MPS Summer 2017 Newsletter

MASTER OF PRESERVATION STUDIES

SUMMER 2017 ANNUAL PROGRAM UPDATE LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR I am pleased to report another school year has passed with solid progress and accomplishment in Tulane’s Master of Preservation Studies program. The principal two semesters of the MPS program were carried out with richer content and more focused instruction than ever and it showed in the work of the students. Our second year class produced the most sophisticated array of thesis and practicum choices to date with all fifteen students graduating on time.

Highlights of the school year included the Tulane School of Architecture hosting the annual meeting of the Southeast Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians; an especially successful biennial Preservation Matters IV conference — Preservation Pays: How Everyone Benefits — done in partnership with the New Orleans Preservation Resource Center; and a highly informative Spring field trip to observe conservation practice at three UNESCO World Heritage Cities in Cuba.

Projects in various classes included firsthand involvement with documentation,

preservation planning, and advocacy activities at the historic ecology park of Camp Salmen in Slidell, LA; an examination of representative streetscapes in the French Quarter including overcrowded Bourbon Street; investigations into preserving Midcentury Modern architecture; and conservation planning and revitalization schemes for mighty Canal Street. This latter project was recommended by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and conducted in cooperation its Preservation Green Lab and the Downtown Development District of New Orleans.

Faculty and administrative enhancements included expanding Adjunct Lecturer Laura Blokker’s position to additionally serve as Assistant Director, and engaging Adjunct Lecturer Courtney Williams as sole instructor of the Economics and Practice of Preservation course.

The MPS program’s commitment to having the best-qualified faculty composed of experienced practitioners in the field has resulted in yet more real and relevant class presentations and internship opportunities.

This approach reflects our firm commitment to prepare our students for gainful

leadership work in the field immediately after—if not before—graduation.

To our graduating class, we wish you the very best in your careers and look forward to staying in touch. We are very proud of you and hope you will always feel the Tulane MPS experience has served you well!

John Stubbs Director and Christovich Senior Professor of Preservation Practice

This MPS Program Update features news as well as essays from faculty and students on some of the key aspects of the program:

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS, NEW ORLEANS FOCUS, COMMUNITY SERVICE, AND STUDENT TRAVEL

FROM THE CLASSROOM, TO THE FIELD, TO THE PODIUM:

HIGHLIGHTS OF AN INTENSE YEAR OF STUDY

BUILDING PRESERVATION STUDIO This past Fall the Building Preservation Studio worked on a wide variety of projects that are representative of Louisiana’s historic architecture. The semester began with an in-depth study of St. Louis Cemetery No. 2 (1823) where students learned traditional and digital documentation techniques including field measurements, hand drafting, rectified photo-elevations, and conditions assessments.

Following the technical training seminars, the students analyzed three sites to further develop and refine their documentation techniques. The first studio project focused on the documentation and development of restoration drawings and specifications for two late 19th century I-Houses in Hammond, LA. Students received hands-on experience working with the Greater St. James AME Church community to develop adaptive reuse plans. The second project included the study and analysis of an 1830s general store and residence at Camp Salmen located at the end of Bayou Liberty outside of Slidell, LA. Student work there included a landscape interpretation plan, adaptive reuse design, and construction drawings submitted to St. Tammany Parish for implementation.

In the final project of the semester, the students created an interpretative exhibit for a new museum being constructed in the French Quarter by The Historic New Orleans Collection. Working closely with THNOC’s project development staff, students created graphics visualizing the history of the Seignouret-Brulator House (1816) that will be used in the exhibit.

Students in the 2016 Building Preservation Studio received real world experience working with property owners and professionals in the field. The documentation, specifications and interpretive materials created will give those hosting our efforts the tools necessary to restore their properties while providing the MPS class with the opportunity to preserve significant examples of historic Louisiana architecture.

Photos: Students set to work measuring the Wascom House in Hammond; Inside Camp Salmen, students assess the space; Vision rendering for a restored Camp Salmen.

NEW ORLEANS NINE INCLUDES ENDANGERED PROPERTIES NOMINATED BY MPS STUDENTS Four MPS students’ nominations for properties to the Louisiana Landmark Society’s New Orleans Nine list were accepted as part of the 2017 nine most endangered sites this June. Current students include Anna Marcum, who nominated Israel M. Augustine School, known for its beautiful Spanish Colonial facade and stunning WPA murals inside, which has sat unused for years; Nicholas Hopkins, who nominated the Louisiana Pharmaceutical Building at 2337 St. Claude Avenue, a 1920s stone structure with handsome Neoclassical details that is underutilized today as a part-time art studio; and Alex Barthel (MArch ‘17), who nominated the Municipal Auditorium, which was included within a listing that also nominated the five Jazz Complex buildings inside of Armstrong Park. Amanda Keith, (MPS ‘15), nominated the Milneburg Lighthouse two years ago; the New Orleans Nine committee liked the nomination so much that they brought it back this year, and included it as one of the 2017 nine most endangered sites. These students wrote and presented their nominations as part of the Preservation Advocacy course taught in the Fall semester by Danielle Del Sol. Congrats to these students for their superb work!

To read more about the full list, visit the Louisiana Landmark Society’s website: http://www.louisianalandmarks.org/ preserve/2017-new-orleans-nine-most-endangered-sites.

OCTOBER BUILD The MPS class was proud to work on the home of Mr. Ernest Watson, an 83-year-old veteran has lived in his Bywater home since 1984, as part of Rebuilding Together New Orleans’ October Build on Oct. 8, 2016. The class provided some much needed TLC to the home, including fresh paint and exterior repair, for which Mr. Watson was very grateful.

Photo: Anna Marcum, John Hausladen, Emily Butler, Teva Kaplan, and Ann Swigart at the Louisiana Capitol Welcome Center following their National Register presentations.

NATIONAL REGISTER NOMINATIONS PREPARED IN HISTORY OF NORTH AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE COURSE: FIVE GO ON TO REVIEW COMMITTEE This Fall, the major assignment for the History of North American Architecture course was changed from a traditional research paper to a National Register nomination. Students were assigned actual properties worthy of individual listing on the National Register of Historic Places and completed nominations in full, including all appropriate maps and photographs. All students were given the option to further perfect their nominations after the end of the course and submit them to the Louisiana State National Register coordinator. Five students were selected to do so and successfully presented their nominations for Anshe Sfard Synagogue, New Orleans; Bogue Falaya Park, Covington; Greater St. James AME Church, Hammond; First Christian Church, Hammond; and Miller Memorial Library, Hammond.

All were approved by the committee to proceed to the federal review level. Two of the nominated properties were part of other MPS course projects as well. As described, the Building Preservation studio worked with the Greater St. James AME Church on two previously National Register listed buildings on their property. Nomination of the church itself gave recognition to its own architectural and historical significance. Anshe Sfard Synagogue was the focus of building assessments in the Preservation Technology class and it is hoped that its individual National Register listing and the prioritized recommendations offered by the assessments will aid restoration efforts for the building.

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URBAN CONSERVATION STUDIO: PRESERVING CANAL STREET You have to hand it to the MPS program, that when the call comes for real help in local preservation matters we will take on most anything! That call came in the October 2016 when local boosters for preserving New Orleans’ famous Canal Street called asking if it might be something the Tulane Master of Preservation Studies program may want to help with. Of course, we said, Yes! and MPS Studio II: Urban Conservation ran it as its principal project from March through mid-April. It was most helpful that the National Trust for Historic Preservation was in the wings offering help in the form of technical advice for large Main Street-type projects via its Green Lab program.

Another partner in the effort was the influential Downtown Development District (DDD) of New Orleans.

Co-instructors John Stubbs and Beth Jacob scoped the project as including all blocks from the Mississippi River to the South Claiborne Overpass consisting of some twenty-seven blocks of buildings ranging in date from the 1830s through today. Several students addressed individual blocks that represented different preservation and development challenges. Issues addressed were blocks with missing structures, structures with disfiguring ‘slip cover’ metal screens, under-utilized upper floors in historic buildings, and an array of restoration needs including insensitive prior restorations.

New or revitalized uses included turning a hollowed out block center into a rest area and shopping, further developing a mostly empty block into an intermodal transportation hub, and celebrating through interpretation the huge regional commercial role Canal Street played through most of the city’s history.

LONG TRADITION OF MPS STUDY IN CUBA CONTINUES The Tulane Master of Preservation Studies course in International Practice visited Cienfuegos, Trinidad, and Havana in late March 2017 to learn about the operation of Cuba’s UNESCO World Heritage Cities. Led in partnership with Tulane’s Cuban Studies department and members of ICOMOS Cuba, the nine-day study trip entailed site visits, lectures, interviews and field research. Topics addressed aspects of architectural heritage conservation including tourism management, infrastructure needs, site interpretation and community involvement. Two round tables with our hosts allowed a sharing of ideas and suggestions that could be applied in both Cuba and the United States.

Photos: (left) Alex Barthel presents the modernism project in the Urban Conservation Studio;

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(above) Various photos from MPS study in Cuba; (opposite page) Mark Rabinowitz examines a Louis Sullivan spandrel in the office of John Stubbs with a handheld x-ray fluorescence analyzer; Aaron Betsky and Dylan Turk stand in front of Frank Gehry's contribution to the "Make It Right" project in New Orleans' Ninth Ward.

2016 THESES AND PRACTICUMS

SPECIAL GUESTS

Each year, MPS students demonstrate that "preservation" has implications that radiate into a plethora of subject matter and this year was no exception. The list of their work speaks for itself:

Throughout the year, the MPS program welcomes numerous guest speakers to enhance class lectures with their expertise and real-world experiences. To all who come to speak and share your valuable knowledge, we can't say a big enough "THANK YOU!".

THESES

PRACTICUMS

"Capturing the Dissolving Native Story: Saving Louisiana’s Historic Coastal Settlements through Community Relocation with Comprehensive Cultural Documentation" Nicole Lirette

"Conservation Solutions Assistant Conservator and Project Manager" Emma Kousouris

"National Register Multiple Property Listing: Non-Residential Mid-Century Modern in New Orleans" Wendy Cargile "Romanticism and the Picturesque: Balancing Natural and Built Environments in the Preservation of Architectural Remains" J. Marshall Brown "Somewhere Between: A Comparative Study of Xavier Gonzalez's Public Murals between 1931-1941 and the Buildings that Housed Them" Meghan Murphy

"Future Land Use Amendments to The Plan for the 21st Century: A Submittal on Behalf of the Orleans Parish School Board" James Rolf "National Parks and the Preservation of Cultural Resources: A Summer Internship in the Guadalupe Mountains" José Madrid Galvan

This year, in addition to our regular roster of guest lecturers from around the state and region, we also had a few special lectures by guests from further afield. Mark Rabinowitz, FAIC, Executive Vice President and Senior Conservator at Conservation Solutions in Washington, DC, came to discuss laser cleaning and demonstrate the application of x-ray fluorescence for metals identification. Curator, Dylan Turk, traveled from Bentonville, Arkansas to present "Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art: Developing an Architecture Collection". For a lecture co-sponsored with the Newcomb Museum of Art, Aaron Betsky, Dean of Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture traveled from Scottsdale, Arizona. His lecture, "Architecture Beyond Buildings," admonished,

"The New Orleans Warehouse District: A Case Study in the Preservation and Sustainability of a Historic District " Marguerite Roberts "Observations in Preservation Practices: Emphasizing the Importance of Trades Relations" Alison Hill

“ R E B U I L D, D O N ’ T B U I L D. T H AT S H O U L D B E T H E F I R S T R U L E I N A L L A R C H I T E C T U R E P R OJ E C T S .

W E C A N N OT A F F O R D TO U S E U P M O R E N O N -

"Towards Holistic Building Forensics: Questioning Interdisciplinary Methods of Observation to Perceive Beyond the Standard Checklist Format" Dorsey Piece

"A Practicum Balancing Wisznia | Architecture + Development with the Louisiana Architectural Foundation" Kelly Calhoun

"Willow Grove: Biography of a Plantation House" Hallie Borstel

"Preserving a Community: Redevelopment in Small Town Madison, Indiana" Leah Solomon

“I Long to Hear That Whistle Blow”: A Cultural Landscape Study of the Historic Railroad Networks of Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Kentucky and Tennessee Ahleah Boise

“Brown’s Dairy and the O.C. Haley Corridor: A Historical Investigation and Shifting Scales, from the Industrial to the Residential and Small-Scale Commercial” Joseph Newman

R E N E WA B L E R E S O U R C E S A N D S PAC E , N O R C A N W E A F F O R D TO C O N T I N U E TO P O L L U T E OUR PLANET THROUGH CONSTRUCTION. W H AT I S M O R E , N E W B U I L D I N G S A R E A L M O S T B Y D E F I N I T I O N A L I E N AT I N G A N D I M P O S E O R D E R S O N P E O P L E ’ S L I V E S T H AT C LO S E T H E M I N B OX E S . W E N E E D TO B R E A K T H O S E B OX E S , D I S S O LV E T H O S E B O U N DA R I E S T H AT S E PA R AT E U S , A N D F R A M E O U R S E LV E S I N R E L AT I O N S TO OT H E R S A N D O U R L A N D S C A P E .

T H O S E S H O U L D B E T H E TA S K S O F W H AT W E C A L L A R C H I T E C T U R E TO DAY. A R O U N D T H E WO R L D, D E S I G N E R S A N D A R T I S T S A R E M A K I N G S T R AT E G I C I N T E R V E N T I O N S T H AT M A K E U S AT H O M E I N T H E M O D E R N WO R L D A N D O P E N UP NEW POSSIBILITIES WITH THE DISCIPLINE. L E T ’ S L E A R N F R O M T H O S E E X A M P L E S .”

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EVENTS PRESERVATION MATTERS IV Preservation Pays: How Everyone Benefits

On October 26th and 27th, 2016 over 160 economic stakeholders involved with architectural preservation at all levels (developers; government decision-makers; architects; planners; owners of both large and small rehabilitation projects, including homeowners and small business owners; and community members in historic neighborhoods) gathered at the Williams Research Center of The Historic New Orleans Collection to focus on the measurable and catalytic benefits of preservation programs. Co-sponsored by the Master of Preservation Studies program and the Preservation Resource Center, the sold-out event was the fourth biennial Preservation Matters symposium.

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Excerpts from the Preservation Matters IV Rapporteurs Report by Christopher Cody (MPS '14) “New Orleans isn’t good because it’s old, it’s old because it’s good.” These words were spoken by the ‘youngest ever’ Speaker Pro Tempore of the Louisiana House of Representatives, Walter Leger III, speaking of the virtues of historic preservation at the 2016 Preservation Matters IV Symposium. In the face of change coming “faster than ever before,” Leger advocated at Preservation Matters IV for preservation in Louisiana because of the future value of what is old today. Like New Orleans, much of what is old today throughout the world is old because it is good, and has value that can be capitalized upon via historic preservation.

As keynote speaker, Leger helped the symposium establish that historic preservation is as much about the future as it is about the past, and that the work of preserving significant objects and buildings creates vibrant communities and places where people want to live and work. The theme of the symposium: architectural preservation creates quality jobs, sustainable growth, celebrates community culture and values, and improves the appearance of neighborhoods.

A slate of developers, economists, academics, civic leaders, and politicians would support his assertions over the course of the symposium. The title Preservation Pays; The Economic Benefits for Everyone

identified a focus on the economic benefits of historic preservation, specifically within Louisiana. With the Louisiana State Historic Tax Credits up for reauthorization in 2017, and the concern for the survival of Federal tax incentives for preservation, the conference gathered learned, experienced persons in the state with knowledge of the effectiveness of the credits and allowed them to speak to the value of the credits.

Their consensus: Historic preservation is an essential industry for Louisiana that catalyzes substantial economic growth and redevelopment, and the tax credits that enable it are indispensable.

In remarks closing the symposium, John Stubbs recapped some of the ideas and phrases that had been shared over the course of the two days, and reminded the audience of the central message that preservation pays. In the end, “preservation is all about celebrating values,” both public and financial value, and it is “a civilizing activity.” He reminded the audience that were it not for preservation, New Orleans would not be the attractive and exciting city that it is today.

The overriding message of Preservation Matters IV was clear. Preservation pays and positively affects entire communities, and it does so in a big way in Louisiana. It is a proven fact that its benefits thus far will last long into the future. Preservation revitalizes cities, adds value, and creates desirable communities in which we want to live and work.

SESAH 2016 Annual Meeting of the Southeast Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians Each year the Southeast Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians (SESAH) meets in a different city as part of its mission to promote scholarship on architecture and related subjects and to serve as a forum for ideas among architectural historians, architects, preservationists, and others involved in professions related to the built environment. At the end of September, a record number of attendees (192) convened for the 2016 annual meeting in New Orleans at Tulane's Lavin-Bernick Center. Assistant Director, Laura Blokker co-chaired the event which included 85 paper presentations and posters on a wide variety of architectural subjects; an introductory address titled "An Architectural Geography of the French Quarter," by Richard Campanella, Geographer and Senior Professor of Practice at the Tulane School of Architecture; and a keynote, "What the White Queen Said: When Memorials Look Forward" by Keith Eggener, Marion Dean Ross Professor of Architectural History at the University of Oregon. A business meeting, presentation of awards, and tours rounded out the activities. The following reflection portrays one MPS student's impression of the conference and the topics discussed:

Reflections on SESAH by Isabelle Dissard-Cooper (MPS ‘18 Candidate) The subject matters presented at the 2016 SESAH Annual Meeting were extremely diverse, spanning three continents and covering matters related to architecture of the past, present, and of the future. Yet, a common thread emerged among all of

topics presented: any built environment is created within historical, social, and economical contexts. Often, numerous forces are at play when creating an architectural structure. Whatever the influences, they are at the core of its physical appearance, its meaningful representation and its use. It is a reflection of a people’s cultures, religious or secular beliefs, and societal establishments. It embodies and commemorates human struggles, hopes and dreams, sorrow and loss. However, to truly understand its architectural value and meaning one must have lived at that specific moment in time.

The interpretation of our built environment is therefore imbued with many biases. With time, predilections change and what was once celebrated will become aesthetically irrelevant and its use obsolete.

Reinterpretation and reuse might return cultural importance to a building or to an area. The course of history may change entirely the meaning that permeated a monument at the time of its erection.

Thus, the challenge lays in deciding if history’s contextual truth should be altered to comply with today’s perspective. By allowing ourselves to modify history through adaptation or removal, we are confirming that historical interpretations are acceptable, a phenomenon already in practice. By succumbing to economical, political and financial pressures, selective omissions in historical interpretations have become acceptable, often at the detriment of environmental and cultural impacts. The physical manifestation of our built environment is merely the visible and tangible aspect of a very complex and often under-evaluated fluid historical context that eludes us. To restore and preserve our built environment one must take all these often-conflicting influences into consideration while never ignoring that today provides a new context one must work within.

Southeast Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians Sept. 29th - Oct. 1stf

New Orleans, Louisiana

Image: The 2016 SESAH logo was created by Leah Solomon (MPS '16)

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AWARDS, AWARDS, AWARDS! MPS affiliates received many awards in recognition of their work and research pursuits this year. Current faculty and student awards are detailed here. Awards to alumni are included under alumni news.

BETH A. JACOB NAMED 2017 RICHARD MORRIS HUNT PRIZE FELLOW Adjunct Lecturer and MPS '12 alumna, Beth Jacob, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, was named the 27th Fellow of the prestigious Richard Morris Hunt Prize by the American Architectural Foundation and the French Heritage Society.

As the 2017 Fellow, Jacob will spend six months in France studying how public markets can serve as catalysts for urban revitalization, and investigating French approaches to the preservation and adaptive reuse of these distinctive structures. Jacob’s topic builds upon her previous research into the origins and development of New Orleans’ public market system, the focus of her MPS master’s thesis. Jacob is a principal at the historic preservation consulting firm Clio Associates LLC in New Orleans. She holds a Master of Preservation Studies from Tulane University and a Master of Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley.

Created in 1990, the Richard Morris Hunt Prize offers mid-career design professionals an intensive six-month exchange experience showcasing best practices and recent scholarship in the area of architectural heritage conservation. Named for Richard Morris Hunt (1827-1895), the first American architect to graduate from the Ecole des BeauxArts in Paris, the Prize alternates each year between a French and American architect specializing in historic preservation.

ANNA MARCUM BECOMES FIRST RECIPIENT OF THE ANN AND FRANK MASSON RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP This new Tulane School of Architecture travel grant is the result of a generous gift by our colleague, Ann Masson, who established it for the benefit of students and in honor of her late husband, who was a prominent New Orleans architect and Tulane School of Architecture alumnus. Anna Marcum (MPS ‘17 candidate) will study Artist-Designed Religious Spaces in Europe and the United States. She is particularly interested in the religious spaces designed by Henri Matisse, Jean Cocteau, Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, and Le Corbusier on the Cote d’Azur in the south of France. The connection between such European antecedents and American manifestations will be explored with study of such sites as the Rothko Chapel in Houston, TX and Live Oak Friends Meeting House/Skyspace, designed by artist James Turrell in Houston, TX.

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MPS FACULTY HONORED BY LOUISIANA LANDMARKS The Louisiana Landmarks Society’s 2017 Awards for Excellence in Historic Preservation were presented on April 12, 2017 in a program and reception at the Ace Hotel New Orleans. The annual awards are intended to recognize projects in Orleans Parish that represent outstanding examples of restoration, rehabilitation, and new design within historic contexts. Three local firms with current ties to the Master of Preservation Studies program were among the project teams honored: Cypress Building Conservation, led by MPS Adjunct Lecturers Michael Shoriak and Courtney Williams, in recognition of the firm’s work on Gallier Hall and the Hermann-Grima House.

Koch and Wilson Architects, led by MPS Adjunct Lecturer Robert Cangelosi, in recognition of the firm’s work on the Hermann-Grima House.

Clio Associates LLC, led by principals Gabrielle Begue (MPS ’12) and Beth Jacob (MPS ’12 and Adjunct Lecturer) in recognition of the firm’s work on Façade RENEW, the May & Ellis Mixed Use Development, and the Pontchartrain Hotel.

NOTEWORTHY NEWS JOHN STUBBS’ LATEST BOOK GAINS INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION John H. Stubbs’ third book in the Time Honored Architectural Conservation Documentation series was released in Fall 2016. As the first comprehensive overview of architectural conservation practice from Afghanistan to the Philippines, Architectural Conservation in Asia; National Experiences and Practice provides a major contribution to the global study of cultural heritage conservation. It was co-authored with Robert G. Thomson, Preservation Officer for the Presidio in San Francisco, and includes several noted contributors.

NEW TULANE UNIVERSITY ARCHITECT COMES WITH PRESERVATION CREDENTIALS Wendy Hillis, AIA, LEED AP came to Tulane as University Architect in October 2016. In this role she directs all longrange campus planning initiatives and serves as the University’s “aesthetic conscience” for all architectural and urban design for all campuses of the university.

Formerly a senior associate with San Francisco architecture firm, Architectural Resources Group, Wendy also worked as a historic resources consultant to FEMA following Hurricane Katrina, as the Executive Director of Preservation Durham (NC), and as the Campus Historic Preservation Architect at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

In 2007 Wendy was honored as the recipient of the Richard Morris Hunt Fellowship, a biannual award given to one American historic preservation architect to spend six months working alongside French historic preservation architects and structure. The subject of her research during her time in France was the politics of contemporary design in historic contexts. Wendy is currently the chair of AIA National’s Historic Resources Committee.

We couldn’t be more pleased with the selection of Wendy Hillis as the new University Architect for Tulane. Already, she has begun exploring the history of some campus buildings with assistance from MPS students and has commissioned paint analysis from MPS faculty Michael Shoriak and Courtney Williams. She has also been appointed an adjunct faculty member at the Tulane School of Architecture and has joined the Tulane Preservation Advisory Group (TPAG) which provides guidance to the MPS program. Welcome, Wendy!

ALUMNI MESSAGE FROM THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR It is my great pleasure to be writing my first newsletter message as the Assistant Director. In organizing the newsletter, I realized that the alumni section was where it belonged. That’s because although I am now faculty and Assistant Director of the program, this is where I belong, with all of my fellow alumni.

It is also an area where I hope to be of service in this new position of Assistant Director.

I stand on the shoulders of alumnae Danielle Del Sol, Marie Chinappi, and Margot Ferster who buoyed the program with an immense amount of hard work as Assistants to the Program though the past several years. The creation of this expanded position by Dean Kenneth Schwartz demonstrates the support that the program presently has in the Tulane School of Architecture and it greatly enhances the capacity to serve both current students and alumni.

The relationship between students and alumni is circular in so many ways. I have certainly felt a part of that beautiful continuum between student and mentor many times over the past year. Networking and supporting each other is an incredible way to continue the benefits of an MPS degree for many years after graduation.

This coming Fall will mark the 20th anniversary of the start of the program! It’s true! In the Spring of 2018, we will graduate the 20th class and MPS alumni will number over 200.

That doesn’t even include our many Tulane School of Archi-

tecture friends and colleagues who have earned certificates through the years. It is time to take stock of ourselves, reconnect, and do some serious celebrating.

Here is a short list of work we hope to accomplish with alumni in the coming year: • create an alumni directory • collect alumni profiles • identify people willing to be alumni mentors • identify people interested in organizing alumni events • party

The following updates are just a small taste of what our many dynamic alumni are up to.

There are so many other fascinating stories out there and we all need to do a better job of sharing every one of them.

Although awards and new jobs are always great news, it is also nice simply to send an update on where you are and where you have been.

So please keep in touch with us! Let us know what you’re up to and make sure we have your current contact information. If you haven’t heard from us in a while, that means we don’t have your current email. Send all updates to me at lblokker@tulane.edu and to see what we’re doing in MPS day to day (here are four words I never thought I’d say) follow us on Facebook @ TulaneMPS! Warm Wishes,

Laura Ewen Blokker Assistant Director and Adjunct Lecturer 9

ALUMNI NEWS Chuck Berg, AIA (MPS '11) received an Excellence in Historic Preservation award from the Louisiana Landmarks Society for his work on one in a row of three circa 1836 Creole style townhouses with out-buildings on Burgundy Street in the French Quarter. It has been given new life for a new owner. The masonry building has been repointed inside and out; a new natural slate roof with copper nails installed; new interior plaster applied; sagging floor joists corrected and the attic opened for a master bedroom-home office suite. The service building has been renovated as a guest apartment.

Kelly Calhoun (MPS '16) has just filed for the development of Calhoun Preservation, LLC. She says, "It's been a fabulous couple of months after graduation developing my skills to form this LLC." Brooke Malec Cranford (MPS '11) recently started her own company focusing on interiors for historic properties. It is called Brooke Cranford Design, LLC. The website is www.brookecranford.com.

Cody Ellis (MPS '15) works for Rick Fifield, an architect who specializes in preservation based architecture and historic tax credit certification.

Margot Ferster (MPS '14) is getting settled in Memphis as the new Assistant Director of Memphis Heritage, Inc., a small nonprofit that advocates for the preservation of architecturally or historically significant places in Memphis and

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surrounding Shelby County. Margot writes, "This is a big shift for me, as I was used to working directly with historic buildings and materials in New Orleans, but I’m loving the opportunity to work toward the preservation of historic buildings on a citywide scale, dealing with issues in urban planning and community engagement. MHI is a small but mighty and beloved institution, and I'm learning how to accomplish a lot as one of two staff members with a small budget and dedicated volunteers."

Emma Kousouris (MPS '16) is a Project Manager and Assistant Conservator at Conservation Solutions, Inc. in Washington, DC. She accepted this position in May 2016 to complete the MPS Practicum requirement. She has continued to work with the company after graduating. This position has given her the opportunity to work on significant buildings across the east coast including, the United States Capitol Building and the Russell Senate Office Building. She says she, "is so thankful to have had the option to complete a practicum because it allowed her to start her career in the preservation field immediately."

Nathan Lott (MPS '15) was recognized as a "Partner in Excellence" by the New Orleans Architecture Foundation. Lott serves as Collaborative Coordinator for the Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans. Nathan has long been interested in and worked for the joint

protection of natural and cultural resources. In his MPS thesis, he delved into the relationship between climate change and cultural heritage.

He serves on the board of Louisiana Landmarks Society.

James Rolf (MPS '16) is the Historic Preservation Specialist and Community Liaison for the Recovery School District, New Orleans. He is currently working on ten historic properties at various stages of design/construction/renovation.

With all but one of the projects, the RSD is utilizing Federal and/ or State Historic Tax Credits. Rolf explains, "We are using New Market Tax Credits (NMTCs) for the Booker T. Washington site and I am also working on a NMTC application which would allow the RSD to put more money towards future school facility projects. I am proud to say that the Recovery School District has won two awards for Excellence in Preservation from Louisiana Landmarks Society for the former Alcee Fortier School Building (now operating as Lusher Charter School) and for Sophie B. Wright Middle & High School." The RSD leveraged $3.8 million (state) and $10 million (state and federal) respectively in historic tax credits and Rolf worked on the QREs for both the State and Federal Historic Tax Credit applications for Sophie B. Wright.

John Rupley (MPS '15) works for Rick Fifield Architect and is studying for the Architectural Registration Exams.

He also has an opportunity to move to Rennes, France for a year!

Photos: (left to right) Emma Kousouris; Mara Saxer; Leah Solomon; Rendering of JDA by Young – Torquemada, Arquitectos.

Mara Saxer (MArch with Preservation Certificate '09) is a Preservation Specialist at The Historic Santa Fe Foundation.

Like many a good preservationist, Mara's career path has been nonlinear. She explains, " I came to work in preservation the same way I came to study it, by trying out architecture first. I started out at TSA in the main architecture program, and took a preservation studio course mostly out of curiosity, which led me to shift my remaining few years there into the preservation studies certificate program. Similarly, upon graduation – in 2009, a spectacularly bad year to enter the field – I thought working for an architecture firm, hopefully one with a preservation bent, would be the answer. Instead, I took a brief apprenticeship at Bagala Window Works in Maine, and found the hands on work of stewarding a centuries old building through further decades profoundly satisfying. The apprenticeship turned in to a full time job at the window works and later another window restoration shop in Massachusetts. In 2015, I moved back to my home town of Santa Fe, New Mexico and started as preservation specialist at The Historic Santa Fe Foundation, planning and performing the maintenance and restoration work which keeps the handful of historic properties the foundation owns from falling down. It is gratifying to apply what I’ve learned to the stewardship of my home, and the

bonus fun of playing in the adobe mud doesn’t hurt."

Leah Solomon (MPS '16) In March, Leah Solomon began working as the Administrative Director of the Hammond Historic District Commission in Hammond, Louisiana. She oversees the organization of the Commission and executes their directives for the local historic district. As soon as she started, there was a strategic planning overhaul, which included the establishment of the Commission’s first long-term preservation planning agenda.

Now starting her third month in the position, she has high hopes for grant funding to get 1,400 structures in the city’s center surveyed in partnership with the Hammond Downtown Development District. She says, "If you’re interested in getting involved with the survey, feel free to email Solomon_lb@hammond.org!”

Arosemena” (JDA) national landmark. Some US MLB teams played at this stadium and the Americans used to play there a lot during the years of the American Canal. While the rest of the architecture firms that participated (local and foreign) made proposals based on extensive demolition and reconstruction, Young-Toquemada and colleagues decided to put together a proposal based on restoration, structural reinforcement, distinctive/ identifiable/respectful new infill buildings (where needed) and extensive/yet non aggressive retrofit of all building systems, always without compromising the cultural/architectural attributes that sustain the stadium´s exceptional values. They are currently working on the final plans (the pre-plans have already been approved by all local authorities) as well as doing the preliminary pre-construction activated at the job site.

Yvette Tyler (MPS '13) joined the City of New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission in January as Architectural Historian.

The firm of Daniel YoungTorquemada (MPS '98), Young – Torquemada, Arquitectos, S.A. (www.ytarquitectos.com), along with Arosemena Architects, and Tapia +Watson Architects, won the national design & build competition to renovate/modernize Panama´s only historic/mythical 1928 Art Deco & Neocolonial baseball field “Juan Demóstenes

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