Episodes
Monday Feb 26, 2018
PreserveCast Ep. 60: The Rosenwald Schools with Aviva Kempner
Monday Feb 26, 2018
Monday Feb 26, 2018
You’ve probably heard of Andrew Carnegie or the Rockefeller family, but have you heard of Julius Rosenwald? Today’s guest may be able to help with that. Aviva Kempner is a Peabody award winning documentary filmmaker, whose work focuses on unsung heroes from Jewish history. I spoke with Aviva about her most recent work which details the life of Julius Rosenwald, who during the turn of the century both revolutionized the business of Sears and Roebuck, and vastly influenced black education in the Jim Crow South with his philanthropy.
Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/02/26/the-rosenwald-schools-with-aviva-kempner/
Monday Feb 19, 2018
PreserveCast Ep. 59: The Brewmaster's Castle, the Heurich House Museum
Monday Feb 19, 2018
Monday Feb 19, 2018
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/
Monday Feb 12, 2018
Monday Feb 12, 2018
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.
Monday Feb 05, 2018
PreserveCast Ep. 57: The History Doctor, Taylor Stoermer
Monday Feb 05, 2018
Monday Feb 05, 2018
Big picture questions in public history and historic preservation can sometimes be intimidating to think about. What should the public expect from their historic institutions? How do public history sites remain relevant in a world that seems to change more and more every year? Fortunately, there are people out there like today’s guest, Dr. Taylor Stoermer. Taylor is an academic who knows how to bring history to the people, whether that be as the chief historian at Colonial Williamsburg, a Professor at Harvard and Johns Hopkins, an advisor to Disney on their revamped Hall of Presidents, or on Twitter as the History Doctor. He may not be an M.D., but his home state is Maryland.
Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/02/05/the-history-doctor-taylor-stoermer/
Monday Jan 29, 2018
Monday Jan 29, 2018
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/
Monday Jan 22, 2018
PreserveCast Ep. 55: McMansion Hell!
Monday Jan 22, 2018
Monday Jan 22, 2018
Have you ever seen a building and had something about it rub you the wrong way, but you can't explain it? Well, today's guest may be able to help you find the right words. Kate Wagner runs the popular blog McMansion Hell, which takes a comedic approach to dissecting modern suburban architecture, as well as offering informative essays on urban planning and other architectural concepts, including historic preservation. We talked about the blog, how a building can earn the title "McMansion," and where these buildings fit in a larger historic context on this episode of PreserveCast.
Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/01/22/kate-wagner-mcmansion-hell/
Monday Jan 15, 2018
PreserveCast Ep. 54: Repurposing Historic Mills: The Jones Falls Tell-All
Monday Jan 15, 2018
Monday Jan 15, 2018
It's easy to be surprised by the history in your own backyard, even if you're a historic preservationist. Nathan Dennies, the chairperson and founder of the Greater Hampden Heritage Alliance, joined Nick to trace the history of Baltimore's iconic Hampden-Woodberry neighborhood, including the many recently repurposed historic mills, Baltimore's famous "Avenue," and the Jones Falls river. The area isn't just home to Baltimore's famous Hon-Fest, it's Preservation Maryland's home as well. After all, this is PreserveCast.
Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/01/15/nathan-dennies-repurposing-historic-mills-the-jones-falls/
Monday Jan 08, 2018
PreserveCast Ep. 53: The Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation
Monday Jan 08, 2018
Monday Jan 08, 2018
Often if we don't make a special effort to remember and tell the stories of individuals and groups within history, their contributions to our shared story can all too easily be forgotten. That is as true for Jewish-Americans as for any other group, and that is why Jerry Klinger founded the Jewish American Soceity for Historic Preservation. Jerry joined Nick to share some of the amazing stories he has learned of Jewish people throughout the country's history, as well as to share about projects coming in the future for his organization. This is PreserveCast.
Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/01/08/jerry-klinger-the-jewish-american-society-for-historic-preservation/
Tuesday Jan 02, 2018
PreserveCast Ep. 52: Dana Saylor and the Art of Historic Placemaking
Tuesday Jan 02, 2018
Tuesday Jan 02, 2018
Ever walk into a historic building or place and find yourself imagining new ways to use it? Like an art project or public event? Well, it’s one thing to have the idea, but a historic changemaker, like today’s guest Dana Saylor, is someone who actually follows through. Dana is a prominent voice in placemaking, public art, and preservation, and she spoke with Nick from her home in Buffalo, New York about creative ways that people can use historic places.
Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/01/02/dana-saylor-and-the-art-of-historic-placemaking/
Wednesday Dec 27, 2017
PreserveCast Ep. 51: On-Site from the American Visionary Art Museum
Wednesday Dec 27, 2017
Wednesday Dec 27, 2017
A few weeks ago we took PreserveCast on the road, albeit only a few blocks, to visit a truly unique historic place, the American Visionary Art Museum. Nick sat down with AVAM's founder, Rebecca Hoffberger, in one of the museums several repurposed, historic buildings to discuss the history of the institution that houses the world's largest collection of 'outsider' or 'visionary' art. Nick and Rebecca covered a lot of topics, including the decision-making process that led Rebecca to locate in a campus of historic buildings in Baltimore city. Things may seem a little unorthodox, but that's what visionary art is all about on this episode of PreserveCast.
Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2017/12/27/rebecca-hoffberger-the-american-visionary-art-museum/
Monday Dec 18, 2017
Monday Dec 18, 2017
When is a building worth saving? This can be a controversial question, even among preservationists. Greg Galer, the Executive Director of the Boston Preservation Alliance, joined us on PreserveCast to share his perspective. Greg has worked to preserve many examples of mid-century modern ‘brutalist’ architecture, like Boston City Hall and the Boston Christian Science Center. Should exposed concrete structures be preserved the same as 19th century estates? A brutal question (and hard to answer too), but let’s talk about it on this week’s PreserveCast.
Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2017/12/18/in-defense-of-brutalism-greg-galer-of-the-boston-preservation-alliance/
Monday Dec 11, 2017
PreserveCast Ep. 49: The Anarchist's Podcast on Historic House Museums
Monday Dec 11, 2017
Monday Dec 11, 2017
It may not come as a surprise that some historians and museum professionals are not always quick to adapt to change, but that’s only some of us. There are others out there, like today’s guest Frank Vagnone, who not only are capable of adapting, but thrive on inverting the status quo of museums and public history. Frank and I spoke about the book he co-authored, The Anarchist’s Guide to Historic House Museums, his position as the President and CEO of Old Salem, and examples of good ways for house museums to defy expectations. There's anarchy in the USA, the U.K., and beyond on this week's PreserveCast.
Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2017/12/11/frank-vagnone-the-anarchists-podcast-on-historic-house-museums/
Editor's note: The music in the segment came from a 1994 recording of a Virginia Pow Wow, and included a traditional Eastern Woodlands and Iroqouis song/dance called Gadasjot.
Monday Dec 04, 2017
PreserveCast Ep. 48: Jim Lighthizer and the Civil War Trust
Monday Dec 04, 2017
Monday Dec 04, 2017
How are battlefields preserved? Why are battlefields preserved? What should we do with a battlefield site once it is protected? These are all important questions, and we are fortunate to be joined by someone who can possibly provide the answers. Jim Lighthizer is the President of the Civil War Trust and an expert in battlefield preservation. Join Nick as Jim shares insight into how he maintains momentum at the head of the nations leading Civil War Battlefield Preservation Organization on this week's PreserveCast.
Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2017/12/04/jim-lighthizer-and-the-civil-war-trust/
This episode is part of focus series on the history of the Antietam Battlefield.
Monday Nov 27, 2017
PreserveCast Ep. 47: The History of Women's Suffrage in Maryland and Beyond
Monday Nov 27, 2017
Monday Nov 27, 2017
Often with history and historic preservation it can be all too easy for the places associated with a particular piece of our history to fall through the cracks. To a degree, that has been the case the case with the history of Maryland's women's suffrage movement, but today we're joined by historian Kacy Rohn, a native Marylander and the author of a recent historic context report focused on the stories of these women and the places that were important to their stories. Join us for a discussion on the fight for women's right to vote in the United States, and the power of place to help us remember that fight. This is PreserveCast.
Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2017/11/27/kacy-rohn-the-history-of-womens-suffrage-in-maryland-and-beyond/
Monday Nov 20, 2017
PreserveCast Ep. 46: True Treats Candy and the Age-Old Sweet Tooth
Monday Nov 20, 2017
Monday Nov 20, 2017
It doesn't matter if it's your molar, your canine, or what, everybody has some kind of sweet tooth. Something that you may not be thinking about is how that sweet tooth has played a role in history. Susan Benjamin is the founder of True Treats Candy in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and author of the book Sweet as Sin: The Unwrapped Story of How Candy Became America’s Favorite Pleasure. Susan has appeared on platforms from NPR to NBC, and she joined us on PreserveCast to share the rich history of candy in American culture, from pre-Colombian Native Americans to the working poor of the Industrial Revolution. Go ahead and spoil your dinner with this week’s PreserveCast.
Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2017/11/20/susan-benjamin-true-treats-candy-and-the-age-old-sweet-tooth/
Editor's note: Many thanks to the Storm Boyz Lenne Lenape Drum, whose music was used in the today's segment of "Preservation Explanation."
Monday Nov 13, 2017
UPDATED PreserveCast Ep. 45: Mary Anthony and the 1772 Foundation
Monday Nov 13, 2017
Monday Nov 13, 2017
Based in Newport, Rhode Island, the 1772 Foundation’s mission is to ensure the safe passage of historic buildings and farmland to future generations, in the Northeast and around the country. Under the direction of today’s guest, Mary Anthony, one of the key tools the Foundation uses to accomplish this mission is their nationwide historic property redevelopment, or revolving funds, program. Mary explained to us details of how her organization can help save buildings from Colorado to Florida to Maine, and also why it’s important to emphasize the human element of philanthropy, on this week’s PreserveCast.
Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2017/11/13/mary-anthony-and-the-1772-foundation/
Producer's note: We apologize for any issues you might have had while accessing this episode. We've recently made some software changes and the original file did not upload correctly. It's been updated and you should now be able to stream and download as usual. Thanks for your patience, and keep on preserving!
Monday Nov 06, 2017
Monday Nov 06, 2017
As historic preservationists, we often can fall into only thinking about history through the framework of buildings and sites, or even get caught up on buildings from just one era. That is not the case for our guest today, Dr. Bill Schindler. Bill is one of the world’s leading experimental archaeologists and an expert on primitive technologies and historic foodways. Join us as Bill explains how food has driven technological development throughout human history, how we are uniquely positioned in that history, and why we may want to look at ancient foodways to inform how we eat in the future. Hopefully we won’t make you too hungry, on this episode of PreserveCast.
Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2017/11/06/dr-bill-schindler-primitive-technology-and-the-food-of-the-future/
Monday Oct 30, 2017
Monday Oct 30, 2017
Understanding why preserving historic places makes good economic sense can sometimes seem complex and hard to explain. But fortunately our guest today is Donovan Rypkema, the principal of PlaceEconomics and the President of Heritage Strategies Internationa, and a man who has made a career out of explaining the interplay of economics, real estate, and preservation. Donovan is one of the world thought leaders on preservation economics, and he and Nick talked about the research that Donovan and others have done into the economic benefits of preservation, both short and long term, as well as the uncertain future of the Federal Historic Tax Credit program.
Monday Oct 23, 2017
Monday Oct 23, 2017
When does history end? For some, like today’s guest Clare Lise Kelly, it might be closer to the present than you think. Clare is an architectural historian here in Maryland whose focus is the preservation of mid-century modern architecture from the 1950s and 60s. She literally wrote the book Montgomery Modern, focused on the architecture of Montgomery County, northwest of Washington D.C. From the future of office parks to Frank Lloyd Wright, there’s a lot to cover before we have to say so long on this episode of PreserveCast.
Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2017/10/23/clare-lise-kelly-montgomery-modern-whats-the-future-for-mid-century-modern-architecture/
Producer's note: At around the 24:00 minute mark, Clare mentions an example of a building with a successfully, fully-restored facade. She said the Seagram Building, but was actually intending to reference the Lever House.
Monday Oct 16, 2017
PreserveCast Ep. 41: Paint Chip Analysis with Dr. Susan Buck
Monday Oct 16, 2017
Monday Oct 16, 2017
From buildings to furniture to fine art, there are few historic objects or items that Dr. Susan Buck would be unable to analyze through the microscopic examination of paint samples. Join us for a conversation about Susan’s work on projects from Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia to the Forbidden City in Beijing, China, and on items from 19th century Shaker furniture to Egyptian coffins from the 5th century B.C. What can we learn from a paint chip the size of a pin head? Find out on this week’s PreserveCast.
Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2017/10/16/paint-chip-analysis-with-dr-susan-buck/
Monday Oct 09, 2017
Monday Oct 09, 2017
As preservationists, we here at PreserveCast are usually concerned with the physical history; what we can know from the cold hard facts. But seeing as how it’s October and Halloween is around the corner, we thought we’d talk a little about haunted history. Author Colin Dickey joined me to talk about the history of ghost stories and share what we can learn from the places that scare us. The conversation ranges all the way from Silicon Valley to Richmond Virginia on this, the first ever PreserveCast Spooktacular!
Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2017/10/09/colin-dickey-ghostland-and-the-preservecast-spooktacular/
Monday Oct 02, 2017
PreserveCast Ep. 39: Joe McGill and the Slave Dwelling Project
Monday Oct 02, 2017
Monday Oct 02, 2017
Few historic moments continue to reverberate through our nation quite like the Civil War and the abolition of slavery. But despite the way the history lives on, there are some parts that will always be challenging for us to face as a nation. Joe McGill, the founder of the Slave Dwelling Project, joined me to discuss the work he does to shed light on some of the most painful, yet powerful, places in America. Join us for a discussion on the value of remember all aspects of our past, from slave dwellings to Confederate monuments, on this week’s PreserveCast.
Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2017/10/02/joe-mcgill-and-the-slave-dwelling-project/
Producer's note: This episode is part of our focus series on the history of the Antietam Battlefield.
Monday Sep 25, 2017
Monday Sep 25, 2017
Building Information Modeling (BIM) allows architects to measure elements of a building down to the centimeter, and Tom Reinhart is here to explain how George Washington's Mount Vernon is expanding on that technology even further to get the most benefit for historic preservationsits. What do you get when you cross information from George Washington's own handwritten letters and the latest tech in data systems and digital modeling? Find out on this week's PreserveCast!
Monday Sep 18, 2017
Monday Sep 18, 2017
It's hard to talk about the history of the Civil War without touching on the Maryland Campaign, which came to an end with the Battle of Antietam. This battle was not only the single bloodiest day of the War, but also preicpated Abraham Lincoln's issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation. And as important as the battle was, it would be extremely challenging to pass the history of that day on to future generations without the preserved Antietam Battlefield in its proper context, which is the way it is today thanks to Dr. Tom Clemens and the other members of the Save Historic Antietam Foundation. Learn more on this week's PreserveCast.
Producer's note: This episode is part of our focus series on the history of the Antietam Battlefield.
Monday Sep 11, 2017
Monday Sep 11, 2017
Community Forklift is part of a vital, growing industry, that of reuse and architectural salvage. Ruthie Mundell, the current Director of Outreach and Education and one of Community Forklift's first employees is here to share with us her own origin story, as well as share about the amazing work that the group is doing today. Stick around to learn how green thinking and the preservation of historic building materials can save the environment, and save you money on your next home improvement project.
Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2017/09/11/ruthie-mundell-community-forklift-and-the-ethics-of-reuse/