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MHDC ENews: May 2010 Volume 2 Number 4 |
| Greetings!
The month of May is Historic Preservation month across our nation. In celebration of this event, we hope you will take time to participate in a few of the local events and activities that our preservation organizations have planned. From a tour of Barton Academy, to Cart Blackwell's lecture, to a day exploring the Museum of Mobile, there is a preservation activity for everyone to enjoy.
And, don't forget to join the Historic Mobile Preservation Society as they kick off their membership drive for 2010-2011. HMPS is celebrating their 75th anniversary this year and is Alabama's oldest preservation membership organization. They serve as the stewards of Oakleigh, Mobile's official period house museum. If you support historic preservation, please consider becoming a HMPS member.
And as always, we hope that you will share our ENews with your family and friends who enjoy and support historic preservation. Please feel free to pass along this electronic publication and encourage everyone to subscribe. It is our hope that this communication tool will help keep our community updated on preservation issues and special events. |
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| Celebrate Historic Preservation Month With Us | |
May is Historic Preservation Month and communities across the country will join together to pause and take stock of their historic communities and celebrate their efforts to preserve their pasts. Here in Mobile, we will do the same. An array of events have been planned to both celebrate our preservation efforts, and to advocate for preserving of one of our monumental buildings, Barton Academy. We hope that you will mark your calendar and make plans to attend one of these events.
During May, take an afternoon to visit one of our house museums or visit the George Washington Carver exhibit at the Museum of Mobile. Stroll through a historic district that you haven't visited to see the efforts that preservationists are putting into restoring historic properties. And, tell your children the story of Mobile. It's a rich, diverse and amazing story.
We invite you to attend:
Thursday, May 13 - Annual Meeting, Historic Mobile Preservation Society, Noon, Cox-Deasy House.
Thursday, May 13 - Architect George Bigelow Rogers Altered & Redefined: Mobile's Architectural Landscape, lecture by Cartledge Weeden Blackwell, III, architectural historian, 6:00 p.m., Ben May Main Library.
Blackwell will discuss the forty year career of architect George Bigelow Rogers. Among the themes to be discussed will be the emergence of professional architects, relations and ethnicity in the building arts, and the relationship between modernity and tradition. Admission will be free of charge and the public is invited to attend. For more information visit www.mplonline.org and visit the Calendar of Events.
Wednesday, May 19 - Dora Finley, Walking Tour of the downtown sites on the African American Heritage Trail, Noon.
Dora Finley, chair of the African American Heritage Trail, will lead an inaugural walking tour of downtown Mobile highlighting the area commemorted by the Trail. This inaugural tour will be free to the public. Gather in Cathedral Square.
Thursday, May 20 - Historic Mobile Preservation Society's 75th Anniversary Party, 6:00 p.m., Museum of Mobile.
For details, see article.
Tuesday, May 25 - Open House at Revolving Fund projects, 454 and 455 Chatham Street, 5:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.
Join Restore Mobile at two of their latest projects on Chatham Street for an open house of two buildings the group has for sale to someone willing and anxious to complete restoration on the structures. Admission is $5 and the proceeds will benefit the Restore Mobile revolving fund.
Wednesday, May 26 - Open House - a tour of Barton Academy and the Yerby Building, 5:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m.
Tour historic Barton Academy during this open house. The event is free to the public. A guided tour of the dome will be available for a $10 contribution. Proceeds from the dome tour will go to the MHDC's Barton Academy Restoration Fund. Barton memorabilia will be displayed and information on the newly formed Barton Academy Alumni Association will be available. Refreshments will be served. The event is sponsored by Mobile County Public School System, Mobile Historic Development Commission, Historic Mobile Preservation Society and the Downtown Mobile Alliance. |
| Mobile Historic Development Commission Elects New Officers | | The Mobile Historic Development Commission is pleased to announce our officers for the 2010-2012 term.
President - Dora Finley
Vice President - Christy Gustin
Secretary - Marsha Sutton
Treasurer - Norman Pitman
We would like to congratulate these dedicated Commissioners on their election and thank them for agreeing to serve as our leaders for the next two years.
We also want to thank our outgoing officers: Rennie Brabner; Celia Lewis; Joy Klotz and Felix Vereen; along with the other members of the executive committee: Bunky Ralph; Diane Horst; Johnna Rogers; Desiree Tait and Rhonda Davis. |
| The Antoinette Apartments: A Formal and Spatial Examination of Mobile's Grandest Apartment House | |
Cartledge W. Blackwell, Architectural Historian
Antoinette Apartments | As a space and a concept, "Home" is something we all understand. At the end of a long day, everyone wants to get there for it is a place like no other. In spite of this pervasive feeling, homes come in all shapes and sizes, not to mention types and styles. For many, the quintessential home is the single family residence set within a lot. Houses of similar ilk surround it. This scenario, the so-called suburban ideal, was not always the ubiquitous image of the American home.
Multifamily residences were in times past the home of many. Within the category of multi-family domiciles there exists much variation. Mobile's historic districts had their share of tenements, boarding houses, and apartment houses. Arguably the grandest multi-family residence ever constructed in Mobile was and remains the Antoinette Apartments located at 960 Government Street.
In terms of aura, setting, size, and appointment, the Antoinette had no equal. Built in 1912 by the Lowenstein family, the Antoinette Apartments sit atop the site of
Antoinette Apartments on Government St. | novelist Augusta Evans Wilson final place of residence. This prime piece of Government Street real estate already possessed some cache. Elevated atop a berm (which conceals the basement) and nestled within the tree canopy the Antoinette lives up to its august chain of title. Polished marble steps flanked by projecting porticos provide access to a marble lobby. Residents and guests then had the choice of four doors leading to the four respective apartments.
While each apartment is unique with regard to plan and detail, the same sequence of spaces and quality of appointments prevail. Living rooms fronted by the aforementioned porches take full advantage of the Government Street prospect. Dining rooms with the requisite kitchens, pantries, and servant's bathrooms are located to the rear of the building. Bedrooms and bathrooms are anchored by the served and servant spaces. All three zones - the formal, the private, and the utilitarian - functioned as separate, albeit coordinated spaces. The measure of one did not exceed that of another. Each was crucial in obtaining the intertwined goals of comfort and convenience which ultimately underlie the art of grand living.
While a little dusty (more so this time of the year with the pollen) the Antoinette is remarkably well preserved. The bustle of Government Street remains unaltered.
Antoinette Apartments Sidwalk Plaque | The cedar closets retain their crisp aroma. And the marble steps still glisten. By virtue of being a four flat unit, the beautiful building could once again function as home for not just one, but multiple occupants. |
| Barton Academy Moving Forward With Grass Roots Efforts | |
The Barton Academy Historic Preservation and Restoration Committee is planing an Open House of Barton Academy and the Yerby Building in celebration of historic preservation month. The Open House will be held on Wednesday, May 26, from 5:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. If you have never been in Barton before, now is your chance. Displays of historic memorabilia from Barton will be available to examine. The Oakleigh Belles will be on hand to educate everyone on the history of Barton as you move through each area of the building, and refreshments on the grounds will be offered. This event is free of charge, and the public is invited to attend. Members of the MHDC professional staff will be giving guided tours of the dome for a donation of $10 to the Save Barton Fund.
In conjunction with the Open House, volunteers will be on hand collecting contact information for the Barton Academy Alumni Association. If you, or any member of your family, have attended Barton Academy and would like to become a member of this group, please share your contact information with us during the Open House or by calling the MHDC office at (251)208-7281. The Barton Academy Alumni Association is forming now, and plans for social events and Barton Academy reunions are in the works.
To keep up with the demand for information, Stacy Wellborn of Wellborn Ideas, a member of the public relations committee, has launched the Barton Academy website this month. Visit www.savebartonacademy.org for upcoming events and fundraising information.
If you haven't joined the Save Barton Academy face book page, do. It is another communication tool that is being used to get vital information out to the community on events and fundraising activities for Barton.
And, please spread the word. Help us reach out to the community and to past Barton students. We need everyone's help. |
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ARB at a Glance | | The Architectural Review Board is continuing to work hard to protect our historic districts. Here is a look at their body of work for April 2010.
Total Applications Applications Approved by Staff - 45
Applications Reviewed by ARB - 5
Applications Approved by ARB - 5
Applications Tabled by ARB - 0
Applications Denied by ARB - 0
Applications Withdrawn - 0
Applications in Design Committee - 0
Applications Appealed - 0
Applicants estimate the proposed job costs for renovations and improvement to homes and buildings in districts, under the Architectural Review Board's jurisdiction, will cost an estimated $1,957,380. To date, an estimated $12,087,646 in construction cost have been spent in our historic districts.
For more information on the Architectural Review Board, and for a schedule of meetings, please visit the MHDC website at www.mobilehd.org. |
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Church Street Graveyard Tomb Repaired |
On April 14, John Sledge, architectural historian for the Mobile Historic Development Commission, and Pubic Buildings employees Devan Woods, a brick mason, and Shawn Sullivan met in Church Street
Child's Tomb Before Repairs | Graveyard to conduct a repair of a child's grave.
Devan Woods Repairs Raised Tomb | The raised tomb no longer displays an inscription, but it likely dates from before 1850. It is brick with a stucco skim coat. Numerous poor repairs over the decades had left the tomb in poor shape, and the skim coat was spalling and exposing the old brick and lime sand mortar beneath to deterioration. In order to repair the tomb, Woods and Sullivan cleaned off all the vegetative growth, tapped loose the bad portions of mortar and stucco, and recoated the tomb with Type S mortar. Not only
City Workers Shawn Sullivan & Devan Woods Repair Monument | does the piece now look more presentable for the many tourists that traipse these grounds, but it should be good for several more decades at least before further repairs should be necessary.
City Worker Devan Woods Examines Repairs |
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Social Media Workshop Planned for Preservation Community |
The MHDC will be hosting a workshop on Social Media, Wednesday, June 16, at 5:30 p.m. in the board room of the Downtown Mobile Alliance. Stacy Wellborn of Wellborn Ideas will be teaching the seminar. Wellborn will be reviewing all of the communication tools used to keep everyone connected in today's technologically driven world. Everything from setting up websites, to establishing Face Book and My Space pages, to developing a data base for electronic mail will be covered.
Registration is $25 per organization, with no limit on organization attendees. All historic district associations, preservation organizations and house museums are invited to attend. To register, please contact Rhonda Davis, public relations chair at rhondapdavis@comcast.net.
The Downtown Mobile Alliance is located at 261 Dauphin Street. |
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Market on the Square Open |
Downtown's favorite weekly event, Market on the Square is now open. For farm-fresh produce, beautiful flowers, honey, plants, and hand-made breads and soaps, come downtown Saturday mornings from now until July 31. The market opens at 7:30 a.m. in Cathedral Square and continues until 11:00 a.m., or when the vendors have sold out. And bring a blanket and stay for music on the green, Saturday morning concerts in Cathedral Square.
Market on the Square is presented by the Office of Neighborhood and Community Service. For more information visit www.ncsmobile.org. |
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Alabama Heritage - Alabama's Premier Preservation Magazine | |
If you are not a subscriber to Alabama Heritage magazine, please consider subscribing. This is Alabama's premier preservation publication. The spring edition is now on newsstands and contains articles as diverse as the legend of Prince Madoc to an interesting article on artist Sidney Dickinson. For Civic War buffs, you are not going to want to miss the piece on Alabama's Civil War Flags by Robert Bradley.
Alabama Heritage is published by The University of Alabama, The University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Alabama Department of Archives and History. Alabama Heritage is published four times a year. The subscription rate for one year is $18.95.
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Summer Events at the Alabama Historic Sites Posted | |
As you begin to plan your summer vacations, make time to visit one of our state managed historic sites. The Alabama Historic Commission has published a list of summer events planned at the AHC sites in the May/June edition of Preserve Alabama, their newsletter.
To review this edition, visit www.preserveala.org. The May/June edition, along with past editions, is now posted. |
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Save the Date: Alabama Preservation Conference to be held October 7, 8 and 9 |
As you look towards fall, be sure to save the date for the Alabama Preservation Conference. This year's conference will be held on October 7, 8 and 9 in Montgomery. The theme of the 2010 meeting will be The Connection Between Economic Development and Preservation.
The keynote speaker for the conference is Donovan Rypkema, principle of PlaceEconomics and president of Heritage Strategies International. Rypkema is widely known in preservation circles for his knowledge on the economics of preservation and downtown revitalization. He is a dynamic speaker that does training for the National Trust and for the National Main Street program. If you haven't heard Rypkema speak, this is a perfect opportunity.
Watch for more information this summer.
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Historic Mobile Preservation Society to Celebrate 75th Anniversary |
The Historic Mobile Preservation Society will be celebrating their 75th Anniversary with a party on Thursday evening, May 20, from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m., at the Museum of Mobile. Tickets are $75 per couple and $40 per person. Tickets include appetizers, drinks and admittance to the George Washington Carver exhibit. For more information on the event please visit www.historicmobile.org. |
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Calendar of Events |
Oakleigh Garden District Society
May 9 - Mother's Day Concert, Washington Square, 4:00 p.m. Bring a blanket and cold drinks and enjoy this free afternoon concert. Admission is free.
Old Dauphin Way Historic District
May 27 - Meeting, 7:00 p.m., St. Mary's, guest speaker Sen. Ben Brooks. The topic for the evening will be insurance in Mobile's historic district. All are welcome to attend.
Historic Mobile Preservation Society
May 13 - Annual Meeting, Noon, Cox-Deasy House.
May 20 - 75th Anniversary Party, 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m., Museum of Mobile. Tickets are $75 per couple and $40 per person. For more info visit their website at www.historicmobile.org.
To submit events, please forward information to Mobile Historic Development Commission at mhdc@cityofmobile.org. Please include contact information.
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To Subscribe
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Sincerely,
Rhonda Davis
Public Relations Chair
Mobile Historic Development Commission
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