Studio I is the central class for first semester students in the Historic Preservation Master’s Program at the Columbia University School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. Each fall since 2009, with the exception of 2016, one of the first exercises in this studio class has focused on Woodlawn Cemetery. Each student chooses a mausoleum (in 2017 some students worked on mausoleums and others on monuments). They complete measured drawings of their mausoleum, examine materials and conditions, and undertake biographical research on those interred in the mausoleum. The final project is a presentation and paper analyzing the information that they have compiled.

The final papers have been compiled on this website. Note that the papers from 2009 are lost. A few drawings from 2009 have been included if they have biographical or architectural information. It is important to remember that this is the first major writing and research assignment for the students, some of whom are not native English speakers, so the quality of the language may vary.

The studio has been led by Professor Andrew S. Dolkart, working in various years with Debora Barros, Françoise Bollack, Ward Dennis, Aura Maria Jaramillo, Claudia Kavenagh, and Kate Reggev. The project would not have been possible without the dynamic input of Susan Olsen, Director of Historical Services, assisted over the years by Meg Ventrudo, Executive Director of the Woodlawn Conservancy; Cristiana Pena; Elizabeth Hunter, Program Coordinator; Bruce Campbell; and Woodlawn’s security staff who kept the students safe and aided their access to their mausoleums.