Norman Alston Architects

Email trouble today, Monday, June 29, 2009

It is Monday, after all. I have just been informed by our hosting service that there is a problem with the email servers. As of this moment, it appears that none of the alstonarchitects.com email accounts are working. If you encounter a problem or think you have sent us an important email, please call and confirm. Also, you may use the old email address, naarch@swbell.net. It's still working.

Statue of Liberty to reopen the crown on July 4

The observation deck in the crown has been closed since 9/11, so it's nice to get back another little bit of life as we knew it before that day. At the National Parks Service site on the Statue of Liberty, information is available that shows that things may not be quite back to normal, as there will be airport like security screening prior to boarding the ferry.

I also understand that advance reservations are required and that visitors to the top  will be limited to 10 at a time, with a maximum daily limit of 240. And once you have your ticket, passed through security and waited in line, there is always the climb of 354 steps. Let's see, 354 steps, even at only 7 inches each, is still more than 206 feet, or about 17 or 18 stories. The people who do this should be admired because they will have overcome much to be there.

The state of historic preservation according to Architectural Record

Using the controversy surrounding Charity Hospital in New Orleans as the embodiment of the current environment for historic preservation , author Robert Ivy, FAIA, in this article provides an interesting and thorough look into preservation's apparently evolving role. I am usually skeptical when a publication that provides a comprehensive look at architecture decides to focus down on just preservation. Very often the message is that preservation should "...lighten up and get with the times".

Not so with Mr. Ivy's article. He starts with a remarkably efficient summary of the history of historic preservation in the US, creating an easy to understand context for his observations. I also feel his catalog of factors influencing modern preservation efforts is thorough and even handed, especially in regard to sustainability and midcentury modern architecture.

My only  raised eyebrow occurred upon viewing the slideshow on Charity Hospital. The design of the new entry canopy, apparently developed by RMJM, the firm hired by the National Trust and the Foundation for Historic Louisiana, looks to conform to a very odd and liberal interpretation of the Secretary of the Interiors Standards. Some discussion  of this would have been welcomed.

The photo shown is from the Architectural Record's slide show and was provided to them by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Austin Energy Audits: Commentary in the Advocate Magazine's Back Talk Blog

Yesterday I read a piece in the Wall Street Journal that recounted how the City of Austin has enacted an ordinance that requires home sellers to obtain energy audits in order to sell their homes. Unfortunately, I see this as just another example Green actions getting out in front of Green thinking, a subject that seems to come across my desk alot these days.

In my role as a guest blogger on the Advocate Magazine's Back Talk Blog, I have posted my thoughts on this subject and what it may mean in the larger effort to improve energy efficiency and sustainability.

The post can be found at the following link:

Energy Audits: Will Dallas require them?

Parks Estate receives Preservation Achievement Award

At their 10th annual awards presentation, Preservation Dallas recognized a number of recent achievements in preservation. Among those was the Joseph F. and Lucy Parks Estate which was recognized in the category of Residential Restoration/Rehabilitation.

Our congratulations to owners Tom and Kathi Lind. Without their vision and determination, this important Dallas landmark might have been lost. Congratulations are also in order for Preservation Dallas themselves as it was their leadership in getting the house into loving hands that made the restoration possible.

On behalf of the design and construction team, our thanks for the chance to be involved in an amazing project.

A visit to historic Fort Sam Houston

I recently had an opportunity to visit Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. I had heard for years that it was a remarkable complex with many historic structures. I must admit, however, that I did not have high expectations for a U.S. Army base, knowing that historic preservation was not generally considered "mission critical" to the military.

I was amazed. It is one of the largest and finest collections of historic buildings that I have seen. There are, by their accounting, approximately 900 historic structures, many of which are on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition, Fort Sam Houston is a National Historic Landmark. This is a big deal, a designation signifying that the Fort is one of the nation's most important and valuable historic sites. Fewer than 2500 sites across the US have achieved this designation. Once I saw the base and became familiar with it, it was easy to understand why.

Texas Governor's Mansion: Capstone restoration funding in place.

This article from the Austin American Statesman notes that Federal stimulus money has been secured to finalize the restoration of the Governor's Mansion. I'll let the article speak to the details. Almost as interesting, however, are the comments posted at the end of the article. Even with this building, you will see caustic commentary to the effect that fixing the mansion is a waste of taxpayer money. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, it's just that I thought that this project would be as close as we get to one that could be immune to such complaints.

The comment I find the most concerning, however, was posted by CommonCents on 5/23. In it, a plea is made to discard the historic concerns and construct the building to "...the highest of LEED Green building certifications." I point this out because I am convinced that we are only just beginning to see the coming struggle between the value of historic integrity and what some will view as the social responsibility of sustainable practices. Supporters of sustainable design are clearly ready to match supporters of historic preservation, passion for passion, blow for blow. I have already experienced this first hand.

Last Titanic Survivor Dies

Ok, this is not really a historic preservation or architecture news item, but our preoccupation with history around here would not allow me to let this news item simply pass by. Millvina Dean, of Southampton, England, passed away on May 31, 2009.  She is the very last survivor of that great tragedy.

Two points to this story that I find poignant are that she was on the ship because her parents were trying to reach Kansas City where her Dad had visions of starting a new business. Following the sinking and the death of her father, her mother made it as far as New York, but they immediately returned to England. As it turned out, Ms. Dean spent the rest of her life in the town that launched that fateful ship.

The other point is that she died on May 31, the very day the unfinished Titanic was launched in 1911.

I point this event out because it marks the time when an important historical period or event moves completely into history. This transition is not typically so well defined. No longer are there people with us who were actual participants and we must now rely soley on our records and our artifacts to tie us to the time. While she was only 2 months old and remembered nothing of the event, her passing conveys to me a sense of loss that another important aspect of our history and culture has irreversibly slipped away. I suppose the feelings are magnified because the loss is that of a living, loving person, but the underlying concern seems to be the same that is felt when historic buildings and artifacts are destroyed and we recognize that it will never be quite the same again.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Ms. Dean's family and friends.

2009 Preservation Achievement Awards this Friday.

 Every year Preservation Dallas holds their Preservation Achievement Awards program to recognize outstanding accomplishments in all facets of historic preservation in Dallas. This year is a bit different because the event was pushed back several months, apparently to allow time for the newly restored and expanded Woodlawn to be completed and to serve as the venue for this year's program. Woodlawn is perhaps better known as Old Parkland Hospital, on the corner of Maple and Oak Lawn. It's restoration and adaptive reuse by Crow Holdings is the end of a multi-year saga where Parkland tried repeatedly and unsuccessfully to find a new use for the building. Things looked bleak for the building for awhile before the deal with Crow was done.

The event is this Friday, June 5 and concludes a breathless season for PD, with both the Spring Architectural Tour and Celebrate Downtown having taken place within only a few weeks prior to the Achievement Awards.

Tickets and additional information can be obtained from Preservation Dallas.