Living and Learning through Urban Renewal

Furness 306, Fisher Fine Arts Library, 3rd Floor

220 S 34th St
Philadelphia, PA

Speakers

Justin Miller

Caroline Wilson

Allegra Churchill

Jessica Wolff

Image details

This is one of four parallel sessions taking place from 9:50 AM - 11:05 AM on Thursday June 2.

Speakers have been asked to pre-record their presentations and we will be releasing these videos to registrants after the Symposium so that you can watch sessions you weren't able to attend.


Living and Learning through Urban Renewal

This session will examine a selection of midcentury American sites through the lens of contemporary social, political, racial, and environmental considerations. Topics include the role of an aging population in the creation of specialized residential buildings, the vicissitudes of Modernist educational buildings designed in the context of progressive politics, and the fusion of modern design and urban renewal in the development of an innovative housing community.

Speakers & Paper titles:

  • Golden Years in the Sunshine State: Orlando’s Mid-Century High Rise Boom
    Caroline Wilson, MacRostie Historic Advisors

  • Educating Citizens: The Pedagogical and Social Context of Oskar Stonorov’s Educational Buildings
    Allegra Churchill, granddaughter of Oscar Stonorov
    Jessica Wolff, Landscape Architect, Thomas Jefferson University

  • Sandburg Village: Urban Renewal on Chicago’s Near North Side
    Justin Miller, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Moderator

Grace Ong Yan, Ph.D.

Grace Ong Yan is Assistant Professor of Interior Design in the College of Architecture and the Built Environment at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia where she teaches history of architecture and design, research methodologies, and design studio. Her scholarship explores histories of modernism and intersections of business histories, media, and architecture. She received her Ph.D. in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, M.Arch. from Yale University, and B.Arch. at the University of Texas at Austin. Grace is the co-editor of Architect: The Pritzker Prize Laureates in their own Words, (Blackdog and Levanthal, 1st ed. 2010, 2nd ed. 2018) and has also published articles and chapters on subjects ranging from the intersections of consumerism and modernism to material complexities in post-war design and architecture. Her recent book Building Brands: Corporations and Modern Architecture explores the role of architectural branding in the design of mid-twentieth century corporate modernism and tells how business strategies, modern architecture, urban conditions, and conceptions of society shaped the ambitious branding goals of corporate clients. (Lund Humphries, 2021) Grace is a board member of Docomomo US/Greater Philadelphia and past chapter president.

Speakers

Caroline Wilson

Caroline Wilson is an associate with MacRostie Historic Advisors and manages historic tax credit projects throughout the southeast. During her time with MHA, she has written several successful tax credit applications and has multiple National Register of Historic Places nominations to her credit including Judson Mill in Greenville, SC; Griffin Motors Company in Florence, SC; and Mt. Zion Institute in Winnsboro, SC. Prior to joining MHA, Caroline worked with the Appalachian Council of Governments in Greenville, South Carolina and consulted on historic preservation projects for Preservation South Carolina, the statewide historic preservation non-profit. She has also served as the Review & Compliance Coordinator (Section 106) for the South Carolina SHPO. Caroline holds a Bachelor of Arts in Historic Preservation and Community Planning from the College of Charleston and a Master of Fine Arts in Architectural History from the Savannah College of Art and Design. She is currently serving as the president of MidModSC, a statewide organization concerned with the identification and preservation of Modernist architecture. In the past she has presented at the National Main Street Conference in Seattle, WA, the South Carolina Historic Preservation Conference in Columbia, SC, and the Association of Preservation Technology Conference in Miami, FL.

Allegra Churchill

Allegra Churchill is the granddaughter of Oskar and Elizabeth Stonorov. She currently serves in leadership roles at the Charlestown Playhouse and Miss Betty’s Day Camp, and practices residential landscape design. She holds a B.A. in Social Anthropology from Harvard University and a Master’s in Landscape Architecture from the University of Virginia. Exploring the theoretical, practical and familial connections between design, community organizing, and early childhood education has been a focus of her academic and professional experiences for over 20 years.

Jessica Wolff

Jessica Wolff, ASLA, LEED-AP is a studio instructor at Boston Architectural College and Thomas Jefferson University. She teaches courses in interdisciplinary design, site design, introductory architectural design principles and mapping and analysis. She also works as a design consultant for landscape design firms. She received her Bachelor’s of Landscape Architecture from Pennsylvania State University and her Master’s of Landscape Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. She has 15 years of experience working in design firms in the landscape architecture, planning and architecture disciplines. Additionally, she has presented at national conferences and the Bauhaus School of Architecture.

Justin Miller

 

Justin Miller is an architectural historian at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He specializes in historic preservation legal compliance, historic tax credit consulting, and research and documentation for the National Register of Historic Places. He has presented on a variety of topics for the Chicago Architecture Biennial, the Wisconsin Historical Society, and the Victorian Society in America. Justin’s recent articles, talks, and tours have ranged from an exploration of a modernist ski resort in northern Wisconsin to a Chicago tour of the buildings of African American architect John Moutoussamy. Justin is a member of the Docomomo US/Chicago chapter.