NY Times Article

Here's a good article on the conservation of interiors and objects, specifically with regard to systems and climate control (Artigas, right up your alley). Michael Henry is mentioned! Enjoy:

Fit to Print: Economic Crisis, Recovery and Preservation

Because the news is all about the our economic crisis and recovery - I thought I'd round up a few things I'd read recently on the subject that pertain to historic preservation and good planning.

"All Boarded Up" - NY Times article about Cleveland's foreclosure and mortgage crises that is a must read. If Cleveland is the future for many of our smaller cities, then we're in for it. Among the implications are a large number of demolitions, vacancies and vandalized houses, and plummeting property values. More difficult still are the incredibly tangled webs spun by governments, banks, flippers, and owners.

For something uplifting after that, hit up Patrice's piece at Preservation Nation, "Dispatch from Dubuque: Luring People Back to the Heartland", where she posits a contrasting vision for a sustainable future in America's small cities.

Wondering what's in the Stimulus Bill that relates to Historic Preservation? Me too. While the most explicit line items to fund preservation were cut, there are provisions for weatherization and energy efficiency, neighborhood stabilization, and affordable housing which could all apply to historic preservation if the groups getting the cash infusion think creatively. There is a lot of potential, but there's also a lot of tension brewing with pressure building on historic resouces. A good place to begin is the National Trust for Historic Preservation offers Stimulus 101 for some basics, or visit the Trust's The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act page for other info. See also their "Perfect Storm" page for more on the tension between "shovel-ready projects" and preservation priorities.

Landmarks Law Smackdown

The Chicago's Landmarks Law is in jeopardy now that an Illinois Appeals Court in Cook County ordered a lawsuit that seeks to overturn the city's landmarks law be allowed to go forward. The lawsuit contends that the city's landmarks law is basically too subjective, overly vague, and could be abused in its application.
Read the Chicago Tribune here or read the Trib's Skyline blog coverage for more pithy and evolving content here. Preservation Mag online has this.

Meanwhile here in NYC two hardship cases have come to the fore and promise more conflict over the city's Landmarks Law. The most interesting and difficult one is Saint Vincent's Hospital's proposed demolition of the O'Toole building and the precedent that the Landmarks Commission will set as it decides this case.

Back from the Dead.

Alright people. It's time to restart the conversation. I begin with a question:

What kind of an alumni network would you like from Penn?

I've spoken with Randy about building a stronger network that is not only informational and peppered with contacts, but interesting. I'm thinking about a web-based platform that is not like the Yahoo list-serv. I'm thinking profiles on what y'alls are doing. What thoughts do you have?

In the meantime I wish you all well and want you to come visit NYC to see me, Megan, Lauren, Gabriella, Annie, and Alexis.