Our homes are the monuments of our lives. They are the most significant architectural place we experience in our communities. They represent a sense of safety and stability. What happens when homes in our neighborhoods are lost to the effect of blight, systems of oppression and abandonment?

Ghost Gable is a tribute to the vacant and demolished homes in Rochester that have led to the city revitalizing its neighborhoods. Each forgotten or removed home leaves a historical void: Our monuments are gone. Simultaneously, we initiate new community beginnings.

The transparent panels are organized radially, echoing the major roadways that connect neighborhoods to Rochester’s center. The void in each panel is the memory of lost homes. The gabled house silhouette visually creates a different figure as you circulate around the structure and reminds viewers of those lost moments and voids in our neighborhoods and the obscure remnants left behind. It also is the space for opportunity to establish new memories of healthier communities. Each red colored panel accomplishes two things. They provide some reflection to let viewers see themselves within the design and environment, immersed in this narrative of the city. The second is it commemorates AIA Rochester and their involvement with the city in the past 100 years.