Nicole McKenna

1850's: Retirement Home

1980's: Brothel 

2001: Condominium


Graham Home for Old Ladies was originally erected in 1850 as a retirement home for indigent elderly females- later foreclosing after its centennial, in the 1960's, due to economic decline. After its lengthy abandonment, the Bull Shipper's Motor Lodge occupied the home in the 1970's as a house of prostitution. The brothel was evicted in the 1990's and neglected for another decade. In 2001, it was transformed into a residential condominium that still stands today.

Momentarily Untitled


The Graham Home's past appropriation reveals a narrative of time through its evolution; the iterations of the home tells a tale of human survival through the occupants' varying degrees of circumstance. Through a study of the building's multiple iterations, one can see an abstract connection where every iteration is only connected through its preceding reality-- like that of a domino effect. For example, the Graham Home was originally donated to house elderly women but later became the location for young ladies of the hour. This conversely transformed, ultimately catering to the financially stable home owner as a condominium. This link between multiple points in time serves as the conceptual underpinning of Momentarily Untitled's design process. I refer to such in-betweeen states as "Other." The pieces of this project tell the tale of the design's evolution; seeing that the preceding iteration informs the subsequent reality. 

 It began with a line.

Line becomes form through material exploration.

Plaster Mass I: fabric, plaster, steel wire
The fabric serves as the center connection between the two plaster masses.
Plaster Mass II: fabric, plaster, steel plate
Fabric adhered into plaster mass
Fabric then coated in plaster
Fabric, plaster and steel plate

Plaster Mass I: fabric, plaster, steel wire The fabric serves as the center connection between the two plaster masses. Plaster Mass II: fabric, plaster, steel plate Fabric adhered into plaster mass Fabric then coated in plaster Fabric, plaster and steel plate


Material finds design intention.

Broken plaster slab
Using the fragments to piece together floor configurations
Floor configuration poured back into continuous plaster slab
The residue remaining on the fabric became a reflected outline for the floor plans.
Integration of fabric into space.
Final Model

Broken plaster slab Using the fragments to piece together floor configurations Floor configuration poured back into continuous plaster slab The residue remaining on the fabric became a reflected outline for the floor plans. Integration of fabric into space. Final Model


Multi-Purpose and Performance Venue: Final Iteration


Momentarily Untitled 

fabric, plaster, steel, wood

Interior Design




Using Format