Workshop Spotlight

A Remarkable Year – 2006

2006 has been HCN's most effective and productive year to date with 10 successful workshops held around the world. We began in the U.S. assisting with hurricane recovery in New Orleans and Bay St. Louis. Our hard working participants took on clean-up and preservation of five buildings in New Orleans and assisted with salvage of building materials in Bay St. Louis. Also in the U.S., we brought the Francis Mill in North Carolina very near its goal of re-opening on its 120th birthday; headed to the west to begin work on the brewmaster’s house in the historic mining town of Virginia City, Montana; completely restored a small stone bridge in Pennsylvania; and partnered with the National Park Service for the emergency stabilization of an 1836 brick residence located along the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. Our decorative painting workshop in Slovenia exceeded all expectations with an international group of participants, countrywide interest, and coverage by the national media. Finally, we returned to Mexico to continue adobe conservation at a historic mission along with an enthused group of local students.

HCN would like to thank the 78 participants who joined us on these projects, giving countless hours of effort. They made an impact on saving the world’s architectural heritage with their knowledge, good will and enthusiasm. When planning your end-of-year gift giving, please include support for HCN as we strive to increase our ability to preserve important historic sites. HCN continues to serve as a highly cost-effective means for our preservation partners to accomplish grass roots preservation. By the time you receive the next UPDATE, the 2007 series of workshops will be underway.

2007 Workshop Series

Check the HCN website! It’s time to mark your calendars with the 2007 workshop you plan to attend. From finishes to frescos, there's a wide range of topics and locations to choose from. All workshop details are posted on our website; register online now for the workshop of your choice. Read more!

• Post-Katrina Restoration, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
  January 1-13, 2007
• Conservation Survey in the Cloister of the Monastery of San Giovanni Battista, Serravalle, Italy (for mid-career professionals)
  April 1-14, 2007
• Traditional and Colonial Buildings, Accra, Ghana
  June 24 - July 7, 2007
• Historic Finishes of the Old West, Virginia City, Montana
  July 9-13, 2007
• Preservation Work at the Kornthal Parsonage, Jonesboro, Illinois
  July 15-28, 2007

Participate in hands-on preservation - sign up today!

Corporate Sponsor Appeal

Can your company sponsor a workshop? As HCN increases the number of projects each year, and as our waiting list grows, we need additional funding and financial support. HCN is launching an appeal for corporate sponsors who will support a specific workshop or the entire 2007 workshop series. Contact us now to Help Build a Future for the Past! We and our preservation project partners will greatly appreciate your support. Contact Judith Broeker, Program Director, to hear intriguing details and learn the needs of each project. A corporate sponsorship brochure can also be downloaded from our website. Read More!

Weisel Bridge Report

The Weisel Bridge near Quakertown, Pennsylvania is proof positive of the amazing things people can accomplish when they set their minds to it. In two weeks, 20 people worked in rain and sun to complete the restoration of this arched stone bridge. Workshop participants under the guidance of masonry expert Andy deGruchy diverted the creek, rebuilt part of the arch, made a new keystone, removed cement mortar and repointed with the more appropriate lime mortar. A job well done - thanks and kudos from the Weisel Hostel on whose charming property the bridge is located. Read more!

Francis Mill Follow Up

Our friends at the Francis Mill Preservation Society report a very successful workday at the site on October 21. Volunteers were able to build the last two flume supports and install battens on the mill’s east side. HCN's workshops at the mill in 2004, 2005 and again this summer were instrumental in reaching this point. The FMPS is now focusing on the final stage - water wheel improvements and putting machinery in working order.

HABS/HAER/HALS Opportunities

Positions at HABS/HAER/HALS

For more than 70 years, the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) has been documenting the nation's built environment through measured architectural drawings, large format photography, and written histories. Its sister programs, the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) created in 1969 and the Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) created in 2000, have expanded the National Park Service's documentation responsibilities beyond historic buildings to engineering structures and landscapes. The backbone of the documentation program has been college students: aspiring architects, landscape architects, historians, and engineers who spend 12 weeks in the field gaining valuable hands-on experience under the guidance of a trained project supervisor. Work involves on-site field work and preparation of measured and interpretive drawings and written historical reports for the HABS/HAER/HALS Collection at the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress. Projects last twelve weeks, beginning in May/June. Applications are due January 15, 2007. Application forms and detailed information can be found at www.cr.nps.gov/hdp/jobs/summer.htm.

Sally Kress Tompkins Fellowship

The SKT Fellowship, a joint program of the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) and the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), permits an architectural historian to conduct research on a 12-week HABS project during the summer of 2007. The award consists of a $10,000 stipend. Applications are due January 15, 2007. For for more information, see www.cr.nps.gov/hdp/jobs/tompkins.htm or contact Virginia B. Price at +1 202-354-2180.

HAER Maritime Fellowship

The Maritime Documentation Fellowship, sponsored by the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) and the Council of American Maritime Museums (CAMM), permits a student of architecture, engineering or history, interested in maritime preservation, to work as a summer fellow on a HAER maritime documentation project in conjunction with the HABS/HAER/HALS Summer Program. The selected recipient will receive a stipend of $5,400 and will work with a HAER team for 12 weeks during the summer. Applications are due January 1, 2007. For more information see www.cr.nps.gov/hdp/jobs/maritime.htm or contact Todd Croteau at +1 202-354-2167.

Conference Calendar

Australia ICOMOS National Conference: Challenge and Change in Ports, Their Towns and Cities
November 9-11, 2006, Fremantle, Australia

This conference will explore the many challenges and changes in port cities, including the often competing interests of operating modern ports while conserving the social, building, engineering and archaeological records of their history. For information, see www.promaco.com.au/2006/icomos/ or contact  austicomos@deakin.edu.au.

International Conference on Heritage Cities: The Contribution of Heritage to Sustainable Development
November - December 2, 2006, Luxor, Egypt

The goals of the conference include a review of strategies for developing those cities in an integrated manner while preserving their urban and cultural values; to identify means of allowing modernization and sustainable development of those cities; and an exchange of  international experiences in dealing with urban and environmental degradation and poverty reduction while managing Heritage Cities. For information, see  www.hcc-luxor.com or contact hccluxor@yahoo.com.

First International Scientific Conference: Quality Management of Cultural Heritage: Evaluation Instruments for Sites Open to the Public
December 5-9, 2006- Rome, Italy

For conference information, see www.herity.it.

European Cultural Heritage Forum “Cultural Heritage Counts for Europe”
December 7, 2006, Brussels, Belgium

Organized by Europe Nostra, Pan-European Federation for Cultural Heritage. For information, contact meo@europanostra.org.

Saving Places 2007: Preservation, Planning, and Growth Saving
February 7-9, 2007, Denver, Colorado, USA

Presented by Colorado Preservation, Inc., Saving Places is the largest statewide historic preservation conference in the US. For more information, see www.coloradopreservation.org.

Architectural Conservation: Opportunities & Challenges in the 21st Century
February 11-13 2007- Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Objectives of this conference include improving and increasing awareness between academic and professional circles working in the field of architectural heritage conservation; emphasizing the role of computers, information system and databases in documenting heritage and the management of conservation project; and reviewing the positive experiences in the urban and architectural conservation fields to determine the areas of benefit from such experience. For more information, see www.dubaiconservation.com or contact  Conservation2007@dm.gov.ae