The Spring 2009 HPPA Newsletter has arrived. Click here to download it.

Michael Tomlan delivered the keynote address at the Preserve Pittsburgh Summit  on March 28, 2009.

The Work Weekend Report

We just successfully completed Work Weekend in Manassas, VA.  A good time was had by all and I think we left the house better than we found it. :)  Twenty students from HPP and the Masters of Regional Planning programs attended and were able to demo two non-historic bathrooms, remove ducting and a non-functioning AC from the attic, and limewash the watertable, sills and jack arches.  We had a great time in the house and an enjoyable time in the warm weather!  I believe we'll have an article in the Washington Post later this week.  [ed: also see article at InsideNova.com] I'll let you know when we have some more information on this.

Many thanks to Anne Turcotte and Grant Johnson for all of their help planning Work Weekend and the staff at Liberia Plantation for their impressive advance organization which made it possible to finish these projects in one weekend.

--  Katelyn Wright

"Premises: American Vernacular Buildings and Interiors, 1870-1960"
Jan Jennings, Professor in Design and Environmental Analysis
Monday, April 6th, 4:30 PM (BMC has been pushed back to 6:00)
157 Martha Van Rensselaer Hall (north of Caldwell)

Jan will discuss the three books she has written with Herb Gottfried (Professor Emeritus, Landscape Arch.) on vernacular architecture, the need they saw for writing on the topic, their methodology and philosophical approaches, what issues they have encountered, and how their ideas have changed over time.  This will be in a seminar-style format and Jan's very interested in hearing questions from us, so please think about how your own work relates to vernacular architecture prior to the event.

The Historic Preservation Office and NJ Historic Sites Council are pleased to announce the 19th Annual Historic Preservation Awards recognizing the efforts of individuals, organizations and government agencies to preserve the State's valuable resources.
On May 28, 2009 awards will be presented to the winners at the Annual New Jersey Historic Preservation Awards Ceremony celebrating Historic Preservation Month at the Trenton City Museum, Ellarslie Mansion in Cadwalader Park. http://www.state.nj.us/dep/hpo/4sustain/awdsprogram.htm

The Awards application can be download from the Historic Preservation Office website at:
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/hpo/4sustain/19thaward_app.pdf

Please help contribute to the PSSO's Work Weekend fundraising efforts by shopping for t-shirts, magnets, mugs, stickers etc. at their Cafe Press store.

Quoted from their store:

"NEW DESIGNS COMING SOON!!!! Proceeds from the Cornell University Preservation Studies Student Organization store will fund "Work Weekend 2009," April 3-5 at the National Register-listed Liberia Plantation in Manassas, VA. Work Weekend is a three-day, hands-on, educational opportunity for students and alumni, as well as a way to help communities preserve or restore their historic buildings. More designs to come soon will fund other PSSO activities throughout the year, including recruiting guest lecturers to Cornell and preservation projects in the Ithaca area. Please see our website for more information on the organization"

Dear HPPA,

Greetings from Ithaca, New York.  On behalf of the Preservation Studies Student Organization at Cornell University, I am pleased to inform you of a very special event that I hope you will attend and share with others in your organization.

On April 10, 2009, renowned preservationist, activist, and urbanist Arthur P. Ziegler, Jr., will be speaking at Cornell's Lewis Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall, at 3:00 PM. Mr. Ziegler's pioneering work has promoted historic preservation as an effective means to create sustainable affordable housing, healthy neighborhoods, and economic development.  As such, his work has been as much about social justice for disenfranchised populations as it has been preserving important places.

Mr. Ziegler is best known for creating the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation (PHLF) to combat urban renewal policies that devastated Pittsburgh -- literally and spiritually -- making it one of the most segregated cities in the United States.  PHLF's Manchester neighborhood project was the first urban renewal project to create a preservation district within a predominantly African-American neighborhood and the first to be administered by the residents themselves.

Ziegler has authored five books on historic preservation and is the recipient of the Private Sector Achievement Award from the President of the United States. He is the recipient of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Crowninshield Award and Preservation Pennsylvania's Otto Haas Award. Cosponsored by the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies and the Preservation Studies Student Organization.

The event is free and open to the public.

Sincerely,

Historic Preservation Planning
Work Weekend in Manassas, Va
April 3-5, 2009

The Cornell University Preservation Studies Student Organization (PSSO) announces that the program's annual Work Weekend will take place at Liberia Plantation in Manassas, Virginia, April 3-5, 2009.

Liberia Plantation is an 1825 plantation house on 18 acres of property in the Liberia Historic District in Manassas, Virginia. The property is being restored with the assistance of historical architect C. Richard Bierce, AIA of Alexandria, Virginia and Oak Grove Restoration Company under the Rehabilitation Tax Credit program.  The current project is about to complete Phase I (stabilization) of the property, which belongs to the City of Manassas.

Work will take place from Friday to Sunday.  If you have specific expertise in any of the project areas please let us know!