The Future in Ruins: Leveraging Principles of Preservation to Reclaim Vacant Buildings as Public Space in Downtown Seattle

Abstract

Vacant buildings, deteriorating infrastructure, and shrinking public realms are symptoms of ongoing pandemic-era challenges and underfunded downtowns, contributing to broader crises of human disconnection and declining ecological networks. In Seattle, unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings embody this intersection of challenges, presenting seismic vulnerability and urban vacancy while offering unique opportunities for adaptive preservation and public space revitalization. This thesis reimagines preservation as a proactive, adaptive practice that moves beyond architectural integrity to embrace social, cultural, and ecological values. By integrating strategic deconstruction and on-site material reuse, preservation becomes a tool for regenerating urban “ruins” into community-rooted public spaces. Framed as a dynamic dialogue between past and future, this thesis proposes an approach that expands preservation practice beyond static artifact-guarding to an integrated, community-driven strategy that strengthens urban infrastructure across built, environmental, and social dimensions. Through this lens, former vacant sites are transformed into accessible public spaces that foster community cohesion, ecological health, and climate resilience. Applying this framework to a vacant URM building in Belltown, the thesis employs physical modeling and material analysis to develop design proposals that reimagine the site as a hybrid cultural-ecological ‘commons.’ This work offers a replicable model of adaptive preservation that leverages material continuity and spatial transformation to address urban challenges and promote more sustainable, equitable urban neighborhoods.