1842 Indianola Avenue has a complex history full of unsupported claims and conflicting
narratives in reference to its involvement in the Underground Railroad. These claims are
numerous and all slightly different, so for the sake of clarity we’ve simplified these reports to
focus on the recurring fundamental themes. These include the house containing a secret room,
an underground tunnel, false ceilings, and hollow walls. There is no evidence to support these
claims, yet somehow it has been repeatedly published and stated as fact. This investigation
documents renovations and changes to the house over the past century, and looks into how
those changes fueled the fabrication of stories linked to the Underground Railroad.
Originally the exterior was a Swiss-style design. The house was acquired by the Kappa Sigma
Fraternity in 1919, and was soon-after remodeled in 1938. The remodel completely changed the
exterior to a Virgina Colonial style to tie back to the Virginian roots of the Kappa Sigma
Fraternity, along with adding several thousands of square feet split between 2 main areas. This
is the recognizable house seen today.
As renovations go, walls were moved or demolished, creating a less-resolved building scheme
with awkward spaces occurring as a result. Given that the first claim of association with the
Underground Railroad came in 1957, we can infer that the claims stem from the renovation
misalignments rather than fact.
In an effort to promote transparency around the building’s identity, and a symbolic opposition to
the 4 claims of hidden spaces, we created 4 towering voids that cut through the building. These
spaces are the opposite of hidden, opening the building in a new way that accentuates
structure, old from new, and most importantly the lack-of hidden spaces. These continuous, rigid
vertical spaces also act as counterpart to the staggered, misalignment that was a result of the
renovation.
In plan, these voids act as regulating nodes, with a series of connecting lines driving the interior
organization. Each floor has a unique shape, cutting away from the existing building. This
exposes the building’s structure, and overall provides a new way to see the existing building
with all its components regardless of when they were added.
The 1938 addition, the version of the house which stands today, is abstracted with a mesh
material. This mesh represents the “ghost” of the house. Despite being an existing condition, the
abstraction of the Virginian Colonial allows the mesh to then move inside the house, working in
tandem with the design to cut away at existing walls, while providing a continuity through the
accessible areas of the building.
Circulation through the building is not a set path, but rather a maze-like journey with no set
destination. This allows the viewer to discover the building on their own, and ultimately realizing
there is nothing to be discovered.
