial Diagram Figure_15

SOCIAL JUSTICE MOVEMENT

INFRASTRUCTURE

POLITICAL MOMENTS

COMMUNITY READINESS

Social Justice Movement What is Required? Diagram Figure_16

Perosnal + Porch Space Overlap Diagramming Figure_17

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Mobile Homes in the United States with emphasis on Appalachia Left Figure

Percent of Housing Units That are Mobile Homes (most recent) by state

Less than 10

10-20

20-30

30-40

More than 40

Ten States in the US with the Most Mobile Homes South Carolina New Mexico West Virginia Mississipi Alabama North Carolina Louisiana Arkansas Wyoming Kentucky Mobile homes as % of housing

Ten Poorest States in the US Mississippi Arkansas Louisiana Kentucky North Carolina Tennessee New Mexico Alabama West Virginia Ohio Average annual household income in $

US Mobile Home Breakdown Per State South Carolina

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North Carolina New Mexico West Virginia Alabama Wyoming Kentucky Mississippi Arizona Montana Arkansas South Dakota Louisiana Delaware Georgia Idaho Florida Oregon Tennesee Oklahoma Maine North Dakota Texas Nevada Washington Missouri Vermont Alaska New Hampshire Indiana Virginia Wisconsin Michigan Kansas Colorado Pennsylvania Nebraska California Ohio Iowa Utah Minnesota Illinois New York Maryland

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The Mobile Home in the 1990s.lv In 2000, there were approximately 1.4 million mobile homes in Appalachia, accounting for about 14 percent of the regions housing. In the heart of Appalachia, mobile homes made up one-fourth of all homes. Mobile homes in Appalachia helped provide many with homes, but they do still carry a stigma of poverty that can perpetuate negative stereotypes about rural communities and families.lvi Popular culture has even taken to the stereotype, promoting shows like “Trailer Park Boys” on television. Despite the stereotype, it is proven that the introduction of the mobile home help combat substandard housing within the area, creating happier homes for Appalachian families.

The growing availability of low-cost mobile homes has contributed to the increase of home ownership in the United States in the last several decades. Mobile homes, about fifty years ago, housed mostly low-income families living in clusters.

Trailer parks gained significance during the time, supplying land, water, and electric to the mobile home owner. Mobile homes have gained popularity in today’s nomadic culture, accounting for one-quarter of new homes. By the year 2000, mobile homes accounted for about 6 percent of all housing units in the United States, with more than twice that share (14 percent) residing in Appalachia.

Appalachia has been known for its high poverty rates and poor living conditions since 1964, when the ARC estimated that 27 percent of homes in Appalachia needed major repairs.

8 percent of those homes were declared threatening to the health and safety of the family who occupied it. The portion of dilapidated homes was even higher in rural Appalachia. Mobile homes tended to be newer than conventional homes in the area, meaning they are less likely to have structural deficiencies or other problems. In 2000, the median value of a mobile home in the US was approximately $31,000. The low cost of buying and maintaining these mobile homes made them available for low-income families and first-time home buyers who otherwise couldn’t afford to buy a home.

Mobile homes came into the housing scene in the 1960’s, catching popularity in the 1970’s and 1980’s, reaching a plateau

Design The mobile home subdivision should be planned around the shape of the individual mobile home. Large or small, mobile homes often extend in length. The cause for this is to make the individual home adaptable. Carports or garages, utility rooms, and other additions can be made the primary mobile home structure.lvii These additions typically run length-wise along the structure as well, typically on the same axis. The main entrance lv_US Census Bureau. “Housing.” Census.gov. May 29, 2018. Accessed February 17, 2019. https://www.census.gov/topics/housing.html.

Eastern Kentucky Mobile Home Rural Context Figure_01

Georgia Mobile Home Suburban Context Figure_02

Block Design

can be found on the right front of the unit, opening to the living room, with windows on normally two and sometimes three sides. Master bedrooms, to provide more privacy, are placed in the rear of the units. If there are additional bedrooms, they are often located of the side of the unit not facing the front door, to provide less exposure.

In the table shown, it is assumed that a 5-acre rectangular block in which width and depth can be varied at will, serves as a block.

On all four sides of the block, it is assumed that there has been 30-feet left for surrounding streets. Front yards are assumed to be 25-feet deep, with the rear yards being 10-feet deep. Side yards, which are measured perpendicular to front and rear lot lines, should be 10-feet deep.lxi

Lot Shape, Orientation, and Dimensions Mobile living units, given their shape, do not fit the conventional housing layout (figure 4).lviii Traditional rectangular blocks house square shaped homes, often with a larger front yard. If the longer, rectilinear mobile home, would be forced to have front doors facing each other (figure 5).lix To solve this problem, planners proposed homes live on a 30-degree tilt, diagonal to the street (figure 6).lx The orientation of the principal windows on the mobile home now lies directly towards the street, and the relation of other functional areas in adjacent areas is much improved. lviii_Bair, Frederick H., Jr. “Regulation of Mobile Home Subdivisions.” American Society Of Planning Officials, April 1961. lix_Ibid.

lxi_Bair, Frederick H., Jr. “Regulation of Mobile Home Subdivisions.” American Society Of Planning Officials, April 1961.

lx_Ibid.

lvi_Consumers Union Southwest Regional Office, “Manufactured Housing Appreciation: Stereotypes and Data (April 2003),” accessed online at www. consumersunion.org/pdf/mh/Appreciation.pdf, on Feb. 13, 2007. lvii_Bair, Frederick H., Jr. “Regulation of Mobile Home Subdivisions.” AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PLANNING OFFICIALS, April 1961.

Photo: http://worldartsme.com/mobile-home-clipart.html#gal_post_5947_mobile-home-clipart-1.jpg

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Wyoming Mobile Home Urban Context Figure_03

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Conventional Housing Layout Figure_04

Single-Wide Mobile Home One Bed + One Bath Plan NTS Figure_06

Mobile Home Structures + Conventional Housing Layout Figure_05

Single-Wide Mobile Home Two Bed + One Bath Plan NTS Figure_06

Diagonal Mobile Home Block + Lot Gridding Figure_07

Double-Wide Mobile Home 2 Beds + One Bath Figure_06

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Example of a Well-Planned Mobile Home Court Regulation of Mobile Home Subdivisions Frederick H. Bair, Jr.

Entrance Street Paved 36 Feet

Group Parking Bays are Convenient, Orderly, Economical

Minor Street Paved 20 Feet with all parking in bays

One-way minor street paved only 9 feet with walk, 11 feet without separate walk

Mobile homes placed in depth for less street, more privacy All mobile homes located for easy placement from street

Walks on only one side of minor streets

Patios of facing streets for varied tenant desires

Tenant storage lockers grouped for construction economy, easy access, and good appearance

Ornamental screen fence and planting for maximum safety and livability and for separation from other

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Quilting “Every homemade quilt tells a story. The “words”—including the fabric, pattern, style, and stitching—reveal clues about where, when, how, and, in many cases, why the quilt was made.”

- Unknown

Quilting, at its creation, wasn’t known as a beautiful craft. In the 19th and 20th centuries, Appalachian families were still known as an impoverished group living in homes with poor insulation. To provide warm covers for the bed, Appalachian women would gather usable remnants of old clothing and blankets, and sew them together to provide warm comforters during cool nights. While quilts have patterns and designs to them, they are often made with the fabric that could provide the most warmth. Quilting, while led by the woman, could become a family affair. Lying the quilt on the ground of the common room while multiple members of the family participated in the stitching.lxii

Although popular in Appalachia, quilting’s origins lie elsewhere. The concept of quilting can be dated back to Ancient Egypt. The earliest “American” quilts were likely expensive, decorative versions from Europe.

Amish quilts are the most recognizable, displaying their fine craftsmanship, uncluttered design, and bold graphics. Amish quilts reflect the people and religion as well as the tradition of sewing.lxiii To create the quilts, as known to-day, two forms of needlework

are combined: patchwork and quilting. Patchwork is defined as the art of piecing together fabrics for various kinds and colors or laying patches of one kind upon another. Quilting is defined as a method of fastening together layers of cloths in such a manner as to secure firmly the loose materials uniformly spread between them. This method allows the quilter to display both their artistic and precision skills.lxiv

Quilting is more than an art. Quilting in Appalachia has holds greater significance than that of its predecessors. The patchwork quality of Appalachian quilts lends to the character and importance of the craft. Instead of buying fabrics for the quilts, they were often made from scraps of older garments.

These garments could include shirts from grandpa, scraps from clothes that the children grew out of, and more. Each fabric added both an aesthetic quality, as well as an imbedded memory to the creation.

This significance greatly influenced future design exploration.

lxii_Duckett, Maryellen Kennedy. “Fabric of Our Life.” Smoky Mountain Living. February 01, 2016. Accessed March 18, 2019. https://www.smliv.com/ departments/fabric-of-our-life/. lxiv_Ibid.

lxiii_Ibid.

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Bear’s Paw 4 Piece Quilt Block

Wreathmaker Sun 4 Piece Quilt Block

Letter C 6 Piece Quilt Block

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Rail Fence Flag 3 Piece Quilt Block

Susannah 3 Piece Quilt Block

Crosses and Stars 6 Piece Quilt Block

Girl’s Favorite 3 Piece Quilt Block

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Old Oak 8 Piece Quilt Block

Methodology After careful dissection of existing practices in Appalachian culture, I propose a “mobile front porch� in the form of a modular tent/canopy system capable of being deployed in a variety of environments.

Nomadic culture as a modern-day trend, as well as a facet of Appalachian culture inspired me to pursue a design proposal that was simple, compactable, lightweight, and easy to manage. After some exploration, I found the accessibility of pop up tent and canopy structures to be relevant to the structuring of the front porch. After all, it is a form of shelter from inclimate weather that also envelopes you in a space that still receives adequate airflow.

Research and diagramming performed on the front porch, mobile home, and art of quilting helped inform design decisions. The intent of the form was to stand in for a front porch for the community and stand out from the existing mobile home structures. To retain the modularity of mobile homes and porches, but create pause when viewing, I chose to approach a dome-like structure. The shape, when placed in the landscape, mimics the movement of the mountains in the distance. Despite sticking out, the structure seems soft and inviting, like that of tents in a campground.

Overall, the proposed design offers a range of options when it comes to facilitating conversation. The design is simple, leaving it to be interpreted by those who choose to occupy it. In a technological day and age, the tools needed to record oral history at the touch of a finger.

The design does not over complicate the idea of promoting oral history and story-telling by simply supplying to necessary physical attributes to create individual identity.

Exploded Mobile Home Form Exploration

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Design Concept Proposal The form of the mobile front porch was inspired by the quilting patterns researched from within the area, particularly the “wreath” or “letter c” quilting patterns. Geometric in form, the larger decagon shape allows approximately 4 foot 8 inch faces on ten sides. Half of the faces are capable of opening, and can be rolled back into the form, propped open to provide shade under a canopy, or connected to other structures to create a network of spaces.

Two sizes are being proposed to promote small scale, personal conversations as well as broader, communal conversations. The capability of the design to be packed away, stored, and toted to other Appalachian areas helps promote the flow and travel of important conversations. The material, a weather proof vinyl and mesh fabric, with collapsible metal rods (like a tent) is meant to stand up to varying weather.

15’6”

11’6”

Concept Design Proposal Multi-scalar Modular “Porch”

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Concept Design Proposal Sketch-Up Rendering

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