The final course of the semester is Historic Preservation. Taught by Mr. Nash, we are learning about the preservation of historic structures. In order to learn how to preserve the structure, we are first learning how they were constructed. We have discussed the construction methods for a wood framed house and a brick house. Next week we are going to start discussing the interiors of the house.
There is A LOT of reading for this class. In addition to the two text books, Everyday Architecture of Mid-Atlantic (By Dr. Lanier) and Twenty Buildings Every Architect Should Understand, we are also required to read several books on reserve in the library and the National Park Services’ Preservation Briefs. These are how-to guides for restoring and preserving aspects of historic structures. There are 47 of these briefs available and we will read them all by the end of the semester.
We have not papers for the class. We do have weekly presentations, however. He paired each of us with another student and assigned a book or article important to the art of preservation. We have to create a presentation to give in class that must last no longer than 30 minutes. He has several goals with this project. The first is to expose the class to these important works, but the other is to give each of us experience with presenting information.
“General Jones” House
The most important project of the semester is our “project house.” The class was divided into two groups and we are each researching a house as if we were going to place it on the National Register of Historic Places. The grad students are in charge of the group and we work with our group as well as oversee the work of the undergrads. My group is working on the building that currently houses the Shen-Valley Band Company and is rumored to once be the home of Confederate General William E. Jones, who was killed in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign. There is no evidence to support this claim, so it is up to our group to dig through Sanborn maps, deeds, and genealogy records to find out. I will write more about the house itself at a later date.
This class has really gotten me excited about historic preservation and I think it is something that I might be interested in pursuing after I finish my Master’s Degree. I am looking into summer internships and would really like to work in the preservation field. It is a combination of the this course and Dr. Lanier’s Public History course that have led me to this conclusion.
-Eric
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