The Cast Gallery is an invention of the late nineteenth century that continues the tradition of reproducing classical antiquities for use as contemporary reference. I will assemble a Cast Gallery of ornament through the use of archeological documentation techniques invented to record antiquities. However, rather than recording idealized form from singular points in history, these casts will index the multiple layers of human habitation registered in their source objects and patterns. Through research into historical and emerging documentation techniques, I will assemble a material study of ornament and its active participation in the contemporary city. This proposal seeks to investigate the friction area between pure geometric formalism and the “dirty” formlessness of human habitation. The resulting Cast Gallery will include the production of a series of archaeological/architectural objects that will project new possibilities for habitation.