Stratford, Vermont's Elizabeth Mine was, in its time (1803 - 1958), the oldest large-scale mining operation in the country. Today this landscape of built and natural features is on the National Priorities list of Superfund sites. The abandoned mine buildings represent every step of a 150 year history of adaptation to changing technologies, markets and times. The site is located on the wooded rolling hills and ridges of Vermont's Upper Valley.

The Elizabeth Mine is a valuable case study - an historical, environmental, recreational and cultural asset that demonstrates both the influence of the land on human activity and the impact of human activity on the land.

The work of the studio is to examine current re-use proposals for the site and to design a study center (K-12) for this rich yet degraded place.

Work produced in Fall 2005 at YSOA for ARCH 513a, Advanced Design Studio, Glenn Murcutt and Amy Lelyveld, critics.

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