OSU KAPPA SIGMA HOUSE MODEL

FALSE SKIN, FALSE STORY: HOW ONE HOUSE REWROTE LOCAL HISTORY

Advanced Architectural Design Studio III | 2022

Location:

N/A

Instructor:

Karen Lewis

In Collaboration with:

Elizabeth Rechin

1842 Indianola Avenue has a complex history full of unsupported claims and conflicting narratives in reference to its involvement in the Underground Railroad. These claims are numerous and all slightly different, so for the sake of clarity we’ve simplified these reports to focus on the recurring fundamental themes. These include the house containing a secret room, an underground tunnel, false ceilings, and hollow walls. There is no evidence to support these claims, yet somehow it has been repeatedly published and stated as fact.

This investigation documents renovations and changes to the house over the past century, and looks into how those changes fueled the fabrication of stories linked to the Underground Railroad.

Originally the exterior was a Swissstyle design. The house was acquired by the Kappa Sigma Fraternity in 1919, and was soon-after remodeled in 1938. The remodel completely changed the exterior to a Virgina Colonial style to tie back to the Virginian roots of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity, along with adding several thousands of square feet split between 2 main areas. This is the recognizable house seen today.

As renovations go, walls were moved or demolished, creating a less-resolved building scheme with awkward spaces occurring as a result. Given that the first claim of association with the Underground Railroad came in 1957, we can infer that the claims stem from the renovation misalignments rather than fact.

This project is a model proposal for an exhibit on the city of Columbus and its involvement in the Underground Railroad; with an emphasis on debunking myths and reiterating fact through detail oriented analysis.

Left: Original Swiss-style house section, with call-outs referencing areas of future “claims.”

Right: Remodeled Virginia Colonial house section (mirrored), with callouts referencing areas supposedly affiliated with the UGRR.

Second Floor Plan Oblique

In an effort to promote transparency around the building’s identity, and a symbolic opposition to the 4 claims of hidden spaces, we created 4 towering voids that cut through the building. These spaces are the opposite of hidden, opening the building in a new way that accentuates structure, old from new, and most importantly the lack-of hidden spaces. These continuous, rigid vertical spaces also act as counterpart to the staggered, misalignment that was a result of the renovation.

In plan, these voids act as regulating nodes, with a series of connecting lines driving the interior organization. Each floor has a unique shape, cutting away from the existing building. This exposes the building’s structure, and overall provides a new way to see the existing building with all its components regardless of when they were added.

The 1938 addition, the version of the house which stands today, is abstracted with a mesh material. This mesh represents the “ghost” of the house. Despite being an existing condition, the abstraction of the Virginian Colonial allows the mesh to then move inside the house, working in tandem with the our design to cut away at existing walls, while providing a continuity through the accessible areas of the building.

Circulation through the building is not a set path, but rather a mazelike journey with no set destination. This allows the viewer to discover the building on their own, and ultimately realizing there is nothing to be discovered.