The house museum is significant to American culture for the main reason that they represent the original function and teach how the occupants of the house lived and it exhibits the objects they used in their everyday lives. Even open- air museum persevere not only the buildings structures, but in most cases they try to preserve the original environment it was placed in. The best-known open-air museum to most of us is Old World Wisconsin. The Pabst Mansion was a great way to show how even in restoration process they tried to keep as much of the original building intact. Compared to most museums when you view through the glass window, I was able to connect more with the inhabitant of the Pabst family. Being able to see the real photographs of family members on the walls and the original furniture. Even looking closer to the artifacts, like the hair combs and light fixtures, gave you a new appreciation for the space. The details that really stood out to be were the family’s strong presence of their heritage throughout the house. The father’s study was probably the most interesting aspect of the house. The stain glass windows in the study had German phrases embedded in them. This was even located in the kitchen windows as well. The intricate wood working on the ceiling of the study had painted ‘words of wisdom.’ It helped you imagine the family values that were probably instilled in the children while growing up. None of this would have been experienced first had if you were unable to enter the room and move around. I’m not saying those museums are not important as well, but they are better suited for a different age group. For little kids who want to touch and feel everything, these house museums are probably not the best place to go, but for young adults it’s a great tool to help experience a particular space as if it were in a different time period and help them grasp their surroundings more efficiently. It may be more expensive to save and maintain but it is definitely more effective learning tool and seems more accurate just because you can see the details up close. It doesn't look as staged. Given the house didn't have the generalized interior compared to most houses of that time period due to the family's wealth. It still showed typical patterns of their everyday life, like how the kitchen was in the back of the house to avoid the food smells from spreading, the hooks on the out side of the bedroom for the laundry, and even the emphasis on family livings spaces.

I remember when I went to Monticello the most lasting impressions of the foundations is the fact that the house showed mechanisms that he created himself. He created a system over the door frame that told not only the time of day but also the day of the week. It was just another example of moving through the space that shows in more detail of certain parts of the foundation that makes the connection to the past more intimate.

Open-Air

An open-air museum is a type of museum that is outdoors. It is a usually village type setting. The first open-air museums were started in Scandinavia near the end of the nineteenth century. The concept soon spread throughout Europe and North America. Open-air museums are a good way for a visitor to get the whole experience of what it would have been like in a certain time period.

Old World Wisconsin in Eagle, Wisconsin is an open-air museum. The museum recreates the farms / settlements established by European immigrants. “Teams” of oxen and horses working in the fields are part of the exhibit, as well as farms preparing meals over wood-burning stoves.

It is usually more entertaining then just walking around a typical museum that is in a building. I think looking at items behind glass and not getting that interaction is one of the biggest problems traditional museums have. The people that run them know that, that is why you will see museums trying to create some kind of environment for its visitors.

I remember how cool the old Milwaukee and the rainforest sections of Milwaukee Public Museum was when I was a child. The last time I was there was about a year ago and I was more then disappointed. Parts of that Museum are pathetic! Everything seems to have a nice coat of dust. For crying out loud spend a day going around using a Swiffer duster.

Also most all of the “displays” seem out of date, as far as the looks. They do not utilizing technology. Milwaukee Public Museum needs a major face-lift. But do not get me wrong; traditional museums can just be as good as open-air museum. Both offer something unique, they both have to be up kept though to keep people coming.

Different From The Rest

Going to a historic house like the Pabst Mansion is a different learning experience then just sitting in the classroom reading about it and looking at pictures. Being able to be in the house, seeing, smelling, touching everything that the house has to offer is a unique experience that a classroom can't offer. Not only are you able to see, touch and smell the history of the place but you get sent back into time to better understand the information about the house, owners, and land. An open-air museum like the Pabst Mansion can have such an impact on a viewer because they get to learn and retain all the information in their own way. A custom history lesson I guess you can call it.

Being able to go inside a house like this, you get a feel for how the owners lived, what they did day by day and just how the land around you has changed since the house was built. With that kind of opportunity to go back in the past (sort of) and get a sense of everything really changes your perspective on things especially if you are really into a museum-like career. My aunt is one of three people that work at the Kneeland-Walker house in Wauwatosa. That itself is a historical building from 1890. She loves history and preservation. She really gets into the dirt of what really happened with where ever she goes to explore. Having her kind of love for beautiful buildings such as the Pabst Mansion really gives us a gift of the past. They are able to save what could be torn down. They are able to give us a piece of the past that could not only teach us a thing or two but change our views on what we do today.

Time Travel

Everyone knows you learn from your past. Historical events are told over and over again through the years. You’re history books are littered with events and people and historical significance. These books usually leave something vital out and that is the way of life that was kept in the past. This is where historic rooms, house museums, and outdoor museums can fill in those holes. They can take you back in time so to speak. To give you a simulation, a glimpse at the lives the people of the past lived. You can see the type of furniture they lounged or did work on. The art they chose to surround themselves with. In Keeping Time by Murtagh he talks about a historic room or house museum as a three dimensional historical document. I think that describes it well because the intended purpose of any historic room, or house museum is to be educational. To teach us how the original occupants of lived. To teach us about their habits, tastes and coveted objects. It can give us a skewed view however. The culturally/historically important are usually the buildings that are saved. This can tend to be aimed at a higher economic bracket if you will. So it can be easy to think that this is how the majority lived during that house’s given time period. A great example of this is displayed with the recent visit to Captain Frederick Pabst Mansion. This beautiful mansion which is slowly and meticulously being restored gives a wonderful look back to a period. The problem is you can miss the fact while this million dollar mansion was being build in Milwaukee, down the road people were still living in log cabins. This is where outdoor museums can help give a more complete picture set with the same educational purpose they comprise of multiple buildings restored or recreated to give that simulation to interpret a historical or cultural setting. This range can give a more broad look at the lives of people during a time in the past. Unfortunately this can become even more misleading than just viewing one level of an economic class during a period. Some outdoor museums can get out of control to the point of amusement park like entertainment if this happens the educational aspect of the museum can be lost. Regardless of a few short comings the educational value of these museums is extremely high. There really is no other way short of time travel that you can experience so closely the way someone lived from another time. This might not seem like such a necessity but if you look at the way you live to day and try to reflect on what influences your decisions and choices you make in your everyday life your environment is a huge factor. So if we can understand the way of life for the people of the past maybe we can understand on some level the reasoning behind the choices that were made that led to the world we live in today.

It's an Experience

An open-air museum or an historic house museum is a learning experience that is unique in a way that allows a person to experience, rather than just read or listen to a blurb on the history of something. A person can be emerged into an environment where they can see and sometimes smell and touch what the subject is. One can activate all of their senses instead of just one or two. A concept of a certain subject or time in history that is taught by an open-air museum or house museum can become better understood to an individual.

For example, as kids, interactivity in a certain subject gave us better understanding of what a subject was. Going to the Betty-Brinn museum in elementary school, we explored how the human body works, different professions, how crops grow, and how physics works by interacting with specific exhibits. Though this museum is different than an open-air museum or historic museum, in the same way, it allows a person to experience something to spark a better understanding.

As a community, we can learn about architectural styles of the past. New architectural styles are always derived and altered from the past. We can also learn about the way our community used to be. Since house museums are not typically still lived in or used in the way they were in the past, they showcase a moment in time that once was. House museums can remind us that change is always happening and it is inevitable. Something that once was the center and pride of a community may be and probably will be something different in the future.

One of my favorite open-air museums is Medieval Times in Illinois. You’re emerged into this scene of the renaissance. People at Medieval Times dress and talk like people from that era and the experience is captivating. You get a meal like the people of the past got to feast on and you get to experience all of these activities that used to be enjoyed during the medieval times.

One of my favorite historic house museums is one I had mentioned in an earlier blog. This fall, I visited the Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay. The Observatory was built in the 1890s and still is home to the telescope that once was the worlds largest refracting lens telescope. I am still in awe of what I saw when I went. I could spend days there scoping out all of the details on the outside and inside of the building.

One of the more well-known house museums I visited is Mount Vernon. I loved seeing Mount Vernon because I am intrigued by American history. It was neat to see where the Washington’s had once lived. My favorite part was the view of the Potomac River. Looking out at the river that George and Martha used to look at and to stand on the lawn where they used to host picnics for friends and colleagues was one of those ‘out of body’ experiences.

We can learn a lot from house museums and open-air museums if run by the right people and maintained well.

Pabst Mansion: a jewel in the rubble

While visiting the Pabst Mansion, one of Milwaukee’s oldest jewels, I started to recognize why some things should just stick around. The Pabst Mansion is a prime example of beautiful architecture and there is historical significance to what the mansion stands for. Today the mansion stands in the middle of a University campus, but back in the day it was surrounded by many mansions and homes that were much bigger. To the left there is a corporate apartment building and to the right there is a dormitory, which makes the building look like it is swimming in a sea of modern day housing. Being the only standing and kept up historical building on what is now Wisconsin Avenue, it is sad that we continue to demolish places that were once important and preserve buildings that are not.

Granted most of the old mansions and homes on old Grand Avenue were dying, not being tended to, and not being sold. But when we go back to the beginning of the semester, when we spoke about the Marriott and the old Down Town Books building, it is strange what has been decided to stay and what has to go. Especially for a run down building in the middle of down town Milwaukee, why is it important to preserve structural integrity while it was never kept up in the first place? How the Pabst Mansion still stands is pure luck.

I was glad to see that the mansion’s interior was treated like a museum. The museum aspect of the Pabst was the best way to handle its preservation. Anyone can now come and enjoy or learn about how this miraculous building survived such hard times. The restored settings such as the bedrooms and the kitchen are great tools to continue understanding what life was like in the past. There is little we don’t already know about the historic past of the city, but the act of restoring mansions and homes give more knowledge into economics of the time.

Restoration I believe is the most important thing that the mansion stands for. Besides the historical significance the building holds, there have been bigger strides to restore even the smallest details back to the original state the mansion stood in. It was remarkable how the restorers at the Pabst Mansion could even tell what the original trim patterns rooms would have after countless layers of paint over the top of it. Also, not to mention the attempts to bring original relics and furniture back to the home. Such things like paintings, hanging lights, and even drinking horns have all been brought back or else, after careful studying, replicated by like objects.

The importance of museums like the Pabst Mansion may seem to be for the kicks of looking into a historically famous persons home. Not unlike Mount Vernon, the Pabst is cherished for its beauty and prestige. More importantly the mansion is celebrated for its survival in Historical Milwaukee. The historical significance doesn’t just lay in the home itself, but also the representation of the rest of Grand Avenue, a street that died faster than it was born.

Importance of an open-air museum to American Culture Blog #9

Importance of an open-air museum to American Culture:

Open-air museums can have more of a historical impact on the viewer over a house museum. Some might learn more about the area itself because of an open-air museum or they may see a select amount of buildings with the same types of elements and decide to do more research on it themselves. To educate is the main purpose of an open-air museum as well as the importance of the history behind it.

What we can learn from an open-air museum is who lived there before us, how their landscape changed from where it was to where it is today, as well as what they did on a day-to-day basis. We can learn certain things to why we do certain things the way we do them today, or maybe just in that specific region still. Another importance is the information that some people see from museums like these are a career. There are certain things in life that change us such as our thinking, ideas, and decisions that we make. Someone who isn't interested, or may not know it yet, and goes to one of these sites with family possibly as a child or teen may see true value in it and want to make it into a career choice within college and beyond. That in itself is a great asset to society, keeping history going for generations to see what the past has helped us create for today.

Learning from Living Examples

Open air museums and historic houses are important in American culture because they teach us about the lifestyles of our forefathers, while also celebrating the past. “By their nature, most open-air museums are national or regional in focus, presenting aspects of native culture drawn from a single country or district.” (Chappell). Open air museums and house museums are here for the education of the present society. They are meant to educate us on the cultures and lifestyles of peoples from the past, whether regional, national, or foreign.

I am a big proponent of learning from the past. I firmly believe in the study of history so as not to repeat the mistakes made by our forefathers. I am also a proponent of sustainability in all forms of design, including architecture. From the slideshow, “Lost Grand Avenue,” shown at the Pabst Mansion by John Eastburg, Senior Historian and Director of Development, we were shown that much, in fact, most, of the original architecture from the area was gone, torn down. What remains is the Captain Frederick Pabst Mansion. This building is the sole survivor of a generation. The stories that can be linked to the history of the Pabst Mansion, and Grand Avenue, or what is now Wisconsin Avenue, are immense. From old pictures of the area, we can learn many things about our city and its past inhabitants. We can learn about the economy of the area, the incomes of the citizens, as well as their occupations and personal and recreational interests; we can learn about their family histories, their paths to America. We can also track the development of an area, or the trends in architecture and style over time. What were the uses of these buildings, and why were they made with the materials chosen? Some of the skill, craft, and materials that went into a lot of these buildings is not found often in present architecture or design. But there were hard and fast reasons why certain things were used. Certain woods were used because they were prevalent in an area, or affordable, or fashionable, but they were always durable, because that is the way things were built in that era. The same cannot always be said anymore. By maintaining buildings such as the Pabst Mansion, we can learn invaluable lessons on craftsmanship, construction, design and style, the culture of the times; we can also observe, through the layout and conservation of the Pabst Mansion specifically, how this family lived, and who they might have been. What was important to these people? What rooms were most used? They seemed to spend a lot of time in the music room, which was also less formal than a lot of the other rooms in the house. Maybe that means they enjoyed relaxing together, but were not especially materialistic, tied to fashion for fashion's sake. The youngest daughter (portrait shown above) had the best room in the house, does that mean she was favored? The structure built for the World's Fair was brought back to Milwaukee and added to the house as a private chapel; this could not only display the magnitude of the family's accomplishments, but also the pride they had in their work, and the reverence and attention they paid to it. The servant's kitchen was thoughtfully decorated, as seen in the picture above depicting the detailed and hand-painted tile work in the kitchen – did that mean the Pabst family valued their employees? The Captain's office furniture can tell us how he spent some of his time, as well as how the German phrases on the ceiling can tell us things about the man as a person (wood panels shown above). By maintaining this house in the style of livability, as closely as can be gathered by these historians, we are able to learn much about the time, the area, the family, architecture, fashion, and style.

Chappell, Edward A. "Open-Air Museums: Architectural History for the Masses." Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 58.3 (1999): 334-41. University of California Press. Society of Architectural Historians, Sept. 1999. Web. 18 Nov. 2011. .

Breaking and Entering

Back when I was in Girl Scouts I found out that my hometown has up kept a house museum. Although I knew bits and pieces about the town I was unaware of where it started. Park Ridge, Illinois started as a brick industry town and was formally known as Brickton, Illinois. The majority of what I remember is a lot of old furniture and standing behind ropes looking at things. I do recall the house being set up like any other, except there were oil lamps. The house sits on a former farm, which has been paved over and is now the sight of the local farmers market. Park Ridge is a town of about forty thousand people and almost nothing resembles the brick industry any more. In the case of the Brickton House Museum I don’t see how it is important to the cities culture. Anything that is in the house could be communicated, if not better, in a room at the local library.

The Brickton House Museum was a good Girl Scout trip and it did contain all the important historical parts of the town. It was a small hub of the history for Park Ridge. Unfortunately the museum went under since the time I had been their last. I could not find any information on the place or locate its previous address. For me the Brickton house will just be a house with oil lamps and ropes.

House museums in general are hard for me to understand in the stance of small towns. The museums do preserve the history and the heritage that of the town, but they often go underutilized and unnoticed in the 21^st century and the Internet. I have never been a huge fan of house museums. They often feel cold and stagnate. Since the intent of the house was to be lived in, walking through the staged set up often seems wrong. It doesn’t help that everything is roped off and you are unable to interact with the history. I understand why it would be a liability to allow people to interact with the artifacts, but when presented in the manor of a home it seems contradictory.

When we visited the Pabst mansion, this was the second time for me within a year, I found my self quite interested in the simplest things. Although the Christmas decorations were quite gaudy and over done, the branches in the corners of the entryway were one of the most interesting parts for me. I felt I was intruding on the house when we went to visit and I felt that I had to tread lightly, almost as if I were breaking in. This is how I’ve felt at the Pabst Mansion both times. Since the house was well kept as a house and could still be functional, by only adding a fridge and a stove, it never felt right to be taking a tour of someone’s living space.

Pabst Mansion and Old World Wisconsin

Historical house museums and open-air museums are an important part of our cultural history and identity because they allow us to have an accurate depiction of the past. According to Murtagh, “A house and its contents, when maintained as a museum, teach how the original occupants lived and exhibit the object of their everyday lives” (Murtagh 63). This is important because without house museums, we would have to solely rely on photographs and interpretation of what important buildings once looked like. When we visited the Pabst mansion, I was able to get a sense of how the family actually lived, which I would not have been able to get simply from photographs. House museums are meant to give history lessons about the people who lived in the house, what those people were like, and how they lived (64). The perfect example of this is when John Eastburg told us about how the Pabst family felt more comfortable living in a middle class environment, yet they were expected to live in an environment that was purely upper class. This information gave me a whole new perspective on the Pabst family. Without having visited the site or seen the differences in décor from the first and second floor, I would have assumed that the Pabst family lived in luxury at all times.

Seeing the different stages of the restoration process within the building also showed how a house museum is significant to our culture. There was such a difference between rooms that have not yet been fully restored, and the green bedroom that had been fully restored. One is rarely able to see rooms as they were a hundred years ago, and it such a unique experience to be able to walk through one. In a way, it is like one is stepping back into a time period, and experiencing the house as it was originally meant to be experienced. This is something that only a house museum can provide because the best way to see how a historical family lived is to actually be in the same place where they lived their lives.

This same general concept can also be said for open-air museums. The National Trust describes an open-air museum as “a restored, re-created or replicate village site in which several or many structures have been restored, rebuilt, or moved and whose purpose is to interpret a historical or cultural setting, period, or activity” (75). An example of this would be Old World Wisconsin, where I used to spend my summers volunteering. This site, and others like it, is meant to educate and instill a sense of patriotism and heritage into those who visit it (81). Old World Wisconsin could be considered a living museum because during the summer months volunteers can be seen in costume farming the lands, and conducting other activities, such as being a blacksmith or general store owner, which are period appropriate. One of the best parts of volunteering there was being able to see how people of the past lived within a secluded environment. The grounds of the site were not being invaded by modern surroundings, and the volunteers simply acted as though they were living in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. This was an incredible learning experience because, like the house museum, I felt like I had been transported into a different time, and I was able to see how people a few centuries ago would have lived their everyday lives.

House museums and open-air museums are important because they teach us about a time different than our own. These historical settings are the best way for people to get a sense of how our ancestors lived, and how far we have progressed as a society. Museums such as these give people the chance to experience a different period of time; one that is true to the essence of a particular area or generation. Without them, we would miss out on the opportunity of the ability to interact with the past. This is the best way to interact with a historical house or setting because they can take one so much deeper and teach so much more about a site than photographs or documents can on their own.

Works Cited:

Murtagh, William J. Keeping Time: The History and Theory of Preservation in America. 3rd ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley, 2006. Print.

3-D Museums

I feel the most important aspect of open-air and house museums in the United States is their ability to transport the viewer into a sort of virtual world in which they can experience, touch, smell, and interact with a museum exhibit. It is one thing to stand in front of a glass case and peer into the miniature representation of what the culture and life was like, but this makes it feel almost fake and story like. This effort shows areas otherwise unknown or unable to explore such as a Wisconsinite viewing tropic or Amazonian cultures. But when there is the ability to experience first-hand how earlier generations of your culture lived; this is a learning opportunity that would be otherwise lost.

As important as these museums are it is also important to note the downfalls to them as well. As mentioned by Murtagh in Keeping Time open-air and house museums are mostly at best a strict re-interpretation of how the culture lived. What may be most important in house museums is not as much the exterior of the house but the interior and along with that how the interior is decorated or furnished. As discovered on our tour of the Pabst Mansion, many of the original pieces within the house have been moved out and have had to been replaced or repurchased for the house. Without pictures, portraits, or first-hand accounts much of the décor work and layout of house museums are up to the museum’s historians and directors.

Another item of concern with open-air museums is much of the same issues, except a concern for exterior appeal and layout of buildings must be heavily considered along with interior representation. Many open-air museums in the United States feature a rural culture setting usually in days of horse drawn vehicles and farm equipment. The concern is how these structures are laid out and how to do so in a way that portrays a sense of accuracy while promoting education and interest but without making it feel too much like an amusement park. One other concern of open-air museums is the use the buildings that are not native to that area but similar enough to be moved into that setting or having to create a replica of a building that would have appeared in that time. Though similar to the time period, structures from different areas may have interpreted a structure differently from the one it has been placed in. After all many of the museums portray a time when it was very rare for local folk to travel long distances from their home, so much of their culture centers around how things were done in their particular area.

House Museum

What we can learn as a community through a historic house museum or open air museum is the connection with humanity and its exposure to the public. The intention for which provides an opportunity to intimately experience the living space of people that were and still are capable of creating an impact that is visually interesting and accentuating to the environment that we live in. In the case of the Pabst mansion, its service to Wisconsin and the city of Milwaukee is both crucial and romantic to the interaction of society amongst a period of time that may now be seen ancient. However, its sustainability shows us otherwise. It shows us the historical value that it holds. In its very essence it is a landmark but in reality it provides an exclamation to the magical world of human possibility and art. It is a statement in society that after being occupied, it now serves educational purposes.

I remember in the Federal District of Mexico when we visited the Frida Kahlo museum. The place is located in the beautiful and colonial area of Coyacan which shares similar Victorian properties to the experience at the Pabst Mansion. It was Frida Kahlo's residence itself that served as the holding grounds of her artistic expression and familiarity. Aside of her paintings and sculptures therefore was her home. The place where she spent hours doing things beyond her profession. It was her life that the viewer could also see in relationship to her living style that allowed me to rethink what I knew of her. In that aspect similarly to Captain Pabst, we can imagine and be connected more with the individuals that made an impact in . It is a way to discover the lifestyle of these people whose homes are now in exhibit. They are gradual grounds. They revisit each other and let themselves know that it is coming to them as it comes fast. Faster then the wind and closer to the sound of every step that one takes on those wooden floors. This is why we save the past.

To understand the magnificence of nature as it progresses through our time. To show us where people have been and to mention any circumstance around. It is with right discretion that we investigate with each other and talk to one another about the persons who built a recognizable monument in a certain area. Tied to the history behind, the artifacts and trains of thoughts describe how we think as a social and humanitarian culture. Based on where we live and how we spent the rest of our lives with the cyclical approach to the present now. And the past as it forms a part of the now. With regard to success, we feel the need to sustain what is beautiful and provides the most amount of benefit overall. It makes sense because we give worth and value to the things that we seem to need also. The ones that we can hang on to and think back to and love and cherish. Family memories. Events. Places of comfort. Aesthetics.

That the music room was the place of gathering is of no surprise. It was the most unified. It was the one that saw the aspect of family in great times. It was the incorporation of yet another element of grand gesture and historic value as well as preservation. Music. In context to the human perspective of enjoying a quality lifestyle. A lifestyle of invention, recognition, elegance and explicit pleasure of living harmoniously. But it's its stature that dominates the attention of the observer and the divider. The castle, the Eiffel Tower, the Mansion, the famous person who lived in that house. It is an intention to people watch and correspond to the essence of living.

Another great quality in preserving a house and to build a living space like the Pabst Mansion is related to the aesthetic value talked about earlier. It's about art. Craftsmen who were hired to do amazing work with their hands. To show us at which extent one can accomplish something great. Hands.

Overall it was a great time in class!

Urban Geography & Preservation

Today, people of all generations can see the history of social and economic relations in our own communities and how they have changed our modern urban landscapes globally. To come to the realities of today, social landscapes had begun to majorly evolve during the uprising of many new forces of production after WWII. "The automobile industry successfully converted back to producing cars, and new industries such as aviation and electronics grew by leaps and bounds (cite)". At the same time, the jump in postwar births, known as the "baby boom," increased the number of consumers (cite). More and more Americans joined the middle class and began to embrace all of the new and exciting changes that were happening everywhere. It was at this point that American society forever sought the phantasmagoria surrounding them; driving consumerism faster than ever before. In the cities people were most concerned about building the tallest skyscraper humanly possible; big glass structures that protruded out of their landscapes with masses of concrete creating a high contrast between past, present as well as providing a glimpse for the future. American society had begun to change the way they built structures and sites along with the materials.

Historical Materialism is a study of society, economics, and history and provides fundamental ideas to help us understand how we were left with the modern city of today. "The system determines that there is always a division of labour into social classes based on property ownership where some people live from the labour of others (cite)." This class division is dependent on the forces of production at that moment in time and more than ever consumerism was a driving force in all decision making. Post WWII left the cities overpopulated with industries booming. Soon after, the people affected most by these industrial changes were the people who had lived in these social landscapes prior to the city, building their cultural heritage in these environments. It was then the "indigent" people of the city had to succumb to the changing economic and social status', leaving many displaced. These "indignent" residents were now able to see social problems unfold in the urban area including-gentrification, polarization, segregation, urban conflict, the use of public space, urban politics, and the role of finance and crisis in shaping urban landscapes (cite)".


We can see historical materialism truths in Seoul during its Yongsan tragedy of 2009. Seoul's population has nearly doubled since 1970 and is currently the eighth-most populated city in the world. With their booming economy and high demand for public housing Seoul is finding it very hard to provide for these needs. In response to these dire circumstances Seoul started redeveloping huge areas to meet housing demands for middle and upper-class inhabitants. But as true for American society, this has left lower-income residents and small-business owners helpless. Seoul's redevelopment plan created a social unrest among many communities and disgruntled people everywhere started to demonstrate. On January 9th, 2009, during a demonstration by upset civilians, Seoul police decided to take matters in their own hands and became violent with demonstrators. The result was the death of 5 demonstrators and 1 police office. This is an extreme example of how dependent society is on preservation in urban geography. Overall, one could say gentrification of these rice fields is inevitable, but how can you revitalize and preserve one's cultural heritage and social landscape while creating an economic uprising? Maybe the question will never be answered but we can look at the instance of gentrification in Seoul as a representation of societies value on social and cultural landscapes.

Glenwood Canyon

This past August, I went to Vail, Colorado to visit my boyfriend for two weeks. I had never been there during the summer so I was very excited to see what beauty the city holds. Now don't get me wrong, it's gorgeous there but the bar was raised when my boyfriend surprised me with a trip to one of America's most scenic roadways, Glenwood Canyon.

There are no pictures out there that will do this canyon justice! It's definitely one to go and see in person. Glenwood Canyon is on I-70 in western Colorado about 150 miles west of Denver. The 16 mile long canyon is on the Colorado River between the towns of Glenwood Springs and Gypsum. A challenge was taken in the 1980's to complete one of the last stretches of the Interstate. In the end, the freeway snaked through using tunnels and bridges to create the highway but in no way did it hurt or contribute to the gorgeous appearance this canyon holds.

The canyon was formed by the Colorado River. With the canyon being 16 miles long, it has steep to sheer cliff sides rising on either side of the river with creeks and small canyons branching off from it.

In the early 20th century, the state highway was starting to get underway and became part of SH 4. In 1926, the US Highway routes were developed and the route through Glenwood Canyon was proposed to be part of US 46. Since then, there have been many changes to what the highway was connected to and renumbered. Then in 1937, US 6 was lengthened to western from Denver and was co-marked with US 24 through the canyon. During this time the canyon was just gravel until the Depression. U.S. Representative Edward Taylor got $1.5 million for widening and paving the canyon road.

It wasn't until the 1960's when the federal government approved an extension for I-70 to go west from Denver to Utah. The first part was completed in 1965. This included two bores for the No Name Tunnels and bypassed the Horseshoe Curve section of the canyon. The second part (Dotsero) of I-70 was built by 1982 but the section from No Name to Dotsero would be the most difficult to complete due to rejections of costs, distances and road closures during the winter season.

Overall, this gorgeous canyon is one for the books. This is "one of the most scenic sections of roadway, one of the last sections of Interstate Highway to be built, a construction project that brought never-before-used-construction methods to the U.S. and one of the greatest engineering achievements of the U.S." (Matthew Salek).

Underground Railroad

I live in the town of Merton near Sussex. On the main street in Merton there is a house that was part of the underground rail road and the elementary school would go to the house every year when they were studying the Civil War. I remember being shocked as a little kid to see it first hand and understand what lengths the slaves had to endure in order to make the trip and it was very evident all the risks the owners had to undertake by how hidden the cellar was.

Recently there was an article in the news paper my mother was reading about how a rundown house, which was said to be a safe house to hide slaves, on the corner or Highway 164 and Lisbon Road was going to be demolished because the Wisconsin Department of Transportation deemed the house of no historical value. The reason for demolition of the house was because traffic going into sussex was increasing and they needed to expand the road to accommodate the amount of cars on a daily basis. Immediately two thoughts came to mind. One, being that yes there is a lot more traffic due to the recent development in the area. However, if hours worth of traffic flow is accepted because they wanted to save the veterans cemetery by miller park then why is it not the same case in this situation? The reason why the house in Merton was salvaged was because the new owners of the property did what was necessary for repairments and made a strong case for a house museum deal with the neighboring schools for educational purposes. If the safe house was fixed up and the community was actively involved I believe the preservationists who were trying to save the house would have had more of a chance of saving it. I remember passing the house when my mother told me exact location and I remember it looking like a house that was in a disarray with broken windows, crooked siding, and over grown with weeds. Its sad to see that because of unmotivated owner who lacks pride in his own property a piece of history was demolished. With all the opportunities to gain tax incentives or even loans for historically significant landmarks I find it to be impossible that the owner was not eligible for any of them. I also found extremely ironic that it was the Department of Transportation that deemed the building to have no historic value.

It does seem like it is harder to preserve landmarks then it is to build them now a days. It also got me thinking about the field trips we have in class. If the community is unaware of the landmarks significance then it has a far smaller chance of being preserved. The educational system should find more ways to utilize this landmarks that instead of useless field trips that kids take to a park or imax. Being able to experience a part of history first hand is not only a lot more inspiring to the students but it also allows the children to have a better understanding of the community they live in. As the world becomes more heavily populated more and more landmarks like these will be taken down. It may seem like one little house has not a lot of value in the large scheme of things but when they all start disappearing it's not like we can recreate the past.

Underrated Preservation

There is something to be said about untouched nature. Although it is unrefined it has an elegant beauty that can not be recaptured easily. Murtagh defined three different landscapes which are designed landscapes, cultural landscapes, and natural landscapes. When walking around in Lake Park I had a better understanding on how to differentiate between the three types. Clearly Lake park is a designed landscape since it is "altered under a plan by a professional or avid amateur with verifiable results." The park was created by Fredrick Law Olmsted who was also the designer for Central Park. As I was walking around the park you could tell that there were preplanned green spaces with bridges to connect the areas. I was disappointed that there were hardly any real wildlife areas. I remember walking down the bluff over to the indian mound and thinking that this is what parks need to feel more like. To have untouched nature around you compared to walking on a glorified green lawn. I realize that preserving landscapes is to avoid development from taking place in general, but I believe there needs to be a stronger emphasis on preserving the nature aspect and not having a refined picnic area. Further in the chapter cultural landscapes are discussed with the definition of areas that are "altered with human function in mind." I understand that these areas are for the general public so there needs to be adjustments made that allows nature it to be easily accessible for everyone. However there can be adjustments to the maintenance of the park to make it seem less 'modified'. The grass does not have to look like your walking onto a golfing green and it doesn't have to be like your walking in a field either. There can be walking paths with longer green grass, abundance of fallen leaves, weeds and wildflowers galore, there is no need for an asphalt path. Not only would it cost less to maintain it but it would be more realistic and inspiring. It reminds me of the hiking paths in hawaii or the trails on the west coast into the mountains. There needs to be a larger sense of wild life in the parks. This does not mean that you need to cut out the clean cut areas all together but it just would not be as pronounced. Some may say that if it not maintained this well it would be an 'eye sore' to the city or make it harder for others to use it for running on the path. My thoughts on this is that you would have just as likely roll you ankle from trying to run on Milwaukee's uneven pavement as you would if you had to run on hiking path. And as far as and eye sore issue, a park's whole purpose is to allow people who live in areas under large amounts of development an place to escape man-made objects. I believe man-made parks fall under that category as well.

I loved the lighthouse! I have always enjoyed seeing a well preserved museum with actual artifacts from the time period. It really does show how far mankind has come with technology, which has it's upsides and downsides. When we were up in the tower and the tour guide was describing how the lighthouse keeper would have to wake up periodically in the night to refill the lamp with oil made me appreciate how much electrically has enhanced our lives. The downside is that because of radar on ships there is no need for lighthouses anymore. In a way it allows you to see how the world used to operate and how we are developing constantly. First it was oil lamps, then the use of a lightbulb, then no need for lighthouses in general because of radar.

Cape Wind

I go every summer to Hyannis, Massachusetts to visit some friends that live out in that area. Hyannis is “A” on the map, part of Cape Cod.

Whenever I am there I see signs all over protesting “Cape Wind”, a wind farm project that will be offshore Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound (off Cape Cod).

First, what is a wind farm though? They are groups of wind turbines used to produce electric power. Wind farms may contain several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of land. The farms can either be inland or offshore.

The cape project has been fought by the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, formed to oppose the proposal because it will construct 400-foot tall wind turbines in the middle of Nantucket Sound. Nantucket Sound is known for its wildlife and natural beauty, residents are afraid that the wind farm will destroy that. But a 2010 poll by the Boston Globe showed that 69% of residents supported Cape Wind. So, why all the fuss? Robert Whitcomb, Vice President and Editorial Page Editor of the Providence Journal, argues that the battle over Cape Wind involves a powerful, privileged minority imposing their power on the majority. Robert maybe are partly right, a lot of “big names” have opposed the construction of the farm including late Sen. Ted Kennedy, Sen. John Kerry, former Gov. Mitt Romney, and businessman Bill Koch.

I personally feel that looking out at the ocean and seeing these big spinney things (a wind farm) would take away some of the beauty. I am for wind power, but why pick a place a lot of people come to visit for the view.

I also find it interesting that if this were “back in the day” there would be no controversy because seeing a big wind turbine would be considered progress, but now it is not, sort of. “Cape Wind” will liking be the first offshore wind energy project in United States coastal waters.

Blog #8 - Biltmore Estates

When I was younger I would visit my Aunt and Uncle in Raleigh, N.C. when they use to live there. They would try and get me to see certain things, usually it was about what I wanted to do (I was about 11 or 12 years old) but sometimes they would interject and we would do something they wanted. They decided we would go Asheville, N.C. to see the Biltmore Estates. Now, at the time I hated this. I ran through most of the building, as most 11 year olds would at the time. Not fully being able to appreciate it for what it was, I wonder how I would see it now? From what I remember, there were a lot of paintings and old items from hundreds of years ago. The fact that I the opportunity to see something of this magnitude but to not understand the significance is sad.

I am not sure if I would make an attempt to go back here if it wasn't for our preservation class right now. I would like to view the building itself as well as the exterior space. The up keep of the land is beautiful, something that many people never have a chance to see. The detail that was put into this building is astonishing, not to mention the history behind it all. It would be interesting to see how it has played to the visitors. Maybe they updated areas or keep certain information from the truth, not quite sure. I would want to check out every detail of the building and easily be able to spend a full day or two looking at everything. Seeing an estate this big is shocking almost, to imagine somebody lived in this building.


http://www.biltmore.com/

Devil's Lake

One of my favorite places to visit over the summer has to be Devil’s lake here in Wisconsin. It is a gorgeous national park with several facilities in which to camp or do any recreational activities. On the other hand, it is a very popular destination for tourists of both Wisconsin and the surrounding states thus causing the issue of overuse in areas.

For the times that I have gone to Devil’s lake I really enjoyed the lush and beautiful scenery, it was also a very clean park with paved roads and campgrounds that are easily accessible and rather affordable. There are options to rent cabins and canoes to kayaks and so on. All in all there are several things to do and with the money the park generates all are offered and maintained. The way the park is layed out maximizes natural space with winding roads going through it and thousands of miles of twisting trails to hike and bike through. Thus the park designers had a good sense of expansion as the years went by as new elements were added, making the preservation and modern use of this natural environment a good example of successful park preservation.

On the other hand, over one million people visit this park a year making the park seem less of a natural space then a habited tourist destination. There are always groups of people spread out within the park making the illusion of going out into a natural space seem quaint. The park sure didn’t look the same as it did when the explorers first met the native Americans living in the area. Furthermore, I rock climbed at Devils Lake before. It is always a blast and loads of fun climbing around the rock formations. Unfortunately, many natural faces have been worn down and some even impossible to climb because of the hundreds of climbers that hack carabineers into the rock to clip into while lead climbing. As nice as it would seem that natural rock climbing is the thing to be doing at Devil’s Lake, the original condition of the rock faces has long gone. Devil’s Lake as well as other major national parks seem to be too well preserved at times being subject the millions of people that explore and inhabit the parks each year.

Yerkes Observatory

While on Fall break, my boyfriend and I took a day trip to Williams Bay, 10 miles from Lake Geneva. We set out to visit Yerkes Observatory, which once housed the world’s largest refracting telescope. The telescope is still there, however, other larger refracting telescopes now exist.

As we pulled up the observatory, I was in awe. The building is astonishing and is engraved and sculpted with incredible detail in the style of terracotta design. The pictures sculpted into the architecture had stories within them. Pictures of moons, fish, people, and a variety of different

animals, took up the majority of the ornamentation. There is a figure

carved into many of the columns supporting the front entrance that appears to be William Rainey Harper, the first president of the University of Chicago. At one time, there was a hornet perched on the nose of the figure stinging it and making it swell. A theory is that George Ellery Hale considered the swollen nose to “gross” and around 1900, requested that the hornets be removed. The architect, Henry Ives Cobb, let his imagination run wild while designing the building. However, his last wishes before his death were to have the plans burned.

When we walked inside, I was by no means disappointed by what I saw. The ornamentation on the inside foyer was just as magnificent as the outside. Since an observatory was a place for learning and discovery, owls perched all around the border of the room to symbolize wisdom.

The building was proposed by astronomer George Ellery Hale and financed by Charles Tyson Yerkes. The observatory was established in 1897. The grounds were designed by John Olmsted, brother of Frederick Law Olmsted. The building and telescope is property of the University of Chicago and only used for educational purposes. In 2005, the university

announced that it had plans to sell the property and there were plans to put a resort on the 77-acre lot along with an array of luxury homes. But in 2007, the university suspended the plans. The observatory stands as a symbol of a combination of technology and architectural advances in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.

A couple things I found interesting while on our tour was that the electronics system used in the dome housing the telescope is the original. I also learned that Albert Einstein studied at Yerkes.

I recommend to everyone to visit Yerke’s Observatory. The tour is free but donations are encouraged.