Fourteenth International Conference on The Constructed Environment

Abstract

Salem, Massachusetts is a small city north of Boston with a long and somewhat notorious past. For at least 2000 years, the peninsula Salem sits on was known as Naumkeag to the local eponymous indigenous peoples. Since the arrival of Europeans 1626, Salem has been home to religious zealots, whalers, slave traders, waves of immigrants, a military presence, swarms of tourists, and suburban commuters into Boston. Each of these groups has left their imprint on the city’s rich urban fabric, with streets winding through the center of town connecting the docks with the inland residential and industrial areas, highways, and a commuter rail. The modern city centers on Essex Street, which has a 90’s-era pedestrian zone past historic buildings and tourist attractions, ending abruptly by the visitor’s center, which is housed in an old warehouse structure. Just east of the pedestrian area is the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM), an assemblage of historic buildings, including the East India Marine Society, a 200-year-old trading center which remains largely preserved, and the Yin Yu Tang house, imported from China and reconstructed on site. Incorporating these historical buildings required a clever and dramatic architectural solution by Moshe Safdie. The PEM owns two historical structures approximately 200 yards down Essex street, including a prominent corner yard. Architectural studies students were challenged to redesign the streetscape of the main pedestrian zone and extend it to include the PEM and it’s two historic residential structures, synthesizing the historical fabric with contemporary sensibilities.