Lancaster’s rich history and diverse architectural styles are a virtual feast for the eyes. Have you experienced them lately? Now that the weather is turning, we are all looking forward to spending more time outside. These walking tours from the City of Lancaster’s website are the perfect way to do so. A Walk …
Here’s what happens when a team of military personnel taking a broadcasting class spends a day “shooting” you. httpv://youtu.be/xdlpJcfvZko
We’ve added Big Spring Farm to our Hidden Gem list for a good reason. With no website, no official or regular hours, no main contact information, no obvious advertisements, and yet huge preservation efforts and achievements – Big Spring Farm may very well be our most hidden gem of all. Somewhere around 5am Saturday morning, …
Do you know the architectural styles of Pennsylvania? The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission has an excellent field guide on the architectural styles found in Pennsylvania. In it, they’ve assigned key periods of development (listed below) – from the Colonial period in the 18th Century to the …
Protect Historic Masonry Buildings from Permanent Damage Caused by Portland Mortar Historic masonry buildings are very different from modern buildings. Historic bricks were fired at lower temperatures and are much softer and more permeable than modern bricks. Historic buildings constructed with these softer bricks were designed to absorb moisture and then release it. A key …
Portland is a great place for a getaway….not so great for historic buildings. Read More »
Sometimes preservation takes you on new, surprising paths… Yes, we have kitchens on the brain thanks to a recent custom kitchen project (that turned out to be good fodder for some really cool pictures of our millwork process, so you get to ogle them). The traditional approach to creating a custom kitchen is one we …
Soapstone is a traditional material that’s been in use for thousands of years and is often found in early Colonial American homes. The soft, metamorphic stone material, favored for its ability to withstand and retain heat, was used for fireplaces, hearths, cooking slabs, and water basins. It still is today, thanks to Bucks County Soapstone. …
Bucks County Soapstone: Continuing Thousands of Years of Timelessness Read More »
You hire Reserections. If you want to have any hope of actually moving the castle a thousand miles (without the post office, the moving company, and the airlines losing a few packages and offering you a complimentary Starbucks to say “Sorry!”). Based in Ohio, Reserections specializes in documenting, marketing, and disassembling architecturally unique historical homes. …
How do you move an 1800's stone castle from Ohio to Texas? Read More »
If you are like me, you’ve probably often extended your musings over historic architecture to the gardens that were designed, planted, and cultivated to compliment that architecture and found yourself wondering just what the gardens of 100 years ago looked like. If we’ve abandoned brick and stone in favor of vinyl facades, turned away from …
Beyond the Garden Gate: A peek at the gardens of a 100 years ago Read More »
Is there anything more iconic to early American life than wagons? Perhaps. And it just might be the Gruber Wagon Works in Bern Township, Berks County. Most of us are aware of just how important wagons and wheels were to early American life. Wagons carried travelers and cargo up and down the East Coast on …
© 2022 Practical Preservation | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Service