Curses! Another facade ends up in the bone yard. November 19, 2008
Posted by history in : Places, Salvage, Structures , add a commentI am looking forward to visiting my hometown of Chicago over the winter break, where I will once again be reminded what a real winter is like. Years ago, I used to work for the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, one of my co-workers also a native Chicagoan, and I were talking one day about a preservation battle that was raging. He seemed decidedly less upset about it then yours truly. I asked him about it and he basically said that he had been through it so many times, and seen so many losses, while it was still upsetting, it wasn’t the epic upset I felt. He said sadly, “you wouldn’t believe it, you wouldn’t even believe what we’ve lost.” Reading about it was heartbreaking enough, I can’t even imagine. Today, I was looking for an article and stumbled on Repeat, the blog of Lynn Becker who writes about architecture, culture and more. Since Lynn is in Chicago much of his writing is about the goings on in my former hometown. A recent post details yet another desecration of a State Street facade. Read the post. It is heartbreaking, and just another example of how the historic fabric is being eroded by stupid designs with no longevity that will last about as long as the products that you procure from said establishment. He posted these pictures of the desecration along with his excellent article which I highly recommend. Note the wee bit of ornament visible in the image below. There images of the terra-cotta ornament in his article.
I swear the mid-century update that first covered up the facade was straight out of Morris Ketchum’s, 1948 Shops and Stores the book of storefront designs for new storefronts and updates to existing. For more information on mid-century storefront design read Mike Jackson’s great article from Preserving the Recent Past 2.
According to Becker, the remaining terra-cotta was removed and salvaged for….tah-da (see below)! What a lost opportunity.It is all these little details, the accretions of architectural history that always fascinated me about Chicago. How many are being pried off, covered over, or demolished entirely? I don’t know, I let you know when I get back.
The Dilemma LEED and Historic Building November 17, 2008
Posted by history in : Events, Free, Green, LEED, Savannah , add a commentGreen. Green. Green. Green. Green. You can’t spend a day without hearing about it. Green is a good thing, greenwashing is not, to me it is still amazing that there are still a number of people out there who don’t see historic preservation as green. Carl Elefante wrote a great article for the NTHP Forum Journal, “The Greenest Building is….One that Is Already Built.” In his article, Elefante lays out what many already know, historic preservation is the original green building. LEED and historic preservation are two very important subjects to Savannah and this upcoming panel will address both issues. It should be a great event.
Who: Sarah Ward and Tommy Linstroth
What: The Dilemma: LEED and Historic Preservation
When: Tuesday, November 25th 5:45-7:00pm
Where: Wild Wings Café (2nd floor) in City Market
Please RSVP to wards@thempc.org By November 21st, 2008
Learn about LEED and historic buildings at the Nov. 25 meeting of the Savannah Chapter of the United States Green Building Council. The speakers will be Tommy Linstroth, Head of Sustainability for Melaver, Inc., and Sarah Ward of the Metropolitan Planning Commission. The meeting is free and open to the public. Linstroth will speak about “LEEDing the way in Historic Preservation.” “While historic preservation and LEED certification are often portrayed at odds with one another, in fact, they go hand in hand,” Linstroth said. “Historic buildings typically get owners almost 30 percent of the way to certification based on their intrinsic nature and location, and the other LEED credits are not conflicting with historic preservation policies.”
Ward will explain that “Historic Preservation IS Green Building.” Many of the goals of the USGBC are shared by the Historic Preservation community, and LEED points can be achieved simply by reusing an existing building. Likewise, Federal and State Historic Preservation Tax Incentives can be used in concert with achieving LEED certification, so it is a win-win situation for the community and the property owner, Ward said. Don’t miss your chance to weigh in on the debate!
New Archaeology Book Available November 12, 2008
Posted by history in : Archaeology, Things to Read , add a commentArchaeological resource management as a global enterprise…New From Left Coast Press, Inc…30% OFF For US customers - insert code L157 at checkout at www.LCoastPress.com.
Managing Archaeological Resources: Global Context, National Programs, Local Actions
Edited by Francis P McManamon, Andrew Stout, and Jodi A Barnes
July 2008, 320 pages, $79.00 cloth
It is common to hear or read about conflicts in various parts of the world related to the preservation or representation of archaeological resources. In a snapshot of 21st century archaeological resource management as a global enterprise, these contributors show the range of activities, issues, and solutions undertaken by contemporary managers of heritage sites around the world. They show how the linkages between global archaeology and funding organizations, national policies, practices, and ideologies, and local populations and their cultural and economic interests foster complexity of the issues at all levels. Case materials from five continents introduce common themes of archaeologist relations with descendant groups, public outreach, national/local relationships, and data and site preservation.
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ISBN: 978-1-59874-311-1 (c)
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$79.00 U.S./Canadian, £42.99 (Cloth)
For more information, contact Caryn Berg at archaeology@LCoastPress.com
Join Left Coast Press online at:
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Need a Break from the End of Quarter Crazies? November 11, 2008
Posted by history in : Uncategorized , add a commentIt’s amazing how much work piles up at the end of the quarter. Sometimes you just need to take a break. Why not take a brake tonight (Tuesday, November 11) and head to the last SPA meeting of Fall quarter.
It will be held at Eichberg Room 304 at 5pm. They will visit the Sanctuary’s, a church turned condo rehab project at Barnard and Duffy. SCAD alum and HIPR Prof. Steve Hartley worked on the project and will lead the tour. Transportation will be provided. PThis is an excellent opportunity to see an innovative and successful rehab in Savannah.
Check out the Web site at: http://starrmediadesign.com/Doca/Home.html
Belvedere School for Historic Preservation Offers Building Workshops November 11, 2008
Posted by history in : Classes, Opportunities, People, Travel , add a commentBob Yapp founded the Belvedere School for Historic Preservation in July of 2008. The school is dedicated to teaching students from all over North America how to become artisans in the preservation trades.
Over the last 20 years Bob has travelled across the country conducting hands-on preservation workshops as well as helping other organizations and communities to set up preservation schools and training programs. He has been involved in the hands-on rehab of over 150 endangered, historic properties over his career.
The school headquarters is located in the historic Lamb-Munger House in Hannibal, Missouri. Hannibal is a very historic Mississippi River town and the childhood home of Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain.
All of the sessions listed below are fun and intense learn-by-doing workshops. Student’s work side-by-side with Bob to gain a thorough understanding of how to efficiently and cost effectively learn a variety of preservation skills. For detailed information, email Bob- yapperman@msn.com or call him - 217-474-6052
Preservation Construction Workshop Postponned November 3, 2008
Posted by history in : Alumni, Conferernces and Symposia, Events, History of Preservation, SPA, Savannah, Students , add a commentThe SPA special Workshop has been rescheduled for Friday, November 14.
The Student Preservation Association is hosting a special workshop next Friday. We will be having a preservation construction workshop at the Kennedy Pharmacy Broughton street. Professor Jim Abraham will lead the students in a demonstration and then students will get the opportunity for some first hand experience. The event will be November 14th at 9am - 2pm at the Kennedy Pharmacy at the corner of Broughton Street and Habersham Street. There will be refreshments. Please contact spa@scad.edu to be part of this event.
NTHP Seeks Director for Diversity November 3, 2008
Posted by history in : Jobs , add a commentWe are currently seeking a Director for Diversity at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The job posting can be found at http://www.preservationnation.org/resources/career-opportunities/HQ-RO/director-for-diversity.html.
As you can see from the job description, we are looking for an individual with senior-level experience in diversity management. If you know of any appropriate candidates, I would be grateful if you would forward them this note and the link. This is an active search, and we hope to have our new Director for Diversity on board no later than January 1st. If you have any questions, please contact me or David Field (David_Field@nthp.org).