MORGAN STATE STUDENTS DESIGN RESIDENTIAL UNITS FOR BAILEY STREET The Baltimore college students are creating potential uses for a vacant lot that overlooks Harrisburg Two Morgan State students, Carmen Potter and James Lapreade, are designing plans for 15-18 luxury row homes that will blend into the fabric of the existing Summit Terrace neighborhood in Harrisburg.   (Harrisburg, Pa.) - Morgan State University, the latest college to join Harrisburg Mayor Stephen R. Reed's Urban Studio architecture program, has two architecture students designing potential residential uses for the bluff overlooking the city at the end of Bailey Street. The students, Carmen Potter and James Lapreade, are designing plans for 15-18 luxury row homes that will blend into the fabric of the existing neighborhood. The homes are properties that could be either rented or owned. In addition to designing for the bluff, Potter and Lapreade are also including designs for vacant lots on Market Street and the Summit Terrace neighborhood surrounding Bailey Street. According to the students, all of the homes will be similar in design to create a sense of community. Lapreade says that working in Harrisburg provides a unique educational experience. "It's great to have a real site," he said. "It's a unique experience that adds a different element to our education." Professor Paul Clarke instructs this graduate level course. Morgan State offers one of the few accredited first professional master's degree programs in the United States. The program addresses issues in urban architecture, housing, health care, recreation, commerce, education and governance. According to the University website, Morgan State is one of the few historically black institutions nationally to offer a comprehensive range of academic programs, in business, engineering, education, architecture, social work and hospitality management, in addition to those in the arts and sciences and programs leading to the doctorate. The vacant lot at the end of Bailey Street is one of the design projects that the City of Harrisburg has assigned to the Harrisburg Urban Studio. The completed student designs will be submitted to the city for review.   Morgan State, Penn State and HACC all currently have students working with the Urban Studio. Penn State has had a class study urban site conditions in Allison Hill and design potential uses for a vacant industrial site at the location of an automotive repair facility. They also have a class developing ADA accessible designs. HACC architecture students recently presented designs for a public performance and gathering space for use in the City of Harrisburg. The Harrisburg Urban Studio is inspired by Auburn University's famous Rural Studio, a program that provides architectural students with a practical learning experience while enhancing the environment of disadvantaged communities. Mayor Stephen R. Reed initiated the Urban Studio during a live panel discussion aired by WITF in March of 2004. Pennsylvania's leading architecture colleges will send students to study, design and build in the Harrisburg Urban Studio. A number of architects, engineers, contractors and construction products firms are actively supporting the project. For further information visit www.nichenews.com/urbanstudio or contact Nathan Pigott, Hershey Philbin Associates, at npigott@hersheyphilbin.com or 717.975.2148. ### On the web: Morgan State University: www.morgan.edu

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