July/August, 2008
IN THIS MONTH'S ISSUE:
Partners in Preservation Update - Diehards for Deco - Regional Offices Report - Flooding in the Midwest
PARTNERS IN PRESERVATION UPDATE
|
This Month's Resource Highlight: |
Over the past 2 years, American Express in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation has given over $2 million in grants to community-based preservation projects in San Francisco, Chicago, and New Orleans. Grant awards were determined by an expert Advisory panel of preservationists and community leaders whose deliberations were informed by public input through online voting and comments of support on http://www.partnersinpreservation.com/.
In 2006, 13 winning sites in the San Francisco Bay Area shared $1 million in grants, with the remaining sites receiving $5,000 awards for their participation. These preservation projects ranged from the Fox Oakland Theater to the Tilden Park Carousel. Slated to be completed this summer, you can check out all the updates from these projects here.
Last fall, our Chicagoland program brought attention to preservation projects as diverse as the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall and the South Side Community Art Center. Most of the work on these 25 sites is being done this summer and fall, but you can check out the current status of the project by clicking on the "learn more" link on each site's landing page.
This year, American Express focused its attention on Gulf Coast Recovery in the New Orleans Area. Five sites were chosen to receive grants for preservation work, with each site reflecting the unique cultural and architectural heritage that New Orleans adds to our nation's history in addition to having sustained damage during the hurricane season of 2005. Sites like the St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church in mid-city and the Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 in the Garden District illustrate the uniqueness that the Crescent City has to offer and spark the desire to preserve these resources for generations to come.
Check out the updates for all three cities today!
DIEHARDS FOR DECO IN TULSA
If you're an architecture fan, you already know that Tulsa has some of the nation's finest deco treasures, including the Boston Avenue Methodist Church, featured on the cover of our latest Preservation magazine. In an effort to build on the buzz generated by the cover story and Tulsa's winning bid to host the National Preservation Conference this fall, local partners the Tulsa Foundation for Architecture and the Tulsa Art Deco Society invited Preservation's editor, James Schwartz, to speak at a recent press conference. "Visiting Boston Avenue and a host of other deco gems confirmed that Tulsa is a knock-your-socks-off surprise," James says. "We wrote our cover story in the hopes that others will be inspired to come see the architectural wonders that the city has saved and learn how they can do the same in their own downtowns. Happily, the letters we've received from readers nationwide indicate we definitely struck a chord."
-- Read the full story, and check out a slide show of art deco details.
-- Already get the magazine? Peruse the magazine's online-only feature, "What is Art Deco?"
-- Tulsa preservationists are diehard art deco fans. What's your favorite style? Take our short survey here.
NEWS FROM OUR REGIONAL OFFICES
From our Southwest Regional Office:
- Conserving resources by preserving landmarks. Recognizing the link between preservation and environmentalism, Houston’s Citizen’s League for Environmental Action Now (CLEANhouston.org) has banded with preservationists in Houston’s historic River Oaks neighborhood. The combined group works to educate residents on the significance and value of the area’s homes and to assist them in designating their homes as historic landmarks. CLEAN has also been at the forefront of efforts to save historic theaters and other landmarks in Houston. Learn more about preservation and sustainability.
From our Mountain/Plains Regional Office:
- Preserving the recent past. This spring, a panel of National Trust staff presented to the Aspen Historic Preservation Task Force on the protection of modernism and recent past sites. The City of Aspen has pioneered efforts in the region to identify and protect sites constructed since World War II. Aspen is one of the few cities in Colorado that has historic buildings reflecting the history and development of the community from its heyday as a silver mining town in the late 19th century to its post war eminence on the world stage Learn more about the importance of preserving the recent past.
- Wyoming’s first statewide preservation conference in two decades. More than 150 people convened at the historic Plains Hotel in
Learn more about the Regional Offices of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
FLOOD RECOVERY IN THE MIDWEST
Early in July, staff from the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Midwest Office visited Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which was devastated by last month's floods.
In the video below, Michael Richards, a homeowner they met — whose residence is slated for demolition — talks about his home, and its role in both the history of Cedar Rapids and as a part of his personal history. It is, in Mr. Richards’ own words, a reminder that historically important structures are not just grand buildings, but also the, "small homes and traditional neighborhoods" that were lost in the flood. Watch the video now.
Learn about how to treat water damage from a flood in your historic home, or make a difference by donating to Main Street communities devastated by flooding in Wisconsin, Missouri, or Iowa.
