The abstract of this project is to study the connection between the human body (mind, body, and soul) and the built environment. This connection is made evident by the historic preservation and adaptation of a building formerly known and functioning as the State School of the Feebleminded in Grafton, ND, into a culturally based elder care living facility. A metaphor exists as a relationship between the effects that time has on a human being, comparable to similar effects that can be observed in a structure, i.e. loss of integrity, fear of being forgotten, providing a service or quality that has grown to be unappreciated or unacknowledged. This thesis will be informed by the benefits of preserving and adapting an existing structure, while providing physical and spiritual renewal for both humans and the built environment.