Disobsolesence: an approach to obsolete industrial sites within the rust belt

Abstract

The rust belt region of the United States, a once prosperous industrial epicenter for the world, suffered from rampant disinvestment, deindustrialization, and a shrinking population since its height in the postwar period. Paired with post-war urban sprawl, urban centers in the region have been in constant decline until recently when re-investment efforts have begun gaining widespread popularity. Given this, my thesis explores the viability of rehabilitating the numerous former industrial buildings throughout the region. Specifically, I will look to Toledo, OH, and the Great Lakes Terminal Warehouse as a design case study built upon identified principles for redevelopment. While many redevelopment efforts are hampered by a lack of community and market demand and bureaucratic procedures that require a site to be either fully occupied or fully vacant, my proposal offers a range of possibilities for postindustrial sites depending on specific conditions. While some sites may be fully viable for adaptive reuse, others present opportunities to retain meaning for surrounding communities through various uses beyond traditional market-based development practices or community-based rehabilitation strategies. My thesis will explore these options in the context of the Great Lakes Terminal Warehouse, and project their possibilities on sites throughout the Rust Belt. To analyze these possibilities, I will create a framework for analysis that can be applied to a series of sites throughout the region that could be tailored to any given city, site, and building conditions. Additionally, I will explore the more ephemeral and material nature of these buildings as historical artifacts and explore their possibility to convey larger narratives around local and regional identity, along with how buildings’ material and historical identity affects a consumer’s direct relationship with such facilities.