Accessibility and historic districts: design concepts and economic feasibility study for the downtown historic district of Bryan, Texas

Abstract

This study explores the application of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to historic districts, and design concepts are proposed to bring the district as a whole into compliance with the ADA. Past studies have dealt with accessibility in individual historic properties, but none have touched upon large areas such as an entire district. It is concluded that implementing ADA requirements for an entire district through the sharing of accessible facilities is successful in terms of both cost savings to the owners of buildings and in maintaining the historicity of the area. The historic district of downtown Bryan, Texas has been chosen as a pilot project for the study. Two blocks of buildings were then chosen based on their non-compliance with the ADA, their age, and their contribution to the historicity of the district. This study concentrates on achieving a reasonable balance between a historic district's substantial compliance with the ADA while still maintaining its historic integrity and economic vitality. This is achieved by treating a historic district like a shopping center which allows concepts such as the transfer of development rights and shared facilities to be explored. The final step is an economic feasibility study, in which costs for strict compliance with the ADA of each individual structure in the district were compared to the costs for the recommended design concepts and alterations for the district as a whole.