PreserveCast

PreserveCast Ep. 106: David J. Brown Reflects on 20 Years at the National Trust for Historic Preservation

Few names over the past twenty plus years have been as synonymous with the National Trust for Historic Preservation as David J. Brown. David served as the Chief Preservation Officer for the Trust and has worked with several CEOs to implement a complex, difficult and costly mission to save America’s historic places. As David has recently departed the Trust and begins writing his next chapter, we had a chance to sit down with this influential preservationist to talk about where he’s been and where he’s headed on this week’s PreserveCast.

David J. Brown led National Trust’s comprehensive preservation efforts, with four decades of experience in working to save historic places and build thriving, livable communities. He played a key oversight role in the implementation of the National Trust’s Preservation10X strategic vision, including the National Treasure campaigns that helps protect some of America’s most significant and threatened historic places. He guided the Trust’s advocacy work on behalf of the country’s most important preservation laws and incentives. And he supported local preservation leadership by providing the preservation community with effective, high-impact training offerings.

Prior to his work with the National Trust, David served as the founding executive director of the Preservation Alliance of Virginia, where he produced one of the nation’s first studies on the economic impact of preservation, and as director of the Historic Staunton Foundation in Virginia. He was among the first graduates of the Historic Preservation Program at Middle Tennessee State University and has a Masters in Planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

PreserveCast Ep. 105: The Catoctin Furnace Historic Building Trades Program with Elizabeth Comer

When you think of industrial furnaces you may think of the late 19th or early 20th centuries and places like Baltimore, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh. But, the history of American industry goes back much further – and one of the earliest industrial sites in Maryland is located in the foothills of Frederick County at the Catoctin Furnace.

Today’s guest, Elizabeth Comer, a professional archaeologist, is a member of the Board of the Catoctin Furnace Historical Society – an organization dedicated to preserving and interpreting this unique story. Elizabeth is instrumental in coordinating the Historical Society's Historic Building Trades Program in partnership with Silver Oak Academy, a residential boarding school for at-risk teens overseen by the State of Maryland Department of Juvenile Services. Participating students learn valuable construction skills while working alongside preservation experts gaining marketable real-world job skills that attract potential employers in preservation, conservation, museums, and the trades – or may even inspire students to start their own company. The partnership between the Catoctin Furnace Historical Society and Silver Oak Academy embodies the mythology of the phoenix rising from the ashes as the symbol of renewed life for both the historic buildings and the young people who take part in their preservation. 

Make sure you have your blast shields down...we’re headed into the furnace on this week’s PreserveCast.

PreserveCast Ep.103: The Glessner House on Display with Director and Curator, Bill Tyre

Chicago's Glessner House is a National Historic Landmark that was designed by noted American architect Henry Hobson Richardson and completed in 1887 for John Glessner and Frances Glessner. The structure served as an inspiration to architects such as Louis Sullivan, Mies van Der Rohe, and the young Frank Lloyd Wright and helped redefine domestic architecture.

On this week’s PreserveCast, we’re talking to Glessner House’s Executive Director and Curator Bill Tyre about the unique design and residents of this house including, Frances Glessner Lee, daughter of John and Frances Glessner. Lee was the first female police captain in the United States, likely the inspiration for Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote, and is known as “the mother of forensic science.” Her series of extremely detailed dioramas, “Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death,” influenced investigative training for many years. The dioramas were recently featured in an exhibition at the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery in 2018. The Glessner House will host a Birthday Gala in honor of Lee later this month at which her meticulously detailed miniature model of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra will be on display for the first time in six years.

Bill Tyre is the Executive Director and Curator at Glessner House Museum. He’s one of just three full-time staff members who manage and maintain one of Chicago’s most famous homes. Glessner House was saved thanks to preservation efforts that resulted in the formation of both the house museum and Chicago Architecture Center in 1966.

PreserveCast Ep. 102: Landmarks Illinois' Statewide Approach to Preservation & Development with Bonnie McDonald

For many PreserveCast listeners, Illinois may only mean Chicago and the hustle and bustle of the second city – but Illinois is a massive state with a rich and stunning diversity of heritage. It’s a big job to advocate for and preserve that heritage and Landmarks Illinois, founded in 1971, is in a race against time to help the people of Illinois save places that matter. Landmarks Illinois’ President and CEO Bonnie McDonald is today’s guest – a leader in the field who is blending economic and real estate development with historic preservation in new and intriguing ways. It’s time to talk preservation prairie style on this episode of PreserveCast.

PreserveCast Ep. 101: A Retrospective with Your Host, Nick Redding

This is also our 101st episode – and we’re changing the format slightly today to offer a brief retrospective on what we’ve learned about ourselves and preservation over the past 100 episodes – and to talk about where we’re headed moving forward...

If you’ve enjoyed these past 100 episodes, we hope you’ll consider making a year-end gift to offset our significant expenses in bringing you this content. Think of us as your Preservation Netflix – even a one-time $20 gift would go a long way! You can make a simple online donation to Preservation Maryland at presmd.org and hit the DONATE button in the upper right corner.

PreserveCast Ep. 100: Preservation Incentives with Bill MacRostie of MacRostie Historic Advisors

It takes a village to make a preservation project a reality – and in today’s complex financial environment it also takes an expert in tax credit law to take a project from idea to completion. Today’s guest, Bill MacRostie is one of the nation’s leading experts in that complex but critical field. Sharpen your pencil and grab you calculator, because we’re talking the dollars and cents of preservation on this week’s PreserveCast.

In private practice for more than 30 years, Bill MacRostie has advised clients nationwide on projects ranging in size and type from the multi-phased $175 million mixed-use project in Detroit, Michigan to a $1.5 million hotel rehabilitation in Santa Rosa, California. For the 14 years that NPS certification project review was conducted in regional offices, Bill worked extensively in every regional office and most major states around the country.

Bill MacRostie is now a senior partner at MacRostie Historic Advisors where he advises clients on historic rehabilitation tax credit design and regulatory issues. In addition, he also serves on the board of directors of the National Housing & Rehabilitation Association and previously served on the board of Preservation Action.

PreserveCast Ep. 98: Preservation Around the World with Melanie Lytle of Restoration Works International

Do you enjoy international travel, historic buildings, and helping to restore important places? This week’s guest works to connect those interests through her work as Executive Director of Restoration Works International, an organization whose mission is to restore buildings of cultural significance and provide cultural exchange and understanding. Make sure you have your passport ready and lock that tray table in the upright position – we’re headed overseas this week to talk international preservation on PreserveCast!

Melanie Lytle is the Executive Director of Restoration Works International, an organization which uses national and international volunteer tourism as the catalyst for its mission to help communities around the world protect their cultural heritage sites and prosper through preservation and renewal of their history. A trained architectural historian, prior to her current position, she served as the Executive Director of the non-profit Maryland Association of Historic District Commissions. Melanie is a graduate of Goucher College's MA in Historic Preservation program.

PreserveCast Ep. 94: Training a Volunteer Workforce to Save Historic Places with Towny Anderson of HistoriCorps

Towny Anderson has over 40 years of experience with historic preservation. He has restored historic properties first as craftsman, then contractor, and later developer and owner. He was an independent scholar, cum laude graduate of Middlebury College and attended the Preservation Leadership Training program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Anderson served as Vermont’s first appointed State Historic Preservation Officer, as a Director of the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers and as Chair of the Vermont Historic Preservation Advisory Council. He is a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum. Anderson co-wrote groundbreaking statewide legislation encouraging reinvestment in Vermont’s historic downtowns. He was a founding board member of MainStreet Steamboat Springs. Two of his certified historic rehabilitation projects received National Trust Preservation Honor awards. Appointed Executive Director of HistoriCorps in August 2012, Towny Anderson is bringing together everything he loves about historic preservation – buildings, people, beautiful places, and education.

PreserveCast Ep. 90: Grassroots Preservation with Carrie Albee and the Frederick County Landmarks Foundation

While national and state preservation groups may grab the headlines, preservation is truly won and lost at the local level. It’s the grassroots advocates and volunteers working in communities across the nation who are accomplishing the challenging work of preserving historic places. Today’s guest, Carrie Albee, is leading the efforts of Frederick County Landmarks, a group charged with preservation in one of Maryland’s largest and most historic counties.

Today, Nick and Carrie discuss future plans for the Beatty-Cramer House, which dates back to 1732! It is a rare survivor of early colonial vernacular building tradition, displaying a merging of Dutch, English, and early American carpentry techniques.

Recently, Preservation Maryland's Six-to-Fix program has selected the organization's Beatty-Cramer House as one of the six focus projects for 2018.

In this episode you will learn:how grassroots advocacy actually garners real, triumphant results; the benefits of living in a historically rural community; the issues rural communities face from encroaching sprawl from greater metropolitan areas; the challenges associated with deciding a new use for an culturally-significant historic house; and how to build hype and community excitement around an emerging historic site. Get ready to preserve local on this week's PreserveCast!


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PreserveCast Ep. 88: Incorporating Contemporary Sound in Historic Spaces with Ian Hoffman

Reusing and restoring historic places requires many specialized skill sets. For historic theaters and music venues, a major component in that process is making the space sound right. It’s no easy task and for today’s guest, Professor Ian Hoffman, it’s a job that has taken him across the globe.

Ian is an architect and acoustic designer. His career is focused on understanding the interactions of sound and space in the built environment. For over 25 years, Ian has made significant contributions to the design, renovation, adaptation, and restoration of buildings for music, theater performance, and assembly. 

Ian is also a faculty member in acoustics at the Johns Hopkins' Peabody Institute. The courses he teaches range from architectural acoustic design and analysis, acoustic measurement, acoustic modeling, noise control, and psychoacoustics.

Today Nick and Ian discuss​ the challenges of incorporating modern sound into historic spaces while still maintaining its visual charm. 

In this episode you will learn: what an acoustician is and what they do; the intersections of music, engineering, and architecture in historic spaces; the challenges that come with incorporating contemporary sound while maintaining the nostalgic charm in historic theaters, former vaudeville houses, and music venues; and why we still attend live concerts, shows, and plays even though we have easy access to digital recordings

So listen closely, we’re talking historic acoustics on this week’s PreserveCast!

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PreserveCast Ep. 87: Myth Busting Historic Tax Credits with Renee Kuhlman

The term "policy" is usually associated with facts, figures, and dry, boring statistics. Today’s guest, Renee Kuhlman, proves that association wrong.

In her 19 years at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Renee has provided advocacy training, written articles, and briefs on policy issues, and has worked with preservationists around the country to effect real and meaningful change. As the current Director of Policy Outreach, Renee has been assisting legislators and advocates across the country with the adoption, expansion, and protection of state-level and federal-level historic rehabilitation tax credit programs.

Most recently, she has been involved in a multi-year campaign to protect historic tax credits, which are some of the most important tools available to the preservation community. Renee also works on a campaign to enact dedicated funding for the maintenance of historic resources in our national parks.

In this episode, Nick and Renee discuss: what a historic tax credit is and why you should care; the deconstruction of negative myths surrounding historic tax credits and how they benefit communities; how real estate developers and you can benefit from both federal and state-level historic tax credits; the role local grassroots organizations played in saving federal historic tax credits last year; resources you can access to advocate for; and how to improve or increase your state's historic tax credits; and how our national parks hold more than just beautiful outdoor scenery/

As you can see, it's not just all stats and figures on this week's episode of PreserveCast!

 

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PreserveCast Ep. 85: Modernizing Historic Annapolis with Karen Theimer Brown

For today’s guest, heading back to the eighteenth century is a daily occurrence and a requirement. Karen Theimer Brown is the vice-president of preservation at Historic Annapolis, a non-profit organization tasked with protecting, preserving and interpreting the history of Maryland’s capital city. Founded in 1649, Annapolis remains one of the most authentic and intact colonial towns in all of America.

For Karen and her colleagues at Historic Annapolis, it’s a full-time job to protect that authenticity from rising tides and pressure to grow. Grab you Old Bay and get your crab mallet ready. We’re headed to Naptown to talk preservation’s past and future on this week's PreserveCast.


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PreserveCast Ep. 84: Two-Stepping Through Dance Hall Country with Steph McDougal

Preservationists often wear many hats across a variety of fields. Today's guest is no exception. Steph McDougal is a preservation renaissance figure – working as a preservation consultant, authoring books about Texas architecture, and volunteering her time to serve her community and to save historic dance halls throughout the Lone Star State.  Not only is Steph the founder of McDoux Preservation, a data and community-driven historic preservation consulting practice based in Houston, she is also the co-founder and current board president of Texas Dance Hall Preservation, Inc. She acts as a facilitator of community engagement, which connects Texas' historic social dance clubs to today's current community. Her mission is to stabilize, preserve, and reinvent new, sustainable uses for the most iconic vernacular architecture deep in the heart of Texas.

Get ready to boot scoot and two step across Texas' rich dance hall history with Steph and Nick on this week's PreserveCast!


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PreserveCast Ep 79: Hands-On Preservation with Matt Hankins of Worcester Eisenbrandt

Historic preservation without tradespeople is just theory. That's why today's guest, Matt Hankins, is so important.

Matt is a talented and experienced preservation carpenter and shop supervisor at Worcester Eisenbrandt, the leading historic property renovation and restoration firm in the Mid-Atlantic region.
He has spent years learning how to restore historic places using traditional methods. In this episode, we discuss the trades, jobs, and the future of these critical skills in this week's hands-on version of PreserveCast!

Re-release Ep. 24 Diners, Dueling Grounds, and Dives: Roadside Architecture and the Anacostia Trails Heritage Area with Aaron Marcavitch

Enjoy this re-release of episode 24 from our archives as PreserveCast takes a quick summer break. Explore roaside architecture along Maryland's historic Route One with our executive producer Aaron Marcavitch in "Diners, Dueling Grounds, and Dives." Sit back, listen up, and relax while we return with a new episode soon.

Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2017/06/19/aaron-marcavitch-roadside-architecture-and-the-anacostia-trails-heritage-area/

Route One was once America’s thoroughfare, built over the older Quebec-Miami International Highway and the Atlantic Highway. A decent stretch of this old road falls under the purview of Aaron Marcavitch, the Executive Director of Maryland’s Anacostia Trails Heritage Area and this week’s guest. Aaron is an advocate for the preservation of roadside architecture, ranging from diners that predate the highway system to an old Woolworth’s. This is all in addition to his work preserving communities and buildings throughout his area, including an old dueling ground just north of Washington D.C. Roll down the window and put your feet on the dash, this is PreserveCast.

PreserveCast Ep. 77: Keeping NOLA Hip and Historic with Danielle Del Sol

New Orleans. The Big Easy. The City that Care Forgot. It’s a place with few equals in history, architecture or culture. Protecting and preserving a place this significant is difficult and never-ending work. Fortunately, the Preservation Resource Center has been committed to doing just that for 44 years. Today’s guest, Daniel Del Sol, is the Executive Director of the Center and she came into leadership during a time of tremendous challenges and opportunities – all of which we’ll talk about on today’s episode. So, sit back, find a cool breeze, grab a Sazerac and get ready to talk preservation with a New Orleans twist on this week’s PreserveCast. 

Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/06/25/keeping-nola-hip-and-historic-with-danielle-del-sol/

PreserveCast Ep. 73: Brittany LaVelle Tulla and Historic Charleston

What do you think it takes for a historic location to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site? This week’s guest, Brittany LaVelle Tulla, thinks that her home and her passion, Charleston, South Carolina, has what it takes. Join Nick as he and Brittany talk all things historic preservation in one of the most famous historic towns in the country, including Brittany’s own business as an architectural historian, her work with the Charleston Young Preservationists, and the dynamic and unique challenges facing a town that many see as a total preservation success. This is PreserveCast!

Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/05/28/brittany-lavelle-tulla-historic-charleston/

 

PreserveCast Ep. 72: Keeping Original Windows with Sam Pardue of Indow

Living in a historic home can be an incredibly rewarding experience, but also, an incredibly trying one. It seems there is always some new challenge rising up out of the woodwork, especially when it comes to original wood windows. Some professionals will say the only way to improve the efficiency of your windows is to replace them, no matter if you want to preserve craftsmanship that’s lasted decades, if not centuries. Today’s guest, Sam Pardue of Indow Windows, was faced with just that problem, and he ended up creating a solution that is now being applied to windows across the country. As part of Preservation Month, we want to bring you up close and personal with a technological innovator and his invention. Step right up to the glass on this week’s PreserveCast!

Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/05/21/keeping-original-windows-sam-pardue-indow/

PreserveCast Ep. 68: Lewis Contractors: The Big Picture of Preservation Projects

For some of the larger historic buildings out there, it can take a number of craftspeople and specialists to properly restore and preserve them. But few have the knowledge and ability to organize stone masons, window craftsmen, and countless other trade specialists who may otherwise be used to working independently. One of those few is with us today; Tyler Tate is the President of Lewis Contractors, a construction company that partially specializes in historic institutional buildings. Tyler spoke with Nick about details of some of the many unique projects his company has been involved in, like the Washington Monument in Baltimore, the Brice House in Annapolis, and more. We won’t try to ~build~ anticipation any longer, this is PreserveCast!

Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/04/23/big-picture-preservation-tyler-tate-lewis-contractors/

PreserveCast Ep. 67: Adventures in Preservation with Judith Broeker

As the winter comes to a close, you may find yourself dreaming of some relaxation time. Sure there’s the beach or camping, but have you ever considered a trip where you can help repair 500 year old stone towers in Eastern Europe? If your answer to that question is yes, this is the podcast for you. Judith Broeker, the co-founder of Adventures in Preservation, facilitates volunteer trips across the globe, connecting preservation craftspeople and experts with individuals who are ready and willing to lend a hand, and travel too! Judith and Nick discuss how these trips are funded, how projects are chosen, and the ways that these trips can assist historic communities, on this week's PreserveCast!

Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/04/16/adventures-in-preservation/

PreserveCast Ep. 66: Abandoned America: Historic Photography Off the Beaten Path

As historic preservationists we often can feel a sense of despair whenever we see a building that's been abandoned for years or even decades. Our guest today, Matthew Christopher of Abandoned America, knows just that feeling. That's why he is dedicated to gaining access to abandoned buildings and spaces across the country, and photographing what he finds inside. Matthew's images have appeared in countless esteemed publications, and he has photographed abandoned sites ranging from old mental hospitals to public utility buildings to theme parks. Don't go away! Matthew and Nick discuss how he picks his sites, why he thinks these buildings end up so mistreated, and how photography and greater exposure can sometimes help turn things around. 

Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/04/09/abandoned-america-historic-photography-off-the-beaten-path-with-matthew-christopher/

PreserveCast Ep. 63: The Domino Sugars Sign: Live from Triangle Signs!

If you’ve ever seen an image of the skyline of Baltimore City, one thing that might have stuck with you is the massive, glowing Domino Sugars sign. Earlier this month we at PreserveCast got to visit the sugar refinery underneath that sign, which to this day processes some 7 million pounds of sugar a day. We also visited the offices of Triangle Sign and Service, the company that has maintained the sign since they first installed it in 1951. Join the conservation between Nick, and guests Peter O’Malley, Vice-President of Corporate Relations for American Sugar Refining (the company that produces the Domino brand), and Joe Trabert and Dave Shapiro from Triangle Signs, about how and why this local icon has lasted so long, and what it takes to maintain it. Honestly, it was pretty sweet.

Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/03/19/the-domino-sugars-sign-live-from-triangle-signs/

 

PreserveCast Ep. 59: The Brewmaster's Castle, the Heurich House Museum

If you think about history in Washington, D.C. you'll probably think about all the massive monuments and national museums. While there's nothing wrong with that, D.C. has local history and culture just like any city, and few places capture that history like the Heurich House Museum. Kim Bender and Jennifer Ezell joined Nick from the unique, Germanic castle-house, that was built by a pre-prohibition beer dynasty. They talked about the history of the museum, as well as how they combine historical knowledge and the modern world of craft brewing in their programming. It's not all about beer, but please remember to podcast responsibly on this episode of PreserveCast.

Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/02/19/kim-bender-jennifer-ezell-the-brewmasters-castle-the-heurich-house-museum/

PreserveCast Ep. 58: Highway to History: Archaeology and Preservation in the State Highway Administration

At first glance, it might seem strange to think of an archaeologist working in a state’s highway administration office. But in reality the two can go hand in hand. Julie Schablitsky has conducted archaeological research and digs everywhere from Scotland to Maryland to California, she has utilized augmented reality to allow people to explore reconstructions of slave quarters, and she has done all this as the chief of the Cultural Resources Section at the Maryland State Highway Administration. Move out of the passing lane, you don’t want to miss this week’s PreserveCast.

Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/02/12/julie-schablitsky-highway-to-history-archaeology-and-preservation-in-the-state-highway-administration/

 

PreserveCast Ep.56: Teaching Young Preservationists New Tricks: The YPA's Preservation Podcast

What does it mean to be a preservationist? How does the built environment that surrounds you impact your daily life? Why does it matter? It’s never too early or too late to think about these questions, especially according to today’s guests, Matthew Craig and Christian Hughes. Matthew and Christian discuss their work through the Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburgh to encourage young people to engage with ideas of historic preservation in their communities. Although PreserveCast may be the number one historic preservation podcast, these youngbloods have a few tricks up their sleeves with their own podcast.

Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/01/29/young-preservation-association-of-pittsburgh-preservation-podcast/