The Chicago Store: Preservation + Residential Urban Density

Abstract

This thesis, completed in an architectural design studio, addresses the conflicts between, and potential compatibilities of, historic preservation and urban residential density through consideration of the specific case of downtown Tucson’s very low residential density and two commercial buildings therein. 128 and 130 E Congress Street, constructed in 1903, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and have housed the JC Penney Company (1927 - 1957) and the Chicago Store music store (1967 - today). A 20,000 square foot, three story residential addition above the existing building is proposed. Appropriate rehabilitation of existing underutilized historic buildings is considered simultaneously with the introduction of vertical residential additions. Many issues of compatible yet distinct additions are addressed including: scale, mass, material, and form; structure and circulation; efficient indoor/outdoor residences; and the poetics of old and new and the liminal spaces between. These issues are examined through photography, diagrams, text, architectural drawings in orthographic and isometric projection, analysis of census data, analysis of architectural precedent, and architectural perspective renderings. Particular attention is paid to structural issues and a thorough analysis of preservation issues of significance, period of significance, character defining features, and integrity.