Reconnaissance Surveys
Traditional reconnaissance surveys often take the form of a windshield survey, quickly and comprehensively identifying individual resources and groupings of properties to determine where more intensive investigations are required. A reconnaissance survey of this nature will likely not yield significant findings in the case of Asian American heritage sites. Many of the sites identified as being associated with Asian American populations have little physical evidence indicating their connection or have lost integrity. This is extremely evident in Washington DC’s ethnoburbs, which feature standardized mid-century commercial strips and office buildings. A reconnaissance survey will still be of use to identifying properties that still do have some visible elements and using those properties to find additional ones. In contrast to traditional reconnaissance surveys, this survey will need to rely much more on prior research and community engagement. Initial reconnaissance surveys would best be carried out after mapping out information gathered from archival research and oral histories to help aid in identifying additional resources in the identified nodes of concentration. This research can also help to inform the boundaries of the survey. Identifying and searching for character defining features based on buildings found through oral histories and archival research will also help in planning surveys. Resources found through Karen Yee’s Final Report and Recommendations for Baltimore City Chinatown Project demonstrate some of these character defining features. [1]
Character defining features associated with Chinese American sites in Baltimore include:
Character defining features associated with Chinese American sites in Baltimore include:
• Signage is the most easily distinguishable feature of sites associated with Chinese Americans in Baltimore. Chinese characters, or Hanzi, business names, or even fonts used can indicate a past or present Chinese business or organization.
• Overhangs or awnings resembling traditional Chinese tile hip roofs are also very clear indicators of buildings that at one point in time had ties to Chinese Americans. • Ironwork patterned doors and timber frame surrounds that resemble traditional Chinese architecture can also be indicators and are more likely to remain a remnant than signage or other easily removable elements. • Other patterns or motifs integrated into the building’s ornamentation may also exist and can be difficult to spot at a glance. These character defining features provide a start to a list of physical indicators that can be used to aid in reconnaissance surveys. Due to restrictions in place from COVID-19 and the limited ability to travel around the state, google street view can be used to aid in the investigation of areas of interest. Google street view also provides a function to view images from past captures, which can be useful to observe change over time with elements that may have been lost or altered. Google street view images on Park Avenue in Baltimore from 2009 and 2019 show the drastic changes that can occur in just ten years. As some properties are rapidly deteriorating, character defining features may only be visible in older photos. |
Signage on Park Avenue. (200-400 Blocks of Park Avenue. Photograph. Google Maps. Google, 2020. https://www.google.com/maps)
Awnings on Park Avenue. (200-400 Blocks of Park Avenue. Photograph. Google Maps. Google, 2020. https://www.google.com/maps)
Doors on Park Avenue. (200-400 Blocks of Park Avenue. Photograph. Google Maps. Google, 2020. https://www.google.com/maps)
Patterning on building on Park Avenue. (200-400 Blocks of Park Avenue. Photograph. Google Maps. Google, 2020. https://www.google.com/maps)
2009 and 2019 images of blocks along Park Avenue. (200-400 Blocks of Park Avenue. Photograph. Google Maps. Google, 2020. https://www.google.com/maps)
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1. Karen Yee, “Final Report and Recommendations for Baltimore City Chinatown Project,” School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation University of Maryland, College Park, 2020.