PreservationNation

Gutting. It’s kind of a bad word in some preservation circles. But in the case of Lionel Lofts, most of the interior walls and surfaces weren’t original to the building: drywall, dropped ceilings, and carpet that would make me fear for my life if I walked on it barefoot.

As you can see … EXPOSED BRICK! Although in most cases exposed brick was never intended to be exposed, it’s a trend that adds warmth and character to building interiors and isn’t likely to go away any time soon. For capital H historic buildings, keep the plaster. For lofts in a cool-and-old-but-not-necessarily-historic-building on a hot restaurant corridor, exposing brick isn’t exactly a deal breaker.

Removing the plaster also exposed some 10-Commandments-shaped brick details in the walls (above). Anyone have an explanation for these? They don’t tie into anything on the inside, but don’t look like they were windows, either.

Demolition is a dusty job. But someone’s gotta do it. While wearing air purifying masks.

During an intensive demo such as this, spraying a mist of water over the debris is an effective way to minimize airborne particulate matter, AKA all the stuff I was breathing in since I wasn’t wearing a mask.

Goodbye, old pipes.

At this point you’re probably wondering: “Are they saving anything??” Yes, but not much. The floor joists, elaborate radiators, and things like cool old cast iron sinks are being salvaged. But otherwise, the interiors will be pretty much brand new. Inside the old exterior, of course.

Mid-way through demo on the second floor…

And almost done with demo on the second floor. Notice a difference in ceiling height?

I thought this was a neat juxtaposition of places where the exterior has been opened and closed over time. From left to right: original window, new(ish … very much ish) air conditioner unit, and old doorway, now bricked up.

As you can see above, the garage space is currently being used to sort and store demolition debris. Although the demo to this point has taken place only on the top two levels, hammers will hit the first floor retail space starting later this week.

David Garber is the blog editor at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. More information on this development project can be found on the Lionel Lofts website.

Written by Priya Chhaya

My earliest historical memories as a child involve a road trip up to Gettysburg National Military Park. At the time it felt like an epic journey (field trips rule!) with a group of friends. I must have been in elementary school at the time because my impressions of that first trip are mostly of being somewhere away from school, and not much about the battlefield itself.

The battlefield. (Photo: fauxto_digit on Flickr)

Fast forward a few years later. I was a senior in high school and we were back over the Maryland border in Pennsylvania. What’s different about this time is context. We had spent weeks talking about the battle and its role in the Civil War. We watched Gettysburg, read The Killer Angels to see how the battle was interpreted, and recognized the love for a fictional Buster Kilraine. I knew more about what I was looking at, and where I was standing. Together the group – like many before us – reenacted Pickett’s Charge, posed in Devil’s Den like a Matthew Brady photograph, and tried to charge up Little Round Top – getting a clearer idea for tactics. It was a great trip. Public history at its finest.

The hills and woods of Gettysburg are covered in boulders. (Photo: macwagen on Flickr)

Although I’ve been to Gettysburg a few times since then, a day trip this past weekend made me think about the journey in a different way. For those of you not from this city, Gettysburg is about an hour and forty-five minutes from Washington, DC. It’s a straight shot up Interstate 270 and Route 15 just over the Maryland border into Pennsylvania. It is a beautiful drive with the Blue Ridge Mountains rising past you into a brilliant blue sky (in my case this was a surprisingly clear sky following a gentle snowfall). It is also a drive that includes the Catoctin Mountain Maryland Scenic Byway.

Scenic byway through Gettysburg. (Photo: fauxto_digit on Flickr)

I think the best definition of what a byway is from the New York Department of Transportation website which states “A scenic byway is a road, but not just a road. It’s a road with a story to tell.” These roads push travelers off the beaten path and links together history, transportation and culture. In the case of the Catoctin Mountain Scenic Byway, you learn about the soldiers who marched to Gettysburg, Maryland’s Native American history, and Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American born saint.

Above all else, what pulled me in and made me grateful for the opportunity was how the byway linked the natural beauty of our country with our past, providing me with a vista that inspires.

The National Scenic Byways Program is just one of many preservation programs threatened in the new American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act (HR 7). Learn more about the bill and its effect on historic preservation.

Priya Chhaya is an Online Content Coordinator in the Preservation Division at the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Nominations are now open for the 2012 Richard H. Driehaus National Preservation Awards. We’ll be highlighting a few of our favorites from last year here on the blog to give you a sense of what’s won in the past, and hope to see some of your projects here when the winners are announced at the 2012 National Preservation Conference in Spokane, Washington, on November 2!

Minvilla Manor – Knoxville, Tennessee
2011 National Trust/HUD Award

In the early 20th century, Fifth and Broadway was just a streetcar ride away from the bustling heart of Knoxville’s commercial center, and the 13 Minvilla townhomes were the height of sophisticated living for the city’s growing middle class. By the 1960s, however, the townhomes had been converted into the Fifth Avenue Motel, a magnet for crime.

In 2006, just four years after the building was condemned by the City of Knoxville, a private social services agency purchased the old Minvilla development and made it the flagship project of the city’s pioneering Ten-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness. Using a complex mix of public and private funds, the agency enlisted the help of local craftspeople to meticulously repair and reconstruct the building’s historic features. The notorious motel was reborn as Minvilla Manor: 57 studio and one-bedroom units of permanent supportive housing for the formerly homeless - all of which meet ENERGY STAR standards. The restoration is part of a larger revitalization in the area, and it has set an example for new commercial and residential development in the surrounding area.

Each year the National Trust for Historic Preservation celebrates the best of preservation by presenting the Richard H. Driehaus National Preservation Awards to individuals and organizations whose contributions demonstrate excellence in historic preservation. We invite you to nominate a deserving individual, organization, agency, or project for a Richard H. Driehaus National Preservation Award. The nomination deadline for all awards is March 15, 2012.