This December, the Trust for Architectural Easements will again provide an opportunity to tour the little-seen courtyard of the Belnord, a palatial, Renaissance-style apartment building occupying a full city block in the heart of the Upper West Side. The 13-story limestone and terra cotta building – the largest elevator apartment building in the world upon […]
Part-Time Stewardship Assistant
The Trust for Architectural Easements is seeking a part-time Stewardship Assistant Stewardship Assistant (Part-Time) Operations Overview The Trust for Architectural Easements® is one of the largest preservation easement holding organization in the nation. The Trust raises awareness about the need for historic preservation by providing grants to preservation organizations and community groups. And, through education […]
Columns: November 2012
The Adaptive Reuse of Historic Churches In 2004, the Boston Archdiocese announced plans to close 65-80 of its 357 parishes. The same year, the Detroit Archdiocese revealed it would close 65 of its churches by 2015. Citing plans for redevelopment New York City’s Archdiocese has closed several iconic churches in Manhattan, including Harlem’s 105-year-old St. […]
Architectural Ambler: Beach Cottage Row Historic District
Nags Head, North Carolina Just east of Jockey’s Ridge State Park on a mile-long stretch of oceanfront beach in Nags Head, North Carolina, you get a sense of what life on the Outer Banks was like before Brew Thru and Wings stores were common sights along Highway 158. The rambling frame houses comprising the Nags […]
Columns: July 2012
Researching Your House Recently, I have become interested in researching a little bit about the history of my house. I have been told that the house – located in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC – was built in the early 1940s, but I do not know much more than that. I found this claim […]
Preservation by Prevention: Preserving the Irreplaceable 2
Consequences of Lapsed Maintenance (Part Two) Preventative maintenance is an essential element of property ownership. Historic properties, like all buildings, require regular monitoring and upkeep to remedy minor maintenance issues and to guard against significant, and costly, problems down the road. Delayed maintenance can quickly transform a minor issue into a major threat, requiring complete […]
Preservation by Prevention: Preserving the Irreplaceable
Consequences of Lapsed Maintenance Preventative maintenance is an essential element of property ownership. Historic properties, like all buildings, require regular monitoring and upkeep to remedy minor maintenance issues and to guard against significant, and costly, problems down the road. Delayed maintenance can quickly transform a minor issue into a major threat, requiring complete replacement of […]
Architectural Ambler: Eagleville Historic District
Holden, Massachusetts This month, the Architectural Ambler visits a recent addition to the National Register of Historic Places: the Eagleville Historic District, a former textile mill village in the town of Holden, Massachusetts. One of Holden’s eight original mill villages, Eagleville is the sole remaining example: a relatively undisturbed collection of 19th and early 20th […]
Architectural Ambler: Douglaston Historic District (LPC)
Queens, New York The Douglaston Historic District in Queens, N.Y., is one of New York City’s most suburban neighborhoods. Situated on a mile-long peninsula jutting out into Little Neck Bay from the northern shore of Long Island, this certified local historic district has more than 500 historic homes – many with bay views – lining […]
Preservation by Prevention: Window Inspection
Spring is here, but summer’s blistering heat won’t take hold for a while yet. It’s the perfect time of year to throw open the windows and freshen the inside of my house with warm spring breezes. If your windows are anything like mine, they – along with the screens and storm windows – need a […]