[We need more, and more institutional support and funding for, projects like the one described in this story from NorthJersey.com about the application of presence-evoking technologies to provide more access to historic (and many other) sites. See the original story and coverage from the County College of Morris for more pictures and details. –Matthew]
[Image: CCM Associate Professor Hrvoje Slovec photographing The Willows]
Virtual reality unlocks historic North Jersey mansion for people with disabilities
By Gene Myers, NorthJersey.com
March 14, 2022
There’s a lot of history to see at The Willows, the 1854 Gothic revival mansion in Morris County – but only if you can scale 18 steep steps leading to some of its treasured possessions.
It’s a common problem for history buffs facing mobility issues: Public sites and events are required to be accessible to all under the Americans with Disabilities Act, but older buildings like The Willows are often exempted from prohibitively expensive accommodations like elevators.
That’s where a team of engineering and photography students from the County College of Morris in Randolph came in, unlocking the 168-year-old mansion for all to see.
The Willows – built by General Joseph Warren Revere, Paul Revere’s grandson – is part of the Fosterfields Living Historical Farm in Morris Township, a 213-acre historic site that has been a working farm since Colonial days. Visitors can watch actors explain bygone agricultural techniques as they plow and plant the fields.
But anyone who can’t ascend the narrow flight of stairs inside the old home has no chance to experience the 19th-century costumes and furnishings on its second floor, or its arched ceiling, canopy bed and stately enclosed porch.
“It’s inaccessible for people who might have mobility issues,” said Hrvoje Slovenc, an associate professor of photography at CCM. “There is no elevator, and the stairs are steep and narrow, making it very hard for some.”
The college’s engineering and photography departments have now provided a solution. They blended the art of photography, 3-D modeling and virtual reality technology to produce a digital recreation of the second floor that can be viewed online or through a VR headset.
First, Slovenc visited The Willows and shot an assortment of high-resolution photographs of the period-accurate rooms using 360-degree cameras. Professor Nicole Schwartz then enlisted students from the school’s photography club and showed them how to combine the photos into a 3-D tour.
“Every 360 shot is a collage of six individual images that students worked diligently to stitch together,” said Schwartz.
The resulting experience is like a Google Street View trip that allows users to travel in different directions with the click of a mouse.
It was no small feat. A good 360-degree camera costs roughly $5,000, said Slovenc, and a powerful computer is required to process the images. It took two years and tens of thousands of dollars to build the college’s VR lab. Its computers need to run software updates weekly.
“What we bought three years ago is already old technology, so we are constantly upgrading,” Slovenc said. “Once we buy new technology, we need to spend weeks and months to learn how to use it.”
Museums and historic sites around the world, including Paris’ Louvre and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park in Atlanta have been adding virtual reality exhibits in recent years to make themselves more accessible. COVID pandemic lockdowns added more impetus.
Sean Dineen, 48, is a history professor at Kean University in Union who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. He appreciates the effort as he’s often disappointed when visiting historic sites.
“I’ve gone to a lot of the Revolutionary headquarters in Morristown and Valley Forge in Pennsylvania and accessibility has improved, but because they are older buildings there is grandfathering and a need for [more] improvement,” said Dineen. “I’ve crawled up stairs of inaccessible buildings or have had to wait in the lobby.”
Historic properties are not exempt from ADA rules, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior, but it’s not always possible to meet requirements because of high costs or the need to maintain historical integrity.
“It’s an adaptation,” said Dineen. “Ideally, I’d rather we were all on a level playing field, but I would rather have something like this than nothing at all.”
The virtual Willows exhibit can be viewed at ccm.edu/fosterfields/.
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