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Perceptions on the Use of Landmarks

Final Submission

Dara Schlotzhauer Sydney Rosiak

Olaitan Awomolo

History of the Form of Cities

December 7th, 2019

Introduction

The focus for our research project is predominantly on landmarks, and how they are perceived, inhabited, and used by their visitors in relation to their history and purpose. Our research study analyzes the use of landmarks within the city of Philadelphia through observation, and combines that information with the historical background and purpose of those sites. The chosen subjects for this research study include Independence Hall, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art because of their popularity, and distinct differences in history and functions. The study aims to examine how the site is inhabited, who inhabits it, and how our personal perception of the inhabited site relates to the historical background of each. An observational study will be conducted to determine the types of people, how they use it, and then make assumptions based on our personal observations to analyze why they may have chosen to visit. The purpose of studying two very different landmarks within the city will help to compare and contrast the people and elements seen within the spaces. A combination of background research, and these observational visits will help us to draw a conclusion to see how the history of a site may affect its present day usage and how we perceive it. The importance of this research study is to see how the history of a landmark can affect the sites purpose and functionality in the present day, and comparing the two landmarks will give insight on how each specific background ties in with our perceptions of use. One source of inspiration for this study comes from Kevin Lynch’s The Image of the City where he discusses the main important elements that make up a city and how these elements provide us with our own perception or image of the city through the viewer. Chapter III “The City and its Elements” he discusses landmarks and how they become reference points for people in order to recognize an area and gives clues of familiarity. Instead of studying landmarks in terms of reference points, we wanted to study the history of these sites to see how the background shapes our mental perception, and if it affects the present day use.

Literature Review

Materials:

There are many specific elements within Philadelphia that help provide us with research for our topic. First thing we did for this project was to do background research on each landmark and other parts of history that are associated with them. All of these materials researched tie into the history of our specific landmarks, and factor into our personal research and observation of the present day perceptions.

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Probably one of Philadelphia’s most iconic landmarks, and touches on every definition of a historic site. It is known for its architecture, for its historical background, and mostly the works that are held inside. It is also well known for its appearance in the very famous rocky movie. It is interesting to study why certain people visit the museum, and it comes from a variety of different reasons. You would think it is just about the art inside, but some come to visit the architecture, some are just obsessed with the movie Rocky, and some want to see what its inside, but lately tourists are coming to see some of the new renovations being done by Frank Gehry. This landmark acts as the perfect comparison to Independence Hall as it is more known for its architecture and physical appearance, whereas Independence Hall is known more for its history.

Collections within the Museum

We discovered that in the late 19th century, many different people associated within Philadelphia’s art scene had donated many items to the museum including antique furniture and decorations, pottery, books, paintings, jewelry, textiles, and many other historic items. All these acquired items lead to an increase in popularity for the museum, and pushed for the creation of the education and membership programs, which then led to a rapid growth of visitors during the 1920s. The Museum holds artifacts from all over the world, including America, and also now contains work from world renowned artists like Cezanne, Toulous-Lautrec, Van Gogh, Manet, Renoir, Degas, and many others. These well known artists and precious artifacts have made the Philadelphia Museum of Art one of the most famous museums within America, not just the city of Philadelphia. The museum is of course known for its exterior and interior architecture, but is also known for the many artifacts it holds inside. The thousands of artifacts and paintings within definitely have a direct affect on who comes to visit the museum, and their reasoning for it. The 2 images shown are very famous paintings done by well-known artists Marcel Duchamp, and Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. There are other exhibitions that hold historical items such as the Chinese and Egyptian halls, and also the Pennsylvania German art exhibit which hold a lot of furniture and art made right here in the rurals areas of Pennsylvania. Comparatively to Independence Hall, the Museum holds many physical objects that hold history with them, whereas Independence Hall is more known for the Historical events that happened there specifically with just our country, with the museum holding history from all over the world.

Frank Gehry Renovations

Frank Gehry was hired to give the Philadelphia Museum of Art a new look by doing renovations that will not only give the museum a more modern look, but also makes it easier to maneuver around with more open space. The renovations are still not done however so it is difficult to determine what people will think of them, but there are many rendering already done, and the construction is already in action. Since the renovations are already being done while you can still visit, i’m sure it has an effect on how many visitors and their experience at the museum, since it is under construction. There is also information on what residents of Philadelphia think of the new design, and if it will impact their perception of the landmark that they already know and love.

Benjamin Franklin Parkway

The Parkway, which was named after Benjamin Franklin for being one of our founding fathers, connect Philadelphia’s City hall all the way to the Museum of Art. This easy access walking and driving path definitely has an impact on the amount of tourism that visits the museum. The Ben Franklin Parkway is almost a suggestive path that leads from one landmark to the other, however the question is if it takes away from landmarks like Independence Hall, and promotes more tourism to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It acts as the spine of the Museum district, so not only attracts people to see the main building of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, but also the many others around it like the Rodin, the Barnes Foundation, and the Franklin Institute. The early 1900’s is when the main building and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway came about as the design for the new museum site, which became well known for its greek-like classical elements of architecture. The parkway leading up to the museum was also meant to lure in more visitors to the entire city and promote walkability to the site.

Independence Hall

As for Independence Hall, the building began construction in 1732, but was still under partial construction when the Pennsylvania Assembly began meeting in 1735. Independence Hall now Acts as a centerpiece for The Independence National Historical Park here in Old City, Philadelphia. This, along with the Philadelphia Museum of Art will act as the main focus and comparisons to see what type of tourists they attract, how many, and if people come to see them for the architecture or their history. This location is where both the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution were adopted, two very important pieces of Americas history, making Indepence Hall one of the main landmarks here in Philadelphia.

Declaration of Independence Signing

Once the Declaration of Independence was signed at the Pennsylvania State House in Independence Hall in 1776, the landmark gained its true American cultural significance. While this was also a very important step in defining American politics, it mostly defined a certain level of American patriotism which is still very much encouraged today. It makes a definition for the City of Philadelphia, and may act as the main reason people decide to visit here, based on an event as important as this happening right in the City.

Constitution Signing

11 years later, when the American Constitution was signed in the same room within Independence Hall, the building would remain famous for the entirety of American history. It wasn’t until almost two centuries after the signings of these famous documents, in 1966, that Independence Hall became considered a national landmark. Since that time, tours throughout the building have been conducted almost daily, aside from holidays, in order for people to visit this rich part of American history. By far the most important document in American politics is the Constitution, which was signed here in Philadelphia, along with other important documents such as the Declaration of Independence. The United States Constitution clarifies the supreme law of the country, and states the rules which all other law must abide by in order to coincide with the morals with which the American government was founded upon. This attracts many tourists every year, considering it is one of the biggest parts of American history, giving us more insight on why people decide to visit or come here, based on history like this. It is also another important factor in the history behind Independence Hall.

Resources:

Prior to our own observational studies, a significant amount of background research was done using the related materials above that are associated with Philadelphia. However, research is also conducted and pulled from many resources that are written by others who have their own thoughts and perceptions on landmarks and their significance.

“Chapter III: The City Image and Its Elements.” The Image of the City, by Kevin Lynch, MIT, 1968, pp. 46–91.

This source was one of the readings we had been assigned for the second reading summary of the semester, and it delves into the significance of historic landmarks within cities as a tool to help people navigate throughout the city. As mentioned previously above this was one of our first insights on how landmarks can affect the human image of a site and provide us with a perception of where we are. Lynch introduces landmarks are one of the main elements that make up a city. He says they act as reference points to visitors to help them recognize where they are and identify with their surroundings. We wanted to go further into this theory to determine whether the landmarks history as well can change one’s perception of the site and if its background affects one’s desire to inhabit the space, and if so, how they put it to use.

Appleyard, Donald. “Why Buildings Are Known.” Environment and Behavior, vol. 1, no. 2, 1969, pp. 131–156., doi:10.1177/001391656900100202.

This article tries to get deep into determining what makes a building well known, or in our case, a landmark. If architects could predict what makes a building or a place so well known, they would possess a lot more power when designing. The reading tries to go in depth to figure out how such elements of a city become well known, and what specifically captures one’s attention and creates a mental image or memory of that place. A study is done in Guyana, Venezuela where nearly 300 people are interviewed about their perception of the city, and if land and site use determines their experience. This will become helpful for our project as it pertains to a specific study done similar to what we want to talk about to see if our surrounding sites affects how one views or experiences a city. This study is similar to the study we will conduct, however ours will be more specific to the landmarks and an observation and our own personal perception of why visitors may come, or why they use the site the way they do.

This is a direct source from a tourist who came to visit Independence Hall for a school trip. He speaks about the tour experience itself of the famous landmark where our country first started, and how the experience was not made out to give the place a good reputation, or even a pleasant encounter. He talks about the condition of the building as well, how it has not been kept up with quality wise, and it stands as a bad interpretation of a tourist attraction. This personal experience will give some insight on what to expect before visiting Independence Hall ourselves, and can be used as a comparison to what we perceived versus what the author perceived in the article.

Whyte, William. “The Design of Spaces.” City: Rediscovering the Center, 1988, pp. 109–117.

This article discusses public spaces rather than landmarks, however, it also describes emotions experienced by public spaces, which can contribute to our project as far as the emotional reaction felt by people when experiencing certain historical landmarks. A historical landmark can even technically be a public space, and this article helps us to approach the topic of how certain spaces can evoke an emotional reaction. When people visit a historical landmark in Philadelphia, they typically have some sort of emotional reaction, due to either its history or the physical appearance of the landmark. During our observational studies we will be looking at emotional and physical reactions in order to conclude their reasoning for visit.

All of the above materials and resources help us to condone a perception of what might be observed before actually visiting the two sites. The materials serve as research subjects to determine the history behind these landmarks, and other contributing factors. The outside written sources give perception from other authors on their own personal experiences, and how they perceive landmarks and their meanings. The specific research and studies done provide enough background information to come up with prior questions we have for our thesis before visiting the sites.

Research Plan

The focus for our research project was predominantly on landmarks, and how they are perceived, inhabited, and used by their visitors in relation to their history and purpose. Landmarks contained within a city hold many years of history behind them, and can also help to define that city. However, it is questioned whether or not the knowledge of these landmarks and their history can change the viewer’s perception of where they are. Specific landmarks within Philadelphia, for instance Independence Hall, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art serves as a perfect observational study to see what kinds of people inhabit these spaces, and whether or not its the history behind them that lures them in. These two sites act as a good comparison for each other, as they are both historic sites of Philadelphia, however contain completely different types of history behind them. This topic is important because it helps to figure out the reason why people choose to visit or settle down here in Philadelphia, and to see how well educated the people who visit these landmarks are on the actual history beneath them. It also gives an insight to our society to realize what holds the most importance to certain people, and whether or not the history of their city is significant to them. I think our specific study benefited the two landmarks we are studying to help them figure out how the public perceives them, as well as helping deduce what changes they could possibly have made to attract more visitors or different kinds of people within the city.

The type of research study we conducted included mostly observation methods of research, involving studying the ways visitors of our landmarks behaved, as well as observing the landmarks themselves from our own objective standpoints. Each year, the Philadelphia Museum of Art attracts about 800,000 visitors, and Independence Hall gains roughly 5 million annually. Both of these locations are very popular destinations for visitors to Philadelphia, and we attempted to not disrupt people’s visits to these locations by bombarding them with a million questions, but rather watched the general consensus of groups and saw what attracted them most at these specific spots.

Research Findings

First we collected information about the history of each landmark before doing the initial observation of each site. Prior to our on site trips to both landmarks, the main data we had collected had been through various websites, including websites specifically for the PMA and Independence Hall, which also told how many annual visitors each location has, as well as the history and reasons for going to each specific spot. Something else we looked into was finding out when the busiest tourist seasons are for each spot were. Something else interesting we chose to do was see how many memberships are bought by visitors to, more specifically, the PMA versus how many day tickets are bought per year. As we learned, Independence Hall does not have annual memberships, since there are not typically new exhibits being opened at that landmark. We also looked into tourist numbers for Philadelphia as a whole throughout the year, to see when the busiest times were for tourists in this city.

Pre-Site Visit Expectations

Prior to visiting Independence Hall, we had expected to see people gathering both outside and inside, most likely photographing the building itself, as well as some of the artifacts inside. We expected most of the attendees to be acting in a fairly respectful manner, considering the building housed some of the most important events in American history. We didn’t expect there to be much loud talking, either. With the Philadelphia Museum of Art, before visiting both the outside plaza of the museum, and also the inside, we expected to see more people on the steps of the buildings comparatively to the amount of people on the inside. From our own personal experiences, we also expected most who are visiting to have more interest in the Rocky statue and the infamous steps seen in the movie. Another thing that we were expecting to see were a lot of photos taken with the museum as the backdrop for an interesting architectural photograph. Another expectation of ours was there to be a complete contrast from outside to inside in terms of activity and noise level.

Research Question 1 Findings

Our first question for this research project was: “Are people’s reasons for visiting tied together with the landmark’s history?” Before visiting Independence Hall, I was aware of its rich historical significance and knew when and where the tours were conducted. In order to visit this site, you must purchase tour tickets the day of, starting at 8am. As well as this, I knew from my own personal experience as a child living in the Philadelphia suburbs, that touring the historical buildings within Philadelphia was done numerous times throughout my childhood. This means that I can only assume most people visiting this city know of its history and are aware that two of the most important documents in American history were signed in this building, let alone city itself. As for the Philadelphia Museum of Art, we noticed that the majority of visitors were at the museum either to see the new featured exhibit on display, or view the Beaux-Art style architecture which the building was designed as. Although there is a lot of history within the museum, people were most interested in the art on display, rather than dating when and why this museum was constructed, and how it has affected Philadelphia and the surrounding area since its construction. The energy within the art museum was also different from Independence Hall in that it was less focused on respect for history, and more on entertainment and fascination with the large collection of art pieces and very detailed architectural features contained within the museum.

Research Question 2 Findings

Our second question for this research project was: “Are the landmarks used in the same way the history behind them used them?” Most of the items inside of Independence Hall have been there for quite some time, and it is not often changing inside. This means that the majority of people visiting are usually there for one reason, and that is to learn more about the landmark’s cultural and historical significance. To answer another of our questions, I do not believe Independence Hall is used for anywhere near the same amount of topics it was originally used for in the 18th century. During that time period, America was much smaller and easier to govern in a city which was, then, the young nation’s capital. Now, there is Washington, d.c. which holds the majority of the national meetings and debates in order to decide what will happen with the American government, rather than a smaller meeting house in Philadelphia. The building is now instead used mainly for tours and to show American history, and has not been used to sign any major documents in over 200 years. As for the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the building was designed as an art museum and is still currently being used to showcase art. This means that the landmark is entirely still used in the same way it has been throughout its history, and is probably one of the reasons people enjoy visiting so much, since the principal of why the landmark is being used has remained that same way for 100 years.

Interpretation and Synthesis

Our research topic looks into the background and history of landmarks, and using that information to compare and relate to observational studies done with existing landmarks in Philadelphia. We chose the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Independence Hall as our two subjects, because they both contain different elements of history behind them, and are established historical sites for individual purposes. We will then use this initial background research done to conclude expectations of our own of how we think the site is inhabited, who inhabits it, and if it relates to each of those landmarks backgrounds. The observational study will include looking at the type of people that visit the space, how they use it, and make assumptions through observations of why they chose to visit. We decided to study two very different landmarks within Philadelphia in order to compare and contrast the people and elements within the space that are used in our observational studies. These studies will then help us draw a conclusion to see how the history of a landmark may affect people’s perception of that site.

The first thing we did for this project was to do background research on each landmark and other parts of history that are associated with them. For the Philadelphia Museum of Art, we discovered that in the late 19th century, many different people associated within Philadelphia’s art scene had donated many items to the museum including antique furniture and decorations, pottery, books, paintings, jewelry, textiles, and many other historic items. All these acquired items lead to an increase in popularity for the museum, and pushed for the creation of the education and membership programs, which then led to a rapid growth of visitors during the 1920s. The Museum holds artifacts from all over the world, including America, and also now contains work from world renowned artists like Cezanne, Toulous-Lautrec, Van Gogh, Manet, Renoir, Degas, and many others. These well known artists and precious artifacts have made the Philadelphia Museum of Art one of the most famous museums within America, not just the city of Philadelphia. The early 1900’s is also when the main building and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway came about as the design for the new museum site, which became well known for its greek-like classical elements of architecture. The parkway leading up to the museum was also meant to lure in more visitors to the entire city and promote walkability to the site. As for Independence Hall, the building began construction in 1732, but was still under partial construction when the Pennsylvania Assembly began meeting in 1735. Once the Declaration of Independence was signed at the Pennsylvania State House in Independence Hall in 1776, the landmark gained its true American cultural significance. 11 years later, when the American Constitution was signed in the same room within Independence Hall, the building would remain famous for the entirety of American history. It wasn’t until almost two centuries after the signings of these famous documents, in 1966, that Independence Hall became considered a national landmark. Since that time, tours throughout the building have been conducted almost daily, aside from holidays, in order for people to visit this rich part of American history.

For both the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Independence Hall two site visits were done for each to get further into our specific topic and make conclusions about our observational studies. At the Philadelphia Museum of Art, we wanted to look both at the outside plaza of the museum site as well as the inside. Before the visit, expectations for our research questions was that visitors came to see the architecture, as well as the famous art inside of the building. It was expected to see visitors of all ages because of art being broad enough to appeal to anyone. We also had assumptions that many of the visitors would be coming from the parkway, as it leads the path to the site. When visited, we noticed most people on the outside plaza were there because of the movie Rocky, that had filmed a scene on the famous art museum steps. I determine this through observation as we saw multiple people waiting in line to take a picture with the statue of him, and also many visitors running up the steps and mimicking his pose seen in the movie. There are many public artworks surrounding the building, however the only one that seemed of interest to visitors was one of Rocky, and not to appreciate the workmanship of the sculpture, but rather just to take a picture to show off. Therefore, our assumptions of visitors coming for the artwork and architecture was wrong, and it seemed most people were there for the recognition rather than the history of the landmark. However the dynamic on the inside of the building was very different as most people inside were actually there for the art and history, however it was mostly just students and elders who had come to visit instead of all ages which was expected. When visiting Independence Hall, many things stood out to me. One of the first things I noticed was how much quieter the area surrounding Independence Hall seemed from Center City only a few blocks west on Market Street. Whether this was due to the colder weather pushing people to remain indoors, or the fact that it was a historical area where people assumed a certain level of acknowledgment and respect was to be assumed, the area had an interesting aura to it and made me feel as though I had traveled to another city entirely, rather than still being in the city I now call home and spend the majority of my time in. After purchasing tickets and going inside for the tour, I noticed that the same atmosphere happened as well inside of Independence Hall. This was understandable to me considering it was a very historic building, and people did not want to disrupt the tour, as well as did not want any repercussions for disrupting any other part of the building. I can assume this was all out of respect for the building’s significance, but for the children who also appeared on the tour that day, I knew they did not want to hear anything from their parents who had seemingly brought them along. When asked by the guide how many of our group was from Philadelphia, it seemed to be about 50/50. This was interesting to me, and it seemed as though most of the tourists were slightly older, and although some children were present, they had come with their families rather than by themselves. I noticed that I was the only person there alone who was around my same age.

As for the future of both of these landmarks, I believe they will both continue to serve similar purposes as the ones they serve today for a long time. As for getting people to visit to the same extent as they do now, I believe continuing to teach younger generations to acknowledge history and appreciate art will undoubtedly benefit both of these landmarks as well as tourism in general. By promoting the teaching of history to children, they will continue to seek out nuggets and bits of history that enthuse them throughout their lives. Similarly, teaching children about art and the impact art has on not only history but society and all civilizations as a whole will enthuse future generations to continue appreciating art and seeking it out in as many forms as possible.

References

Appleyard, Donald. “Why Buildings Are Known.” Environment and Behavior, vol. 1, no. 2, 1969, pp. 131–156., doi:10.1177/001391656900100202.

Whyte, William. “The Design of Spaces.” City: Rediscovering the Center, 1988, pp. 109–117.

Weaver, William. Invisible Cities. 2nd ed., Giulio Einaudi Editore, 1972.

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