Renewing Rural Small Town Life
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Abstract
This thesis explores a possible answer to the question: how would a rural community be renewed through reawakened development?
The Irvin Hotel is an often overlooked, abandoned building located in downtown Kenmare, North Dakota. This thesis explores the possibilities of historic preservation and adaptively reusing the hotel as an independent living facility, hotel, apartments, dining, and event venue. This thesis also explores the benefits of creating an all age center for social interaction featuring recreational activities and spaces for gathering on a vacant corner lot located downtown.
This thesis focuses on renewing community spirit through architecture and reviving the quality of small town living. The hope of small town living will be reawakened by offering the community features that may be available presently but not to the degree necessary and by offering new services to connect the community. The new services will work together to unite the community by prominently placing elderly in the downtown core and allowing interaction between generations throughout every service.