C ol u m bi a Un i v e r s i t y GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, PLANNING & PRESERVATION
Preservation News Fall 2013/Winter 2014
First and second year students mingle at the Welcome Reception on the first day of the fall semester. On the cover: Avery Hall in the December snow.
Faculty and Staff Andrew S. Dolkart Director of the Historic Preservation Program James Marston Fitch Associate Professor of Historic Preservation Jorge Otero-Pailos Associate Professor Director of History and Theory George Wheeler Associate Professor Director of Conservation
Trisha Logan Assistant Director Historic Preservation & Urban Planning Charlotte Egerton Communications Coordinator Historic Preservation & Urban Planning Leigh Smith Program Assistant Historic Preservation & Urban Planning
Historic Preservation Program Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation Columbia University in the City of New York 413 Avery Hall, 1172 Amsterdam Avenue New York, NY 10027 http://www.arch.columbia.edu/programs/historic-preservation hp@arch.columbia.edu
From the Director
The fall semester has ended and the spring semester is upon us. It is hard to believe that only four months ago we welcomed the twentyfour members of the class of 2015. This is a very diverse group of students and the most international class that we have ever had, with students from Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Korea, and Mexico, as well as from all across the United States. We had a great studio, focusing on Yorkville, with, of course, a detour to Woodlawn Cemetery. Each year, for the past four years, students have been given their own mausoleum (and the key) and have prepared measured drawings, analyzed design and siting, undertaken biographical research, and delved into the Woodlawn Archive, housed in Avery Library; it is a fun an exciting project for everyone. The second year students have begun work on an exciting array of thesis projects. We have been constantly changing and upgrading the curriculum, tinkering with old classes and adding new and dynamic courses so that we can continue to be the leader in preservation education. Highlights of the fall were a revamped law class, taught by Will Cook of the National Trust, the return of Theo Prudon’s Preservation of Modern Architecture course; and the joint studio (preservation and architecture) which worked on Eero Saarinen’s US Embassy in Oslo. This spring we are excited that Ned Kaufman will teach a new seminar in historic preservation and social justice; Drew Anderson is offering a hands-on stained-glass restoration mini-course; and David Flory will teach a class, Documentation for Architectural Conservation. All-in-all, an exciting time to be in the Columbia HP Program. Andrew Dolkart Director, Historic Preservation Program
Fitch Colloquium The annual James Marston Fitch Colloquium “Preservation East <-> West: Engagements, Exchanges, Entanglements” was held Saturday November 23 at Avery Hall. This year the speakers explored the question, Is there an east and west in preservation? Over one-hundred guests attended to hear presentations on conservation, heritage planning, and preservation technology techniques across the globe. A tremendous thank you to the invited speakers: Lisa Ackerman, of the World Monuments Fund, Lee Ambrozy of New York University, Grace Jan of the Smithsonian Institute, Vincent Michael of the Global Heritage Fund, Theodore Prudon of Columbia University GSAPP, Anton Schweizer of New York University, John G. Waite of John G. Waite and Associates, and Simon Warrack, a Conservation Consultant. Next fall, the Fitch Colloquium will be in conjunction with the fiftieth anniversary celebration of the Historic Preservation program. Save the date - October 18.
National Preservation Conference #HPgoesIndy
The whole group at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Samara.
The HP program traveled with nine students to the National Trust Conference in Indianapolis this fall. They packed five days full of activities including the conference itself, and day trips around Indiana. The first day the group traveled up to West Lafayette, Indiana, home of Purdue University. They toured Frank Lloyd Wright’s Samara house, built for Purdue professor John E. Christian and his wife, Kay. The house, constructed between 1954 and 1956, is a prime example of Wright’s Usonian architecture. Though Dr. Christian still lives there, the house offers private tours. Yet Samara is no ordinary house museum; the tour felt more like a visit in a friend’s living room. Associate Curator Linda Eales encouraged us to sit on the Wrightdesigned long bench sofa, reconfigure the Wright-designed convertible coffee table, and feel the Wright-designed sets of china. The construction and furnishing of Samara still is incomplete, if you consider the amount of
unrealized plans Wright created. However the house is an incredible living museum of Wright’s work, both on the exterior and interior. While in Indianapolis, students, faculty, and alumni attended two days full of conference sessions, workshops, and tours. The conference kicked off with a keynote from Indiana’s own Henry Glassie, who gave an overview of the vernacular architecture in the midwest state. While the majority of the conference was held at the former Union Station, a spectacular building in itself, many other sessions took place in various downtown Indianapolis buildings, including the 19th century Athenaeum and the Gothic Revival Scottish Rite Cathedral. Students and faculty also traveled to modernist mecca Columbus, Indiana on the final day of the conference. There, Theo Prudon presented on ‘The Magic of Modernism,’ speaking from
the pulpit in Eliel Saarinen’s First Christian Church. Constructed in 1942, the church was the first of many contemporary buildings in Columbus. The afternoon was then spent with local architects and preservations (including George Wheeler’s brother-in-law, Director of IUCA+D Columbus, Kelly Wilson) visiting other significant works of modern architecture. Irwin Miller, the CEO of Cummins Inc, headquartered in Columbus, made the town one of his many homes. As a lover of modern architecture, Miller paid several big name architects’ commissions to design buildings in Columbus. As a result, this city of 44,000 people has seven National Historic Landmarks and buildings designed by I.M. Pei, Eero and Eliel Saarinen, Harry Weese, and Robert Venturi. The group visited Irwin Miller’s mid-century home, now operated by the Indianapolis Museum of Art, which was designed by Eero Saarinen with interiors by Alexander Girard and a Dan Kiley landscape. Not only was the conference itself an incredible learning opportunity, but visiting various significant historic sites across Indiana was a memorable experience for students. The New York Times just listed Indianapolis as one of the places to visit in 2014 - we are glad to be ahead of the trend with this trip!
Miller House curator guides Chelsea Brandt through the Dan Kiley landscape at sunset. Below, Rachel Levy peeks into one of the former Indianapolis Union Station train cars, now repurposed as hotel rooms.
Student news • Elizabeth Fagan (HP 2015) presented as part of a panel of 4 students from her undergraduate institution, the University of South Carolina, at the Southeast Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians in September. The panel discussed the architecture, history, and preservation of the South Carolina State Hospital, a former insane asylum in downtown Columbia, SC. Fagan’s paper, “Race and Mental Illness: The Parker Annex and African-American Patients at the SC State Hospital” discussed the Parker Annex, a 1910 dormitory for black
males, and the overall history and treatment of black patients at the SC State Hospital. • After completing an internship with Greater Portland Landmarks in the summer of 2012, Max Yeston’s (HP/UP 2014) building descriptions and photographs for the ‘Portland’s 71’ landmarks campaign are published online. Click to view the descriptions and images. • Congratulations to Andrea Tonc, HP/M. Arch 2016, who is the recipient of the 2013 Fitch Thesis prize provided by Preservation Alumni.
In August, incoming and current students toured St. Anselm’s Roman Catholic Church in the Bronx, recently listed on the NY State Register, nominated by Julie Kroon ‘13. Longtime restorer and artist Ruben Cano A. was present to discuss his methods and take students to the rooftop.
In the spring of 2013, Andrew Dolkart taught a mini-course, ‘National Register’ in which each student prepared and submitted a National Register application for a local site. The course was incredibly successful in having properties listed and will be taught again this spring.
Status of nominations: Listed Jewish Center of Coney Island, Anna Broverman Rafael Guastavino, Jr. House, Julia Lewis Kismet Temple, Lauren Perez Hoogkamer Listed on the State Register and pending at the National Parks Service Port Morris Gantries, Jinny Khanduja (UP) North Presbyterian, Jennifer Whisenhurst
St. Anselm’s Roman Catholic Church, Julie Kroon Bible Society of NY, Emily Sinitski Pending (archaeological sites take more time) Olde Town Flushing Burial Ground, Rebecca Kinsley Scheduled for State Review in March Manor Club, Amanda Mullens
• First-year student Andre Stiles enjoys the traditional Studio I mausoleum assignment at Woodlawn Cemetery. This year during mid-term reviews, we were fortunate to have Woodlawn experts Charles Warren and Cristiana Pena serve as critics. • Conservation students in Richard Pieper’s Metals course visited the Hot Dip Plant in Perth Emboy.
Monday, February 10, 6:30 pm Wood Auditorium In the fourth annual Byard Lecture, Bostonbased Ann Beha presents her firm’s acclaimed work in historic settings including the new Pizzagalli Center for Art and Education at the Shelburne Museum in Vermont’s Lake Champlain Valley. Using locally sourced materials, this contemporary museum building supplements 38 historic structures that dot the museum’s landmark campus, with a building that the New York Times dubbed Modernist pastoral. Join the preservation program for a reception prior to the Byard Lecture, from 5 - 6pm. We will have refreshments and toast to Paul. Attendees will then be guided to Wood Auditorium for the lecture.
Photo courtesy of Peter Vanderwarker
Paul S. Byard Memorial Lecture
Faculty News In early January, program director Andrew Dolkart was one of the commentators on a PBS documentary “Treasures of New York: Stanford White.” Among the other speakers were HP alum John Krawchuk and former director Bob Stern. Andrew will be featured on two future episodes of this show – one about Columbia and the other on the great 1920s skyscraper architect Ralph Walker. Richard Pieper’s paper, “A Checklist for the Restoration of Historic Cast Iron in the US,” if featured in the latest issue of the APT Bulletin Jorge Otero-Pailos’ solo exhibition ‘Space-Time’ (Vol. XLIV No. 4), which presents the papers opens at the MIT’s Keller Gallery on February 6th. from the March 2011 Symposium on the “Space-Time captures one third of one millionth of Restoration of Historic Cast and Wrought Iron, a second in a twelve-hour re-enactment of Harold held in Wood Auditorium, and co-sponsored Edgerton’s historic laboratory experiment at MIT, by the GSAPP and the Historic Preservation conducted in 1964, in which he successfully Education Foundation. photographed a supersonic bullet travelling at Mach 2.39 through a Macintosh apple.” This past Francoise Bollack’s book, Old Buildings, fall, Otero-Pailos worked on a master plan for New Forms: New Directions in Architectural New Holland Island in St Petersburg Russia, which Transformations was published by Monacelli recently won an AIA prize. Press this November. Bollack held a launch and signing event for the book at Rizzoli Bookstore The tour Long Island Modernism during the APT in November. Annual Conference was conducted by Columbia alumna Caroline Zaleski, the author of the book on the subject, and Adjunct Professor Theodore Prudon. As part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Annual Meeting Prudon delivered a talk “The Other Faces of Modernism” in Eliel Saarinen’s famous First Christian Church in Columbus, Indiana. A week earlier he spoke at the Museum of Modern Art in Tampa, Florida, on the subject: “School Constructions Systems Development (SCSD) and Educational Facilities Laboratory (EFL): The Ideas, The Project and Their Influence”. This fall also saw the publication of the article: “Modern Housing Redux: the (Un)loved and the (Un)learned” in Historic Environment , the magazine published by ICOMOS Australia, a keynote address delivered some years earlier at their annual meeting.
Liz McEnaney produced a documentary film which premiered on October 26th at the Basilica in Hudson, New York. Hudson Rising: Stories of Revival from the Hudson Valley has been in production since 2010 and brings public attention to both the critical threats and opportunities facing the region. The documentary will be screened at venues up and down the Hudson Valley in Spring 2014. To learn more, visit: http://www.ourhudson.org Belmont Freeman’s firm, Belmont Freeman Architects, completed for the NYC Parks Department the Gertrude Ederle Recreation Center, which opened in June. Located on West 60 Street in Manhattan, the project entailed the renovation/restoration of a historic 1906 bathhouse and the construction of a modern addition. It received a design award from the Brick Institute of America. The firm’s work on the phased restoration of the Four Seasons restaurant (Philip Johnson, 1959) in the Seagram Building continues. Monty also conducted two sold-out tours of Cuba for the Society of Architectural Historians in 2013. His recent speaking engagements include lectures at Cornell University and Ithaca College on Cuban architecture of the 1960s and the politicized preservation issues surrounding post-revolution modernism in Cuba. Monty is presently serving as an advisor to the Museum of Modern Art on the Cuban content for a major exhibition on Latin American modern architecture, to open in spring 2015. A contributing writer for the on-line journal Places: Design Observer, Monty recently published an essay on digital imagery in architecture titled “Digital Deception.” An article about the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies (1967-1984) and the construction of its legacy is forthcoming in mid-January. Adjunct faculty member Janet Foster is spending the 2013-14 academic year planning the 2014 Vernacular Architecture Conference, which will be held in “Down Jersey” from May 7-11. “Down Jersey” is the southern region of the state, home to a rich variety of vernacular traditions including
maritime buildings along the Delaware Bay Shore, historic industrial sites in the Pinelands, farmsteads in the Salem County region, and resort development along the Atlantic shore. Janet also continues to research and write about architectural history and preservation, with a focus on New Jersey. She was a featured speaker at the August 9 conference “Mercer By Architecture”, presenting a paper on the role of 19th century agricultural magazines in spreading information about architecture and design to a broad section of the American public.
Joint Studio
The joint Architecture and Historic Preservation Studio, co-taught by Prof. Jorge Otero-Pailos and Prof. Craig Konyk, traveled to Oslo in October to create adaptive reuse proposals for the US Embassy designed by Eero Saarinen in 1957, which is set to be decommissioned. The group is pictured here the Villa Stenersen, designed by Arne Korsmo (1937-39).
Alumni Spotlight: Katherine Petrin
Katherine Petrin, an active alumnus of the Historic Preservation program, is currently working in San Francisco.
You recently launched your own consulting practice, Katherine Petrin Consulting. What motivated you to make this career move, and what have been some of the challenges and rewards thus far?
As of this writing, it has been eight months since I left the San Francisco office of Architectural Resources Group, where I worked as an Architectural Historian and Preservation Planner since 2000. I had the opportunity to work on diverse projects and building types throughout the West, in locations from the desert southwest to the great National Parks of California, Hawaii, and other states. The shift to a sole practice has its benefits and challenges, but luckily the great diversity of projects is the same. While I find working as a sole practitioner rewarding, I am a collaborator at heart. I look forward to growing a larger practice. In that endeavor, there will undoubtedly be mountains of challenges, as yet unknown! San Francisco has such a rich and dynamic architectural history. What is one of the most fascinating buildings or neighborhoods you have worked on locally?
One of the most rewarding and satisfying aspects of working in one’s hometown is having the opportunity to analyze and deeply understand a familiar historic building. That was the case for me with the San Francisco Old Mint of 1874, now a National Historic Landmark. I’d visited it in the 1970s with the rest of my 3rd grade class and passed by it for decades, but never fully appreciated it as the most important building in the West of that era. It is probably San Francisco’s most significant, not-yet-fully celebrated building. I am optimistic about its future.
Main façade of the Old Mint, 88 Fifth Street, downtown San Francisco, 2004. Photo courtest of Katherine Petrin.
Though not in San Francisco, the Santa Barbara County Courthouse provided wonderful opportunities for research and conditions assessment for a Historic Structure Report. It dates to 1929 and is architecturally the best American example of a Spanish Colonial Revival building, over-the-top in its exuberance. It has high quality materials, craftsmanship, and design values, and is one of those undertakings that still reflects 1920s ambition. The same is true of The Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park. Both exude their original magic and are being well maintained for future generations. I was lucky to work on those treasures, all three NHLs, as they deepened my understanding of California history. You have worked in preservation internationally, both in London and Seville, Spain. How did you witness culture impact preservation practices in these different countries?
Preservation challenges are amazingly similar from place to place despite cultural differences. I often hear Americans say that other cultures “do” preservation better than we do. It’s a lot
more nuanced that that. In Andalucía, the vast majority of projects I saw up close were rehabilitations that used traditional methods and materials, and completely melded into a relatively small-scale, unified urban context. On the other hand, Seville’s recent Metropol Parasol, by German architect Jürgen Mayer H, is contrary to all those concepts and is an urban intervention of a scale previously unseen in that city.
just acquired a small British firm that specialized in historic buildings and they were looking to expand their preservation (conservation) practice. As a member of US/ICOMOS, I strongly encourage all students to check out the ICOMOS International Exchange Program, which places young preservation professionals in summer positions abroad.
In London, there’s a stark contrast in approach between the exuberant, new, tall buildings in The City and the rest of the metropolitan area, which is about the preservation of facades. Best practices in preservation continue to evolve globally; it’s an ongoing dialogue. As a historian who has worked in a variety of places, I realize that an inherent appreciation for the value of historic sites, and the skills I took away from GSAPP, are basics that are portable. Whether assessing the historic significance of an Edwardian government building, a 16th century palacio, or a Park Service lodge, we rely on the same set of questions: why is it there, is it significant, how has it changed over time, and what future treatment makes the most sense so this site can convey something of the past to future generations. On the same note, what advice do you have for current students who hope to work internationally?
Resourcefulness and a sense of adventure are key to working abroad, though there are certainly many different approaches. Language and technical skills or other connections are obviously a benefit. It may be easiest to break into an international environment through an internship or by working for a larger firm that has offices around the world. My first job out of GSAPP was in the London office of HOK where my title was Architectural Researcher. My timing was fortuitous because HOK had
Project team for the Crater Rim Drive Cultural Landscape Inventory, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, 2003. Photo courtesy of Katherine Petrin.
What is one of the most unforgettable experiences you had while at GSAPP?
From the start I liked the camaraderie of our class, a great group of colleagues. The opportunities that being in New York City afforded were immediately obvious. More than any singular experience, I appreciated the way the City’s architectural professionals integrated us as students into their community, even if it was for free labor! The number of events, lectures, field visits, and the quality of the dialogue in which we were involved was invaluable. The faculty facilitated those connections. My overall experience at GSAPP remains unforgettable for me… but biking with Professor Kenneth Jackson until 6 AM on his annual midnight bike ride was a stand-out moment!
APT NYC Preserving the Metropolis The Association for Preservation Technology held its annual conference in October here in New York City, with the theme ‘Preserving the Metropolis.’ APT President and HP faculty member Joan Berkowitz led the coordination of the five day conference, which featured more field sessions than ever before. It also felt like there were more Columbia participants than ever before! Along with Joan, 28 students, alumni, or faculty members presented papers, served as session chairs, and led tours. The Columbia preservation community gathered on Monday night of the conference for a reception at the Columbia Club. Alumni from the class of 2012 reunite in New York for APT. From left to right: Rebecca Saldago, Myun Song, Alison Chiu, Julia Rosen, Emma Marconi, and Peter Watson. Photo courtesy of GSAPP Alumni.
In other alumni news... Recent graduate Lauren Perez Hoogkamer’s thesis, ‘Assessing and managing cruise ship tourism in historic port cities: Case Study, Charleston, South Carolina’ was covered in media outlets this summer, including the Charleston Post and Courier and the Charleston Chamber blog. The city of Charleston has since heeded her research. In September, a judge revoked Charleston’s cruise ship building permit based on the grounds that it did not consider the impact to historic resources, as Hoogkamer’s thesis argues. Also, Charleston has formed an international coalition to address the cruise ship industry issue, another of Hoogkamer’s recommendations. Hoogkamer is currently working as a as a contract architectural historian for BOLA Architecture + Planning on a project for Snohomish County. She also was recently hired as the historic preservation consultant to the City of Bothell, WA under her own consultation business, Cultural Resources Research & Consulting.
Stay Connected! Have updates or accomplishments to share with the HP community? Send them to Charlotte Egerton (cce2119@ columbia.edu) for publication in the next newsletter. Subscribe to the GSAPP Historic Preservation Weekly Newsletter Join the LinkedIn group: Columbia University Preservation Alumni