Author Archive

If Seats Could Talk: Mark Fried Remembers “Who” He Saw at Miami Marine Stadium

Posted on: April 4th, 2013 by Gwendolyn Purdom 1 Comment

Spectators watch a twilight concert on Biscayne Bay at the Miami Marine Stadium, 1967.

It was the site of speedboat races, rollicking concerts, beauty pageants, and countless floating family picnics and fishing trips, but today, the distinctive Miami Marine Stadium sits empty -- with the exception of decades of memories lingering in the salt-tinged oceanfront air.

In an effort to drum up support for the stadium’s revitalization, the Friends of Miami Marine Stadium have been collecting locals’ recollections of the stadium during its heyday. Today we kick off our “If Seats Could Talk” series with memories of music and merriment from Mark Fried.... Read More →

Gwendolyn Purdom

Gwendolyn Purdom is an associate editor at Preservation magazine. A Chicago native, Gwendolyn is passionate about the people and stories behind historic places – the quirkier the better.

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[Interview] Gloria Estefan: Singer, Entrepreneur … and Local Preservationist

Posted on: April 1st, 2013 by Gwendolyn Purdom 1 Comment

Gloria Estefan. Credit: Gio Alma
Singer and businesswoman Gloria Estefan

For our spring issue of Preservation, I spoke with Grammy-winning singer and businesswoman Gloria Estefan. The new National Trust for Historic Preservation board member had so much to say about her love for preserving historic places, we weren’t able to fit it all on one page in the magazine, so we’ve included an expanded version of our interview here. Enjoy!

You joined the National Trust’s Board of Trustees in October. Why is historic preservation something that you feel passionate about?

There are many reasons. I came to the U.S. when I was 18 months old and we, the Cuban community, in essence, have tried to transplant our culture here in Miami, everyone thought originally that we would be going back. At least our parents did. And as we grew and became part of the city, it was important for Emilio [her husband] and I both, to be a part of its growth in the business community and culturally as well. So through our music and our restaurants that we do we’ve tried to extend our Cuban culture that way and tried to preserve it.... Read More →

Gwendolyn Purdom

Gwendolyn Purdom is an associate editor at Preservation magazine. A Chicago native, Gwendolyn is passionate about the people and stories behind historic places – the quirkier the better.

More Posts (22)

[Slideshow] A Makeover for the Mayo Building

Posted on: March 27th, 2013 by Gwendolyn Purdom

A majestic relic of turn-of-the-20th century Tulsa, Okla., the Mayo Building, erected by two of the state’s founders, Cass and John Mayo, is the last remaining building in the city’s original “skyscraper district.” But as recently as 2005, the structure was abandoned and derelict.

Enter developer Wiggin Properties, LLC and architects Kinslow, Keith & Todd, who transformed the forgotten property into a mixed use residential and commercial building, earning the $30 million project the 2012 National Housing & Rehabilitation Association’s Best Historic Rehab Utilizing New Market Tax Credits award, among other recognition. There’s now even a permanent display in the structure’s public spaces that tells the Mayo Building’s unlikely story.

Take a look at our slideshow to find out more about this inspiring makeover.

The Mayo 420 Building is a lunchtime destination for downtown workers drawn to the YMCA and Billy’s Restaurant.

Gwendolyn Purdom

Gwendolyn Purdom is an associate editor at Preservation magazine. A Chicago native, Gwendolyn is passionate about the people and stories behind historic places – the quirkier the better.

More Posts (22)

[Slideshow] Philly Painting: One Community’s Extreme Makeover

Posted on: March 26th, 2013 by Gwendolyn Purdom

As you’ll see in our spring issue of Preservation, one dilapidated business corridor in north Philadelphia is finding there’s a surprising amount of power in a few -- okay, a lot of -- cans of paint.

Dutch artists Dre Urhahn and Jeroen Koolhaas have joined forces with the city’s Mural Arts Program and enlisted a group of locals to give the neighborhood’s collection of run-down commercial buildings new life with a Technicolor update, in a project called Philly Painting.

We include one before and after image in the print magazine, but there are plenty more transformations worth seeing among the late 19th-century and early 20th-century buildings where the work has been taking place. Take a look...... Read More →

Gwendolyn Purdom

Gwendolyn Purdom is an associate editor at Preservation magazine. A Chicago native, Gwendolyn is passionate about the people and stories behind historic places – the quirkier the better.

More Posts (22)

DeKalb’s Historic Egyptian Theatre: A Pharaoh-Inspired Space Gets a Lively Afterlife

Posted on: March 18th, 2013 by Gwendolyn Purdom 5 Comments

(l.) Dekalb's Egyptian Theatre in 1938; (r.) its restored facade today.

For decades, when the people of DeKalb, Ill., have spent an evening out at the movies, or attended a concert or other event, they’ve done so under the watchful eye of Ramses II.

The Egyptian pharaoh, who reigned from 1279 to 1213 BC, served as inspiration to architect Elmer F. Behrns when he designed the northern Illinois community’s downtown landmark, the historic Egyptian Theatre, in 1929. Behrns channeled the ancient ruler as he envisioned a temple-like entrance flanked by two pharaoh sculptures, an elaborate sacred scarab beetle-centered stained glass window, and a colorful tiled lobby floor.

At the time, Egyptian architecture was a nationwide craze set off by the discovery of King Tut’s tomb in 1922. Today, DeKalb’s Egyptian is one of few left standing. But standing it is, and even 84 years after it was built, the regal structure is still drawing loyal crowds.... Read More →

Gwendolyn Purdom

Gwendolyn Purdom is an associate editor at Preservation magazine. A Chicago native, Gwendolyn is passionate about the people and stories behind historic places – the quirkier the better.