Preservation Conversations & Controversies

VETERANS DAY: Pennsylvania’s Preserved Military History

VETERANS DAY – A day to honor those who served. This day has been observed in some form for a century, but preserved structures of all kinds – from memorials, to monuments, to buildings – provide tangible evidence of that observance, solidifying the impact of veterans’ actions in the conscious memory. Visiting these physical traces …

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UNIQUE HISTORICAL FEATURES SERIES: “Haunted” Victorian Houses

UNIQUE HISTORICAL FEATURES SERIES – On this 4th Tuesday of the month, our focus isn’t on a specific feature per se, but more on a combination of features; a whole architectural style, in fact. And we’re focusing on how mutable cultural values created and then reviled that style, resulting in its being the focus of …

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Practical Preservation Podcast Featuring Sam McKelvey and Alice French of the Menokin Foundation

Sam McKelvey and Alice French – executive director and director of education – of the Menokin Foundation in Warsaw, VA, joined the Practical Preservation Podcast to discuss their preservation project, and the Foundation’s many services. We covered multiple topics, including: Sam and Alice’s respective backgrounds in history, preservation, and related fields, and how working at …

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Practical Preservation Podcast Featuring Dominique Hawkins of Preservation Design Partnership

Dominique Hawkins, founder and managing principal of Preservation Design Partnership based in Philadelphia, PA, joined the Practical Preservation Podcast to discuss flood mitigation in historic areas. We covered multiple topics, including: Dominique’s background in design, architecture, and historic preservation, including her early career transition from architecture for housing developments to the world of historic preservation, …

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Practical Preservation Podcast Featuring Briana Grosicki of PlaceEconomics

Briana Grosicki, associate principal of PlaceEconomics based in Washington, D.C., joined the Practical Preservation Podcast to discuss the economic benefits of preservation. We covered multiple topics, including: Briana’s background, including growing up regularly visiting local battlefields in Virginia, volunteering with her main street district as a teen, to working with Donovan Rypkema  Briana’s additional roles …

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Zoning, Planning, Historic Preservation, and Structural Racism?

A few weeks ago an article was posted to the Preservation Professionals group on Facebook. You can read the article here: https://www.rewire.org/how-discussions-of-neighborhood-character-reinforce-structural-racism/.  The article is an interesting discussion of how redevelopment can impact the the neighborhood qualities and characteristics especially in relation to affordable housing.  The example used in the article is from St. Paul, …

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Practical Preservation Podcast featuring Expert House Movers of MD, Inc.

Gabe Matyiko, vice president of Expert House Movers of MD, Inc. and a 3rd generation expert in structural moving, joined the Practical Preservation podcast to discuss information about the family’s house and structural moving business. We covered a multitude of topics including: The origins of the company, and how Gabe came back to his family’s …

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For the Love of Love: Compromising Historical Integrity

For this week’s blog feature we decided to focus on a story of monumental love and history, in honor of Valentine’s Day this Friday. If you’re a romantic, there’s a love story for you. If you’re not a romantic, never fear! We’ve included our usual focus on historical buildings and materials, and in this case, …

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Practical Preservation Podcast featuring Alison Hardy from Window Woman of New England

Alison Hardy from Window Woman of New England joins me to discuss the state of window restoration.  If you’d ever wondered what preservationist discuss this episode is for you.  We discuss: Can your windows be saved or are they really beyond repair? Repair vs. Replacement mindset The education process to combat the replacement window marketing …

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Preserving Pennsylania: A Journey Through the Last 20 Years, Part 8

Preservation Pennsylvania has released their “Pennsylvania At-Risk: Twenty-Year Retrospective of Pennsylvania’s Endangered Historic Properties, Where Are They Now” edition. It’s a fascinating look at preservation in action and we’ll be posting a look at each property in a series of posts over the next several months. INTRODUCTION Preservation Pennsylvania established the annual Pennsylvania At Risk list in …

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