Uncle Sam wants you!

If anyone out there knows worthy preservationists in need of jobs NOW, please tell them.  Apparently we are looking for 3 people immediately.  And when they say immediately, they mean it.  They would probably want you to start the Monday after Thanksgiving.  The work is all about 106, so policy folks or those experienced with determinations of eligibility would be preferred.  The downside is the uncertainty of packing up and moving here without knowing how long it will last.  But it is so, so worth it.  Really.  Really, really.  If anyone is interested or able, get in touch with me and I'll tell you more about the work and why there's no question that anyone who can should do it.  

Bright Lights, Big City

This month the Avenue of the Arts is all lit up pretty like with new light installations on five buildings. Fon, Ellen and I went out last night to check out how South Broad Street looked all illuminated. The installations mix changing projections of artwork and colored LED lights that are programmed to change color and display.
So there we were, three gals out for a Philly adventure, checking out how the Center City District had dressed up the Avenue of the Arts. I guess we were so fresh-faced and chatty, so earnest in our interest (nerd alert) - or we were the first folks the reporters saw - so we were all interviewed by KYW. Laughing and suspicious, we answered. And lo and behold - there we were on Channel 3 last night. (Ellen's brilliance was cruelly cut by those hacks.)
All told - the installation was neat-o but it remains to be seen if the Preservation Alliance feels the same way. They hold easements on many of the buildings and are rumbling with the Center City District over the alterations to the "appearance" of the facades due to the lights... Stay tuned cats and kittens.

N. O. Calling

No details, but I hear that we still need preservationists here.  I think you're all empoyed now, but if anyone is looking for a job, consider it.  Maybe not exactly what you were thinking of, but you live for free in New Orleans and get paid well.  Actually, less than free.  More than free?  Freer than...  Less than zero.  Whatever, it's ridiculous.

NYC

I hope that everyone is still checking this. I just accepted a position with the New York City Landmark Commission. I start November 13th. I am looking for an apartment so if anyone knows of someone in need of a roommate please let me know. I am excited to move - but a little anxious about living in the Big Apple. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the somewhat-like Fall weather.

Lots of HSPV love,

Gabriela

Another move

This time a short one.  I have a new address:

2631 Magazine St.
New Orleans, LA 70130

I also have  a lot of room.  Really, I can't overstate how much extra room I have.  It's absurd.  So here's a standing offer--  Come to New Orleans.  You'll have a great place to stay.  

This One's for You, DDL.

If there's an old building being worked on in or around Boston, our firm (BCA) is a part of it. And what building from the late 19th century would you rather work on than a Richardson building? Who of you remembers on which building he used his first, and eventually signature, Romanesque arch? The little Ames Library, right here in North Easton, MA! It's pretty awesome. They want to do a renovation and restoration of the building, and I'm working on the documentation and some drawings.

I am actually so glad I learned the ways of Word. There's a lot of formatting going on in this office, and I'm teaching them a thing or two about styles! (In more ways than one, of course.) I do get a little nostalgic, though, and wish I were working on formatting photos and reports in the studio with all my sleep-deprived friends. I miss you all.

PS - We will update our blog soon! We've been busy, I promise!

Twin Cities! (They make those?!)

Hey gang! It's back to the grind for ol Haha... but that means I can get the student discount to attend the National Trust conference. Is anyone else going? Will you crash the Penn reception with me? Who's in?

Preservation Putts

As prelude to HaHa third and final year in meyerson hall, the postHSPVers went to historic philadelphia putt putt. franklin square offers mini independence hall, small boat house row, and a strange version of the art museum. Amila (now mrs. amila) came in first. Mandy showed off her biceps by sending the ball way out of play taking out a couple of toddler in the playground.

heyhey

Hello from New Orleans.  It's.. interesting.  Actually, it's going much better than I expected, but I'm only just getting a real taste of what I've gotten myself into.  I still can't really believe it.

I'm going to try to keep a blog.

Here: http://1603tac.blogspot.com/

There are some random pictures on my picasa page:
http://picasaweb.google.com/furnessy/

More will come.

Haha asks...

Alright kids. Brace yourselves. This is the first installment of "Haha Asks," a series of questions designed to help get me through this year, with answers provided by you all-knowing, experienced graduates!

This week's question: What did you wish you knew about thesis in the fall semester?

I have that sinking feeling of freewheeling unpreparedness, now that it's September, and I can't shake it. Please advise since no one else seems capable.



...and Happy Labor Day. Remember how hard people fought for the 8hr workday with benefits. Don't let new bosses cheat you of these. And also remember that Article 24 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights says: "Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay." And how.

Me too!

Hello, hearters of old shit! I can't believe the summer is almost over! My knee is doing really well- and aside from lots of PT this summer, I've been plugging away at FRES- Penn's Real Estate Development Office. And by that, I mean, sitting in my cubicle eating candy. They just installed an ice cream vending machine which spells trouble for me.

Like Haha, I was on the news.

Like Fon, I've had many Marky Mark sightings. I got to go behind the scenes of his movie because they were shooting on Penn's property!

Also, I just got a job! I'm going to be working for Wood Partners, a multi-family developer. They're in DC and it seems like a fun firm. I'll be moving in a few weeks. And while I will not being doing anything Preservation related, hopefully this will get my foot in the door. (The plan is that after I gain some experience and some $$, I can then go to work on developing adaptive reuse projects...)

OK, that's it for me. I hope all is well with everybody and keep the updates coming!

Mandy

we have a little blog, too!
if you want to check out what we're up to, go to www.ruedigs.blogspot.com

WHAT!?

My miserable, penniless, useless, homeless, unemployed summer has come to an abrupt and shocking end.  I got a strange and unreal-sounding lead last week.  After a 12-hour freakout of hesitation, I responded.  And, less than a week later, I got the call.  When can you come?  Sunday?  Start Monday?  Great.  Get to New Orleans.  Send the receipts.

Interview?  What interview?  Job description?  Que?

So, I'm off.  To where exactly, I don't know.  For who, precisely, I don't know.  For how long?  No idea.  Doing what?  Something vague about Section 106 and FEMA.  

New fucking Orleans?  Monday?  Are you kidding me?  No, seriously.

Oh my darling wonderpups!

So much news, so little time. I would like, foremost, to assure you that old shit is indeed alive and well in Jolly Old. After a rigourous (note the use of u, I am soooo British) three weeks of touring the man0r houses of England, I have returned, relatively unscathed, to the motherland. Brief synapses of Attingham: wake up, eat crappy food, lecture, look at a ridiculous amount of old stuff, eat mayonaise, more old shit, lecture, dinner of gross crap, two more lectures, drink a large amount of bad wine. Repeat. Don't get me wrong it was great, but eventually you start scanning 16th century interiors for somewhere you could possible rest your weary rump without breaking anything. After a little longer, your feet don't want to walk through one more Ruskinian landscape and you hope and pray that the old antiques dealer doesn't try and fall asleep on your bosom in the bus (yes, he did). But I return victorious with a great bibliography of books on every subject related to historic structures, landscapes and preservation (which I will share with you all as soon as it's formatted).

In other news, the house is going well. I currently have 8 trucks outside my house as they cut down deadly pine trees that threated to fall on the house. Amid a flurry of paint brushes and tools, things are starting to take shape and it is looking good. This is the ultimate cocktail/party house, so I expect to see some of your darling faces gracing my doorstep soon!

I have a baby puppy now. His name is Teddy and he's a west highland terror ... I mean terrier. He's ridiculously spunky and loves people.

So, i'm taking the RI real estate exam. My real estate agent has been trying to romance me into the company. I'd be representing the historic homes for sale and I think it would also be a good way to drum up some histopresto business.

That's it for now. I miss you all so much and love and want visitors! So come play soon!

S

GREETINGS

Hi everyone,

I am sorry I do not have very exciting news to share. I am living at home outside D.C. and working part-time at an Architectural firm while I search for full-time employment. I have been looking for jobs in D.C./ Boston/ NYC/ and Providence, RI. So if you hear of anything - let me know. And of course, If I move to a city near you and will get in touch.
I hope everyone is enjoying these last few HOT weeks of summer. I am going to be on Martha's Vineyard next week so I can't complain.
I miss everyone!

Besos,
Gabs

Philadelphia Stories

Philadelphia history on display until the end of August via our City Archives.

Philadelphia Stories

The Building of a Great American City

Art Institute of Philadelphia

1622 Chestnut St Gallery

HI!

visit often. post a lot. be in touch virtually so you don't feel lonesome because you're not staring at us across a table over a laptop daily...

hearts, haha

On Fox News and the President's House

If you heard a rumor that Mander and I were on MyFoxPhilly news this week, it's true.
There we were on federale assignment to photograph and absorb the temporary closing of the President's House and there were news cameras everywhere. Photographers elbowed us out of the way and apparently Fox did their standup with me and Mander as the backdrop. For more of the back of our heads, peep it for yourself.

The Kelly/Maiello design is not the best thing I've ever seen, but it's a starting point. Of course, they designed it without knowing what the dig would reveal, so here's to revisions!

What You've Missed in Philly

Martin Meyerson passed away this summer, as the building named for him will in the future. I ask you now to crassly place bets as to whether his passing will inspire them to name the new to-be-designed-and-someday-deemed-dreadful-by-its-ungrateful-inhabitants building in his honor AGAIN? or will Steve Wynn's money trump that? Discuss.

PlanPhilly offers a virtual tour of the Delaware waterfront developments, which is convenient for those of you who are not here to sweat it out.

Peep the Reading Railroad Viaduct at Necessity for Ruins! Some people around here think it's ripe for a redesign, a la the High Line in ye olde NYC. Now where's Kevin Bacon to stand in for Ed Norton in the inevitable publicity and advocacy role?

Rumor has it that M. Night Shayamalan is back in Philly with Marky Mark and Zooey Deschanel on a movie called The Happening, which is scheduled to begin shooting in here in August.

And in TV news, those of you transplants can be reminded of Philly in all her glory when It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia comes back to FX in September. I saw them shooting in my hood the other day. It's back foreal.

...got news, dear reader? Hit it. Post away!

Hey gang!

Here's the word as I know it::

I see AMANDA daily at NPS. We're the feds now.

MANDY had her knee rebuilt and she's off and running (well, almost)

SARAH V is up in Rhody, well actually she's in England right now and she just had a big ol birthday which we all have to celebrate when she returns stateside.

FON is queen of the universe. Don't believe me? Click here.

ARTIGAS popped through Philly and is now in Cali.

NICK may or may not be employed in Philadelphia or Buffalo or BOTH!

ELLEN is a veritable an one-man-band on a fascinating project on the main line.

ALEXIS C is traveling the world, with pit stops predictably on Nantucket and in NYC.

O'MALLEY lets everyone know where he is...

ALEXIS S jets between Philly and NYC. She's taking on the Fulton Mall in Brooklyn right now, working with Randy's firm MINERVA.

JULIE D is in Australia on her internship with EDAW, and she's keeping track of it here.

AMILA had a birthday and is back at MEVE and then jets away to Portland for her pending wedding. Adorable.

LAUREN is back at MEVE until mid-August, and then we get her back here.

REAGAN and Adam are camped out as our northermoast outpost, and as the post indicates below are getting a house.

MEGAN survived her trip as TA on the England adventure and is back in Philly.

ELDRA may or may not be in DC.

PATRICE is back easterly, or so rumor has it.

I'm missing lots of you, both on this list and in emotional ways... What are you up to? Hit the blog.

LOVE to all - HAHA

Rest in peace, Lady Bird.

Let's get this party started

Ok, it has been over a month since we graduated, and not a peep on our iheartoldshit blog. So I'm going to start. Adam and I are in Boston, and it's not too hot here. I mean that temperature-wise. It's quite nice so far, though I know I will change my tune come November. Adam is working. I am not. But I'm trying...the problem is (and this is a big problem) that I am leaving for Greece this Saturday and will be gone 3 weeks. Tragedy, I know. I'm very excited to spend some quality time with our most favoritest Pam at Mt. Lykaion. I will, however, be ditching her midway through the project to come back to my husband and dog.

The big news to report is that we're buying a house! No, we didn't buy that one from before because it was in seriously bad shape. Literally, the shape was bad (all racked and crooked). We have found a big old Victorian in Dorchester that needs lots of love, and we're going to give it to her. It's got LOTS of room...as of now, technically 6 bedrooms, so there's plenty of room for all of you! I'd love visits and opinions and thoughts as to how to save this lovely home. Lots of original stuff, beautiful woodwork, original wallpaper, etc. Adam and I have our work cut out for us (at the very least taking the lovely dish off the front porch).

So, we expect to see you all beginning in August to help warm up our new home. And, I expect to hear from you on this blog!!

welcome, grads

Yes yes, the iheartoldshit is back and up and waiting for you. Post nerdy questions next to party invites, conferences opportunities and travel disbatches next to love letters. Use at will. Post often and check in even more frequently. The idea is that here we can share ideas, commiserate with those who can sympathize and celebrate with those who know.