NCPTT Podcasts

The National Center for Preservation Technology and Training has podcasts available to download for free. The podcasts cover a wide range of subjects in preservation by leader in the field. One such podcast is with Tracy Nelson who is Director of the Historic Buildings Grant Recovery Program in New Orleans. Tracy discusses sustainability in historic preservation. Here is an link to all podcast, http://www.ncptt.nps.gov/podcasts/podcast.xml .

What some of our grads are doing now

Here are two letter, addressed to the head of the program Bill Hole, from graduates of the Historic Preservation and Restoration Technology program. Student can either get a sixteen credit certification or two year associates in the program.

Hi Bill,

I hope you are doing well and your program is thriving. Up here the CCC Historic Preservation program is catching on and getting a lot of publicity. Thanks to YOU I'm inspired and feeling really good about this community and I have leadership opportunities popping up. I'm now the vice-chair of Lower Columbia Preservation Society with a great group of dedicated people. The plan is for me to be chair next spring. We'll see. I just gave a PowerPoint presentation on Leadville to our annual meeting which was kinda scary and well-received.

The big news is Lucien has enlisted me to teach a 1-unit workshop on Historic Preservation Techniques: Finish Work. I'm now an adjunct instructor with CCC! Dig it! I've attached my syllabus. If you have any epiphanies I'd love to hear them. We'll do plaster repair work at Lucien's house and wood house patching, trimming and painting at my house, along with building analysis here using Sanborn maps (my house was moved twice and added onto in 1900) and witness marks up the wazoo. Fun! June 5th & 12th are the days and there'll be 14 students. Also, I did raise my business rate to $25/hr., so thanks!

Cheers, Pam

Hi Bill! Who wouldn't miss two redheads who bring sass and baked goods into their life? :) How did the HP&R classes go this semester? Did the students raise enough money to go to New Orleans? (Was it New Orleans or am I misremembering?)

Well I don't know if you've heard but Chandra and I were both promoted to Research Assistant II back in January! (I had only been there six months and have surpassed another research assistant who has been there for almost three years!) The office has been really hectic lately and I've been going out on fieldwork all over the state. Last month I was in Anaheim, then Bakersfield, and I was just in Fort Bragg for a week.

Never in a million years did I think that I would have a job like mine, but I'm excited that I do. I'm so grateful for the HP&R program at CR and for your dedication to the program and the students. I know that the kind of education I received there and Shaker Village internship that I got to experience through your help gave me an edge over other candidates for the job at JRP. I even bet out people who were even in the process of getting their masters! It's all gone by so fast, can you believe I've been here in Sacramento for almost a year?!

-Heather

Preservation briefs and tech notes

Preservation briefs are specialized instructional booklets to help homeowners, professionals and government agencies properly preserve, rehabilitate and restore historic buildings. First published in 1975, there are currently 47 different briefs that focus on specific preservation method. The briefs are created by the Technical Preservation Services, which is part of the National Park services, and can be purchased or downloaded individual from the TBS website ( http://http//www.nps.gov/history/hps/tps/publications.htm ). Some of the title of the briefs include, conserving energy in historic buildings, the repair of historic windows and preservation of historic ornamental plaster.
In addition to the briefs they also have a series of practical information on traditional practices and techniques called the preservation tech notes. the tech notes are organized by categories, i.e windows, doors and finishes.

Govenor's Mansion

The Governor's Mansion located in Sacramento was built in 1877 and housed California's Governors until the 1960s. Since then in has become a State Historic Park and is on the National Registry of Historic Places. Despite all this it is one of the parks in jeopardy of closing because of the state's budget problems. Earlier this year a student from CR who graduated with her certification in HPRT was honored for her work on preserving the mansion. Here is the Times Standard newspaper article with more about the honor. http://www.times-standard.com/ci_14284953?IADID=Search-www.times-standard.com-www.times-standard.com

New photos

We have added many new photos from our trip to New Olreans, our barn dance fundraiser, the field school and our most recent end of the year boat trip. It has been a busy 1st year for the HPR club, check out all we have accomplished and the fun we had doing it. These albums and more are at http://picasaweb.google.com/preserveandrestore .

This year sailed by.

John demonstrating proper window caulking in New Orleans.

Another project house in NOLA.

Square dancin' to raise money for our trip.

Students workin on the exterior of the Annie B. Ryan field school house.

HPR club in the news!

Hey... our club was in the newspaper this past Sunday.

pictures of the day

Here is two more examples of historic homes in New Orleans in different states of repair. It is an amazing places that unfortunately has been on my mind again because of their most recent disaster (oil rig leak). These photos and more of NOLA's homes can be seen on our Picasa photo album site.

This is a beautifully restored double shoot gun located in the Holy Cross District of the Lower Ninth Ward in New Olreans.