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Worth Saving
The Newsletter of the North Carolina Historic Preservation Office
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Events, Awards and Grants
For statewide event lists, visit the HPO Facebook event list, Preservation North Carolina events list, or a March - May 2013 calendar courtesy of the Federation of N.C. Historical Societies.
April 12 Jennifer Cathey, HPO restoration specialist in the Western Office, will speak at a workshop entitled, "What Style is my House? Why Do Details Matter?" sponsored by the Historic Saluda Committee. The workshop will be held upstairs at the Saluda Library (44 W. Main St., Saluda) at 10:30 a.m. and is free and open to the public.
April 13-14 "Weatherization: Making Historic Homes more Energy Efficient." This course, taught by Benjamin Curran, on how to analyze a home's energy efficiency and how to make repairs and adjustments to improve it, is part of Edgecombe Community College's Historic Preservation Trades Courses series. The course runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the fee is $65. 1.5 C.E.U. For more information or to register, contact Monika Fleming at (252) 823-5166, ext. 241, or by email at flemingm@edgecombe.edu.
April 13-14 Historic Wilmington Foundation House Tour. There will be ten fabulous historic buildings open for touring on both days and a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Alexander Sprunt House on Saturday, April 13th, with ice cream served. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 the day of the event. Click here for more information.
April 14-16 Cultural Economy: National Main Street Conference, New Orleans, LA. The 2013 National Main Street Conference is the ideal place to learn new skills, explore new ideas, discover innovative strategies, and share best practices. Find out how other communities have solved common problems on Main Street and get the latest how-to tactics from experts in the field. Click here for more information.
April 17-20 National Council on Public History Conference, Ottawa, Canada. The conference theme is "Knowing your Public(s)-The Significance of Audiences in Public History." Click here for more information and to register.
April 19-20 "Cemetery Preservation." This course, taught by Monika Fleming, is a review of N.C. laws concerning cemeteries, guidelines on recording and reporting cemeteries, and suggestions on cleaning and restoring damaged stones. Saturday will be spent in several area cemeteries. The course, part of Edgecombe Community College's Historic Preservation Trades Courses series, runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the fee is $65. For more information or to register, contact Monika Fleming at (252) 823-5166, ext. 241, or by email at flemingm@edgecombe.edu.
April 20 The Secrets of College Hill (Greensboro). Free lecture. Learn more about the College Hill event here. RSVP to Judi Kastner or call (336) 272-5003.
April 20-21 "Plaster Repair Workshop." This course, taught by Carl Kessler, will show how to assess plaster situations and make repairs to walls or ceilings. Space is limited to 10 students. The course is part of Edgecombe Community College's Historic Preservation Trades Courses series and runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; the fee is $65.1.5 C.E.U. For more information or to register, contact Monika Fleming at (252) 823-5166, ext. 241, or by email at flemingm@edgecombe.edu.
May 2-4 16th Annual US/ICOMOS International Symposium, Savannah, GA. The theme is "The Historic Center and the Next City: Envisioning Urban Heritage Evolution." Symposium sessions will provide planners, architects, educators, heritage managers, and preservationists the opportunity to discuss the evolution of our historic urban centers and how they may provide inspiration for the future. For more information, visit US/ICOMOS wesbite or email historicpreservation@scad.edu.
May 10 Lew Halloway, a landscape architect and the manager of the Hendersonville Mainstreet Program, will discuss streetscapes and why the exterior of houses and properties matter in a historic community at the final spring workshop sponsored by the Historic Saluda Committee. The workshop will be held upstairs at the Saluda Library (44 W. Main St., Saluda) at 10:30 a.m.and is free and open to the public.
May 13-17 National Park Service's 2013 Archaeological Prospection Workshop, Ogallala, NE. This is the 22nd year of the workshop dedicated to the use of geophysical, aerial photography, and other remote sensing methods as they apply to the identification, evaluation, conservation and protection of archaeological resources. Entitled "Current Archaeological Prospection Advances for Non-Destructive Investigations in the 21st Century," it includes lectures on the theory of operation, methodology, processing, and interpretation and hands-on use of the equipment in the field. Application forms are available on the Midwest Archeological Center's website. For more information, contact Steven L. DeVore by email or by phone at (402) 437-5392, ext. 141.
May 18-19 Third Annual Preservation Greensboro Incorporated Tour of Historic Homes and Gardens, featuring the Historic College Hill neighborhood. This year's tour will include ten 19th-century houses, private gardens, and two additional events for Patron Pass holders. For more information, contact Judi Kastner or call (336) 272-5003.
May 19-21 "The Chesapeake House: Architectural Investigation by Colonial Williamsburg." A conference to mark the publication of the eponymous book by the University of North Carolina Press, the program will focus on the methods used by architectural historians at Colonial Williamsburg to investigate buildings as well as review new discoveries in the field. The conference will be held at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg, 326 West Francis Street, Williamsburg, Virginia, with some sessions at various Colonial Williamsburg buildings. Click here for more information or here to register for this event.
June 13 North Carolina National Register Advisory Committee meeting at 10 AM in the third floor conference room of the Cultural Resources Building, 109 E. Jones Street, Raleigh.
October 2-4 Preservation North Carolina's 2013 Annual Conference will be in Edenton. Save the date!
Fort Bragg Wins 2012 Army Environmental Award for Cultural Resource Management Fort Bragg's Cultural Resources Management team won its category in the Army's fiscal year 2012 environmental awards, the Army Environmental Command announced February 6. During the rating period, the Fort Bragg Cultural Resources Management Team completed two architectural and archaeological surveys of the installation totaling 4,500 acres, reducing restrictions on training lands while maintaining installation compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act. Click here for more information.
2013 Best of the South Award The Southeast Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians seeks nominations for the Best of the South: Preserving Southern Architecture Award. This annual award honors a project that preserves or restores a historic building or complex of buildings in an outstanding manner and that demonstrates excellence in research, technique and documentation. Projects in the twelve-state region of SESAH that were completed in 2011 or 2012 are eligible. Nominations should consist of no more than two typed pages of description and be accompanied by hard copy illustrations and any other supporting material. A cover letter should identify the owner of the project, the use of the building(s), and the names of all the major participants in the project. Send three (3) copies to Elizabeth M. Humphreys, 6542 Kobe Court, Montgomery, AL 36117. Deadline: July 1, 2013. For more information about the award and SESAH, visit the organization's website or email Elizabeth Humphreys.
National Endowment for the Humanities Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions Preservation Assistance Grants help small and mid-sized institutions--such as libraries, museums, historical societies, archival repositories, cultural organizations, town and county records offices and colleges and universities--improve their ability to preserve and care for their significant humanities collections. These may include special collections of books and journals, archives and manuscripts, prints and photographs, moving images, sound recordings, architectural and cartographic records, decorative and fine art objects, textiles, archaeological and ethnographic artifacts, furniture, historical objects and digital materials. The deadline for applications is May 1. For complete details see this page. Program questions should be directed to NEH's Division of Preservation and Access at (202) 606-8570 or preservation@neh.gov.
National Trust for Historic Preservation's Rosenwald School Centennial Fund is currently accepting applications for bricks and mortar preservation grants for Rosenwald Schools. Grants up to $20,000 will be awarded and require a cash match. Interested applicants should review the grant guidelines and eligibility criteria. The National Trust's Centennial Fund is made possible by a lead gift from the Righteous Persons Foundation. The deadline for applications is April 15. For more information go to this page.
Duke Energy Foundation Organizational Grants The Duke Energy Foundation provides grants to 501(c)(3) organizations that offer programs that fall under one of its four "Areas of Interest." The foundation accepts online submissions only; submissions are generally accepted between February and November. Click here for more information.
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Rehabilitation and Tax Credit Projects
The 1923 Harvey Jeremiah Peeler House in Kannapolis (Cabarrus County) was rehabilitated for continued commercial use with meeting/special event space on the first floor and offices on the second floor utilizing the federal and state income-producing historic tax credits with a rehabilitation investment of $366,000.
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Harvey Jeremiah Peeler House before and after rehabilitation
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The 1903 Crutchfield-Bomar-Brem House at 307 East Boulevard in Charlotte's Dilworth Historic District (Mecklenburg County) was rehabilitated for continued office use utilizing the federal and state income-producing historic tax credits with a rehabilitation investment of $300,000.
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The Crutchfield-Bomar-Brem House before and after rehabilitation
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The ca. 1896 Italianate-style commercial building at 117 East Innes Street in the Salisbury Historic District (Rowan County) was rehabilitated as a restaurant on the first floor with two apartments on the second floor utilizing the federal and state income-producing historic tax credits with a rehabilitation investment of $548,000.
 | | 117 East Innes St. before and after rehabilitation |
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U.S. Department of Interior Turns 164
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The first Interior Building, 1852-1917. Photograph courtesy of the U.S. Department of the Interior
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On March 3, 1849, the last day of the 30th Congress, a bill was passed to create the Department of the Interior to take charge of the nation's internal affairs. Prior to this, the country's domestic matters were apportioned by Congress among the Foreign Affairs (now State), the Treasury, and the War departments.
The Interior Department has had a wide range of responsibilities entrusted to it, all of which, in one way or another, had to do with the internal development of the Nation or the welfare of its people: the construction of the national capital's water system, the colonization of freed slaves in Haiti, exploration of western wilderness, oversight of the District of Columbia jail, regulation of territorial governments, management of hospitals and universities, management of public parks, and the basic responsibilities for Indians, public lands, patents, pensions, and more. The first appointed Secretary of Interior was Thomas Ewing, who served from 1849 to 1850. Click here for more information.
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HPO's GIS Mapping Website Gets An Update
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The old HPOWEB symbology .
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The North Carolina Historic Preservation Office launched HPOWEB in the spring of 2011. A lot has happened in the intervening two years and we are excited now to announce the release of version two!
As we perform some long-awaited data migrations and software tweaks, you may notice some minor changes in the HPOWEB website. For one, we have slightly altered the symbology of the points, providing them with what we believe is a cleaner and more modern feel. For example, here are two screen captures of Bertie County that compare the old and new symbology:
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The old HPOWEB search functionality
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More important, HPOWEB users are now able to search all data classes at once. Originally, a user who wants to locate a resource based on a name, description match or Site ID number might have to perform up to three separate searches (with "Search NR,SL, DOE," "Search Local Landmark/District," and "Search Surveyed") before finding their point of interest. With the new changes, users are able to search the entirety of the mapped historic resources, regardless of their designation or landmark status. But wait, there's more!
- You may have noticed that we have scanned as PDFs all of North Carolina's National Register nominations. These are available in an alphabetic list on the HPO website (here), as well as from within HPOWEB. The information box of any National Register listing includes a hyperlink to its nomination form PDF.
- We have now mapped over 50,000 resources, including all resources with federal or state designations--those with National Register (2800+ resources), Study List (4200+), and/or Determined Eligible (1200+) status. Also, all of the locally designated landmarks and districts known to the HPO have been mapped.
The new version of HPOWEB will feature several new enhancements and tools. Look for a future announcement about those.
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The new HPOWEB symbology
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Finally, a note to our heavy-duty GIS users, who may be directly consuming our published web map services. Currently, the N.C. HPO is delivering resource data (point and polygon) through a variety of WMSs, one for each feature data class (National Register, Study List, Determined Eligible, Local Landmark, Surveyed). We are in the process of changing the structure of our geospatial database and expect to deliver the same data through ONE service, with multiple sublayers for each data type (including point and polygon).
We will inform the public of the new WMS once it goes live. If you wish to receive an email notice about the expected change date and WMS name, please contact the GIS team at either michael.southern@ncdcr.gov or andrew.edmonds@ncdcr.gov.
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Preservation of the Cupola House
In last month's Worth Saving we included an article about the recent discoveries at the Cupola House in Edenton. Recently, the Department of Cultural Resources' This Day in N.C. History blog posted the story of the preservation of the Cupola House through community effort. Click here for more information.
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Great News for Researchers and Architectural Survey Consultants
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Mitigation Leads to a Successful Workshop in Roanoke Rapids
In 2011, the City of Roanoke Rapids began a project to revitalize the Rosemary Mill Village after years of neglect left many of the identical mill houses in poor condition. Four of the houses in the 1000 block of Henry Street would be rehabilitated and seven of the most dilapidated would be demolished. Since the project would be using federal funds and the neighborhood was within the Roanoke Rapids Historic District (National Register 1999), the Historic Preservation
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A slide from Reid Thomas' presentation.
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Office worked with the City and the local housing authority to inspect the houses and determine the four that could successfully be saved. In order to mitigate the loss of the seven historic houses, the city agreed to host a workshop for local residents and property owners.
On March 7, nearly forty participants from across Halifax County participated in a City-sponsored rehabilitation tax credit workshop held in downtown Roanoke Rapids. Kelly Lasky, Director of Planning and Development for the City, and Sherry Hux, Main Street Director for Roanoke Rapids Business Alliance, introduced the program, which featured a presentation by Reid Thomas, restoration specialist with the HPO's Eastern Office, that included an illustrated program focusing on practical maintenance and repair tips for owners of older and historic properties and information and examples of state and federal rehabilitation tax credit projects in the region. Since 1998, nearly $10,000,000 has been invested in tax credit projects in Halifax Co.
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Repainting Historic Buildings
 Paint failure is one of the most common complaints the HPO's restoration specialists hear. Last year, Reid Thomas, restoration specialist in our Greenville office, created a PowerPoint presentation, "Why Paints Fail: Identifying Common Paint Problems When Repainting Older Buildings," which he has adapted as an article. Click here for Reid's discussion of common causes of paint failure on historic buildings and his expert advice on proper surface preparation, including recommended techniques for paint removal, as well as his suggestions regarding wood preservative treatments, primers, and high-quality coatings.
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Secretary Salazar, Director Jarvis Designate 13 New National Historic Landmarks
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The Thomas Wolfe House, Asheville, Buncombe County, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1988.
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Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Director of the National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis announced the designation of 13 new National Historic Landmarks, including an Alabama bridge that was site of "Bloody Sunday" during the civil rights movement, a 400-year-old historic district showcasing the influence of Spanish culture in Puerto Rico, the home of author and abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe, and a historic stadium used by Negro league baseball teams in 20th-century segregated America.
National Historic Landmarks are nationally significant historic places that possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States. The program, established in 1935, is administered by the National Park Service on behalf of the Secretary of the Interior. Currently there are 2,540 designated National Historic Landmarks, including 38 in North Carolina. Click here for the list of newly designated properties.
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Are Historic Preservationists Effective Communicators or is the Message Being Lost?
Historic Preservationists know why we should preserve our built past. Most of our reasons touch on hot topics, sustainability for instance, but is that the message that we convey and that the public hears? Click here to read a Histpres.com blog post on the subject.
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Leveraging Federal Economic Development Resources for State Historic Rehab Tax Credits
Jeffrey Oakman and Marvin Ward, of the Office of Revenue Analysis, Office of the Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia, presented their paper "Leveraging Federal Economic Development Resources with State Historic Rehab Tax Credits" at the National Tax Association's 105th Annual Conference on Taxation in November 2012. Click here to read their findings.
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Diamonds in the Rough: Sprawl, Preservation and the Recent Past
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Mid-century houses in the Hi-Mount Historic District, Raleigh.
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A recent posting on www.histpres.com entitled Diamonds in the Rough: Sprawl, Preservation and the Recent Past continues the discussion on WWII housing and its preservation. Click here for the posting.
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Can the "Mad Men" TV Series Help Raise Awareness of the Value of the Recent Past?
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Some of the "Mad Men" cast members in front of mid-century architecture. Photograph courtesy of amctv.com.
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The popular AMC television show "Mad Men," about a 1960s-era advertising firm, makes an effort toward visual authenticity that has led to a rise in viewer interest in the vintage 1960s aesthetic. Does this interest extend to architecture? Click here for more information.
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Raleigh Modernist Home Lost
 | | Paschal House before demolition. Photograph courtesy News & Observer file photo |
For eight years preservationists tried to save the Paschal House, off Glenwood Avenue in Raleigh, from the wrecking ball, but the battle to save the 1950 modernist home that once drew praise from architect Frank Lloyd Wright was recently lost. Click here for more information.
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Ten Ways to Get Kids Excited About Historic Preservation
 | | A Tar Heel Junior Historian 2012 award recipient. |
As part of its "Ten on Tuesday" series, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has explored ways to get today's kids excited about historic preservation. Start the next generation of preservationists early! Click here for the list.
Want more information on this topic? Read Ten Strategies for Educating the Next Generation in Historic Preservation, which we highlighted in our March 2013 newsletter.
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Tryon Home of Singer Nina Simone to be Restored
Singer Nina Simone was born Eunice Waymon in 1933 in Tryon, N.C. Her childhood home still stands and efforts by owner Kipp McIntyre to restore the house have been underway for the past decade. Now he may be getting help from Nineteenth Century Restorations, a Kansas-based company specializing in home restoration. Owner Dan Riedemann has launched a far-reaching project to restore houses that were the birthplaces and childhood homes of celebrities such as Johnny Carson, whose home in Corning, Iowa, will be the company's first project. Riedemann wants is to restore celebrity homes as part of a reality TV show, with cameramen working alongside carpenters. The homes' owners set up nonprofit corporations, accessible through his company's website. Donations go into a nonprofit charitable fund until enough money is raised to begin work. Click here for more information about the restoration and here to learn more about Nina Simone.
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More Information on Making Old Buildings More Energy Efficient and Sustainable
 | | Solar panel installation on a historic home |
- The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has transformed the 95-year-old Wayne N. Aspinall Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Grand Junction, Colorado, to an "innovative sustainable building model" and GSA's first net-zero energy building on the National Register. Click here for more information.
- Here is a link to an excellent article in Old House Journal entitled Energy-Efficient Retrofit at the Lyman Estate: An energy-saving retrofit at a National Historic Landmark demonstrates how old-house owners can increase efficiency with minimal disruption.
- The National Trust for Historic Preservation has announced that the Preservation Green Lab is partnering with New Buildings Institute on a project called Deep Energy Savings in Existing Buildings, which will provide guidance for owners of smaller commercial buildings to achieve energy savings of 50 percent and greater through energy retrofits. For information click here, go to the New Building Institute webpage or contact Ric Cochrane, Project Manager of the Preservation Green Lab.
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The National Trust's website includes a Find Funding page. Find invaluable information about funding available for preservation projects, application requirements, and deadlines. Here is a list of grants whose deadlines have been changed:
- Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund for Historic Interiors, awarding grants for the planning phases of interior restoration projects. Grants range from $2,500 to $10,000 and require a dollar-for-dollar match.
 Hart Family Fund for Small Towns, providing preservation planning and education grants to projects taking place in communities of fewer than 5,000 people Grants range from $2,500 to $10,000 and require a dollar-for-dollar match.- Johanna Favrot Fund for Historic Preservation, funding projects that foster an appreciation of our nation's diverse cultural heritage and preserve and revitalize the livability of our nation's communities. Preservation planning grants from this fund range from $2,500 to $10,000 and require a dollar-for-dollar match.
If you have any questions please contact the grants office by email at grants@savingplaces.org or by phone at (202) 588-6277.
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New Report and Best Practices to Support the Every Day Counts Initiative Released
The Federal Highway Administration Office of Project Development and Environmental Review, in cooperation with the SRI Foundation and Cambridge Systematics, has developed a report and series of best practices to support the Every Day Counts (EDC) initiatives under Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) and Programmatic Approaches focusing on historic resources. The report, "Planning and Environmental Linkages for Historic Preservation," highlights best practices and introduces seventeen case studies from around the country.
 The FHWA and state and local transportation agencies are working hard to deliver projects more quickly and efficiently, and for less cost. One way to achieve these efficiencies is to streamline compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. The streamlining practices identified in the report and detailed in the case studies have the added benefit of improving stewardship through early consideration of historic preservation factors in planning and project development. Both the report and a series of case studies that highlight effective practices are now available here.
The web pages give more detail regarding the types of programs implemented which include Section 106 programmatic agreements, historic property databases, statewide management plans for historic bridges, and staff liaison programs with State Historic Preservation Offices. Each case study highlights program elements, benefits, challenges, and critical factors for success.
For more information, contact MaryAnn Naber at maryann.naber@dot.gov or Mary Frye at mary.frye@dot.gov.
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National Environmental Policy Act and Section 106 Guidance Released
 The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) announced the release of the "NEPA and NHPA, A Handbook for Integrating NEPA and Section 106." The handbook is intended to assist federal planners, Section 106 and NEPA practitioners, and other responsible parties in improving the integration of the NEPA analysis and documentation and Section 106 compliance to establish efficiencies and improve the effectiveness of environmental reviews. Further, the handbook will help stakeholders and members of the public better understand the opportunities for input and participation in federal decision making. The handbook provides practical advice and tips on how to align the independent statutory obligations of NEPA and Section 106 review. It is the result of a collaborative and productive effort between CEQ and the ACHP that benefited from broad federal agency participation. In the near future, the ACHP and CEQ intend to develop training and outreach on the guidance.
Click here or here for the handbook.
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The 2012 Historic Preservation Fund Report is Now Available
 | | Barker House siding repair funded by a pass-through grant from the Historic Preservation Fund |
Always wanted to know more about the Historic Preservation Fund and where the money goes? Click here for the most recent report.
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NPS's Annual Report on the Tax Incentives Program Released
 | | Win-Mock Farms Dairy, Davidson County, after rehabilitation. Photograph courtesy of Tom McCulloh. |
Learn more about the federal rehabilitation tax credit program and the worthy projects that have been made possible through their use this year by clicking here for the NPS's Technical Preservation Services webpage, here for the 2012 Tax Incentives Program annual report and here for the 2012 statistical analysis of the program. North Carolina's own Win-Mock Barns in Bermuda Run, Davidson County, is shown on page 3 of the annual report.
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