Research

Students lend design expertise in President's fireplace restoration project

Students measured the Schreyer House fireplace mantle before planning designs.  Credit: Kristin Barry All Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- When the 1928 Tudor fireplace in the historic Schreyer House, home of Penn State President Eric Barron, needed to be restored, who did his interior designer call? The Penn State Department of Architecture, of course.

In late summer, Connie Hayes, interior designer for Barron and his wife, Molly, called the department to see if students could design a new fireplace surround for the Schreyer House living room. Stuckeman School instructor and adviser Kristin Barry jumped at the opportunity and immediately developed an independent study course around the project. ARCH 269: Practical Study in Historic Design and Implementation is an interdisciplinary research and design course for architecture, art history and architectural engineering students that explores the design considerations related to the aesthetic restoration of the fireplace in the residence, which sits on a 76-acre property alongside the Aboretum.

Barry’s goal was for students to gain real-life experience in meeting with clients, researching the history of university architecture, and designing and implementing a historic restoration project. At the beginning of the semester, students researched the history of Pennsylvania, the Midwest and Penn State architecture, specifically Schreyer House, in order to make suggestions for appropriate materials and ultimately design an historically influenced and appropriate fireplace surround for the new gas firebox in the Schreyer House living room.

“This is a great opportunity for students to be a part of the continuing history of Penn State’s Department of Architecture and Schreyer House,” said Barry, whose historic design and preservation experience at Hutker Architects in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and on archeological digs in Turkey, Israel, Egypt and France provided her with the background to supervise and lead such an opportunity.

The students in the course — Lori Ambrusch, Chauntel Duriez, Dave Schaare and Lauren Uhlig (architecture), Alex Boots (architectural engineering) and Kathleen Norris, Patrick Powers and Jessica Tkach (art history) — have met with Barry throughout the semester as a group to discuss ideas and work on designs for the fireplace surround.

“We appreciate the opportunity to not only utilize our design knowledge in a practical application, but also to extend our reach into related fields by collaborating with students from other disciplines. Being able to have informed discussions about the history, design and engineering of such a prominent piece of campus architecture has truly been an invaluable experience,” said Ambrusch, a fifth-year architecture student.

In October, the President and Mrs. Barron hosted the class at Schreyer House to discuss the project and to allow students access to the space for measuring and site consultation. They also gave the students a private tour of the home, pointing out other historic detailing and discussing possible design influences with students.

“Dr. and Mrs. Barron were very welcoming and fully engaged with the students, answering questions about what they liked about the house, the different changes that have been made over time, and how they and other families in the future will use the room. This is a way for students to have an impact on the design of a university building, however small, and follows in the tradition of the Stuckeman School, which has involved students in these types of opportunities in the past,” added Barry.

After much research and deliberation, students will present their final project designs to the Barrons on Dec. 17 at Schreyer House. The initial goal of the course was for the students to implement the design in Schreyer House in a sustainable way, which Barry hopes to complete with another independent study course that would include ceramics students to design period-style tiles and install them with the help of the Office of Physical Plant (OPP).

To view a gallery of photos of the students’ visit to Schreyer House, visit https://artsandarchitecture.psu.edu/gallery/schreyer-house-fireplace-project

Last Updated December 1, 2014