Preservation Magazine

[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

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.

[Book Review] Farmhouse Revival and the Rural Aesthetic

Posted on: March 29th, 2013 by David Robert Weible 5 Comments

 

Farmhouse Revival cover. Credit: Steve Gross and Susan Daley, Farmhouse Revival, Abrams © 2013

Few things are more identifiable to the American soul than the farmhouse. At a time when more Americans are living in cities than ever before -- and possibly because of that -- the aesthetic beauty and the overall concept of the American farmhouse still resonates deeply within the nation’s consciousness.

With Farmhouse Revival, authors and photographers Steve Gross and Susan Daley tap into our connection with these places, highlighting 20 restored farmsteads from Saddlebow Farm in Vermont’s Green Mountains, to Sylvester Manor on New York’s Shelter Island (which will be featured in our upcoming Spring issue of Preservation).

No two houses are alike. With no set rules on what constitutes a farmhouse beyond its location and purpose, these abodes run the gamut of architectural styles from Georgian manors to Colonial homesteads (sometimes within a single structure) while their interiors range from the most basic and cozy to the near-luxurious. Beyond keeping things interesting, the variety demonstrates that these farmhouses -- seldom designed by architects -- reflect not only the time period in which they were built, but also the community that surrounded them.... Read More →

David Robert Weible

David Robert Weible

David Robert Weible is an assistant editor at Preservation magazine. He came to DC from Cleveland, Ohio, where he wrote for Sailing World and Outside magazines.

The Nantucket Lightship Song: One Teacher’s Ode to a National Treasure

Posted on: March 28th, 2013 by David Robert Weible 2 Comments

 

John Rogers and his class onboard the Nantucket Lightship. Credit: US Lightship Museum
John Rogers and his class onboard the Nantucket Lightship

In the upcoming Preservation's "Past Present Future" department, we highlighted John Rogers and his fourth-grade classes at East Boston’s Curtis Guild School who made the Nantucket Lightship Museum (one of our National Treasures) more than just a field trip.

Before his class arrived at the dock for the first time in the fall of 2011, Rogers prepared articles to teach his students about the ship, and even wrote a song about its history which the class performed on deck for the museum’s staff.... Read More →

David Robert Weible

David Robert Weible

David Robert Weible is an assistant editor at Preservation magazine. He came to DC from Cleveland, Ohio, where he wrote for Sailing World and Outside magazines.

Spend the Perfect Day in Monterey

Posted on: March 27th, 2013 by Katherine Flynn 3 Comments

 

3) Another view of Monterey’s Fisherman’s Wharf. Credit: Michael PG, Flickr
Monterey’s Fisherman’s Wharf was used as an active wholesale fish market into the 1960s.

While history-rich Monterey is the ideal destination for those hoping to learn more about California’s colonial past, it is also chock-full of scenic views, stunning art, and delicious food. We’ve put together the perfect day in Monterey and invite you to take in the sights, sounds, and tastes of this jewel on the California coast.... Read More →

Katherine Flynn

Katherine Flynn

Katherine Flynn is an editorial assistant at Preservation magazine. Her work has appeared online at the Washington Post and in Consequence of Sound, a music and culture blog.

[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

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.