Posts Tagged ‘Historic Preservation’

Parks and Recreation: Someone Is Trying to Alter a Gazebo!

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Did y’all see last week’s Parks and Recreation?  First of all, it was pretty darn hilarious, if my cultivated sense of humor and I do say so.

Second of all, did you see how it showcased my worst nightmares?

I don’t understand why they’re framing Amy Poehler/Leslie Knope’s reaction here as over-the-top.  It seems underplayed, if you ask me.  In fact, I think a phone booth quick change and cape would be appropriate in circumstances like these.

This clip below actually made me gasp and hide my face behind a cushion, as I’m wont to do when something is HORRIFYING. (Or when someone is singing and it’s making me embarrassed for them, but that’s neither here nor there.)

This show, and in particular these scenes, do such a great job contrasting how people view history.  For some, it’s our foundation; for others, well, don’t you think it could use some freshening up?  I mean, it’s so old and outdated. Yuck.

You know which camp I’m roasting marshmallows in.

Also, if you’re wondering why Lain and I insist on chaperoning any event that’s using inside space at the Wren’s Nest, you have your answer.

The Georgia Trust’s 2010 Places in Peril List

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This may be the one Top Ten list we’re happy not to be included on.

The Georgia Trust has released their 2010 “Places in Peril” list and, unlike 2007′s list, the Wren’s Nest was not included.  Phew!  In fact, we were even mentioned as a success story.  (See paragraph fifteen of the AJC’s great article to be inspired.)

The list details historic sites in Georgia, from a still operating hospital (Central State Hospital in Milledgeville) to an archeological site (the Leake Archeological Site in Bartow County) that need attention, funding, and general help to stay afloat or, in many cases, existent.

The list can be a tremendous boon to the sites listed on it, though inclusion doesn’t guarantee results.  It does, however, ensure attention and awareness, also known as “half the battle” (though I might push it to about 75% of the battle).

The list features two Atlanta locations, Morris Brown College and Herndon Plaza (pictured above), both of which are manifestations of African-American success in post-civil war Atlanta.  We wrote about the Herndon Home’s troubles recently, and Morris Brown has had no shortage of local coverage of late.  Still, I hope the Places in Peril list is the boost they both need.

Not to poo-poo our Atlanta brethren, but I am completely intrigued by two other places on this list.  First, you have Capricorn Recording Studios in Macon, who we have to thank for introducing the Allman Brothers to folks outside of Macon.  Southern rock aficionados, I leave this one to you.

My real favorite is The Old Dodge County Jail, mostly because looks like it was lifted directly out of Mayberry. The only difference I can gather, other than one being fictional and all,  is the fact that the Old Dodge County Jail features a quaint “hanging room.”  If the Mayberry jail had one, let me be the first to say that it was totally underutilized on the show.

Being featured on the 2007 Places in Peril list made a huge difference to the Wren’s Nest in 2006, and I hope it has a similar effect on these worthy sites.

Part One: We Don’t Want You To Miss A Historic Preservation-Related Thing

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Throughout the week, Lain and I post some pretty darn interesting things (to people who like historic preservation) on a little website I like to call Twitter.  Maybe you’ve heard of it.

We also know that some of you have not jumped on the Twitter bandwagon, and have thus missed those posts.

Not anymore, friend, not anymore.

We’re going to try to regularly round up recent tweets from @thewrensnest.  Expect more links than you can shake a stick at.  Oh, and just so you know, the museum itself speaks in first person on Twitter and has no shortage of opinions.  I hope you enjoy.

Some oldies but goodies to set the mood:

• Typing is hard. Because I’m a house.
• (On Super Bowl Sunday) Note to self: please do not catch on fire today.
  
• What happens when you have fresh paint on your outside and there’s a tornado warning? I’m about to find out.

• Drat! The humans found my 45 star flags. I still don’t trust that Oklahoma.

• ATL Alleycat Black History Bike Race used me as one of their checkpoints. Thanks, humans.

More (recent posts) to come shortly!

Crum and Forster Building Granted Landmark Status

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The Crum and Forster building has been granted Landmark status by Mayor Franklin, says Maria Saporta.  Franklin’s signature follows a unanimous vote by the Atlanta City Council to preserve the building as a city landmark.

Wahoo!

The Georgia Tech Foundation is appealing the decision to deny a demolition permit and may also appeal this decision, which must be heartening to Georgia Tech architects the world over.  That said, it’s still a major victory for the building, the neighborhood, and historic preservation in Atlanta.

Preservation in Atlanta: 14!  Demolition in Atlanta: 36,871

Sneak Peek of Wren’s Nest Interior

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Jonathan Hillyer, amazing architectural photographer, recently snapped a few photos of the Wren’s Nest to mark the completion of our conservation project.

All photos are copyright Jonathan Hillyer, but if you want to use ‘em, you can ask me nicely.  Here are the first four we could get our grubby little hands on:

This is the girls’ bedroom.  Lillian and Mildred, pictured above the mantle, grew up being called Billie and Tommie.  As I understand it, they were spoiled pretty good.

The living room was probably never this clean when Joel Chandler Harris lived here with his wife, mother, niece, 6 kids, and myriad of farm animals.

The table and chairs in the dining room came as a set from Sears for $25.  Note how the ceiling is wallpapered.  As I understand it, that’s kinda like buying a house today with granite countertops.

Joel Chandler Harris’ bedroom is the most famous room in the house.  It’s dressed for summer because Harris passed away in July of 1908.  When Mrs. Harris sold the house to the Uncle Remus Memorial Association, her stipulation was that this room not be touched, so it’s just as it was when Harris lived here.

The crib is an exception, but it is original to the home and the Harris family.  In fact, it’s still used by the Harris family from time to time.  When I was a wee babe, that was my crib.

Thanks again to Jonathan Hillyer for the photos.  There are a few more where these came from, too.

Georgia Theater Accepting Donations for Renovation — Cool or Uncool?

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One of the AJC’s new blogs, Inside Access, recently featured news about the Georgia Theatre, which was ravaged by a fire in June.

(Photo courtesy of neuftoes)

The theater, located in Athens, is now accepting donations through the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation to help offset construction costs.  If the commenters are to be believed (and given the history of commenters at the AJC, this is at best hazardous), this partnership has gotten some major panties in a bunch.

Recently, there have been a few for-profit businesses (Paste, Wordsmiths (RIP)) that have asked for donations to keep themselves alive.  The mixing of profit with non-profit tactics really ticked some people off.

Yet we, as a non-profit, ask for donations to stay alive all the time.  Really, it’s pretty much all we do.  And to date, not one person has yelped, “Well, I NEVER!” in response.

Now, I know there are inherent differences (like tax-exemption).  But how severe are those differences from the viewpoint of the Average Joe who’s happy to see both the Wren’s Nest and the Georgia Theatre in his neighborhood?  Should he not financially support the theater because it’s for-profit, even though the end result is essentially the same for him?

I know the simple logic is “Well derr, Amelia — you support the theater by giving them money to see shows they put on.  Idiot.”  But that’s hard to do when the theater is all “non-functional” and “charred.”

In the interest of full disclosure, I have donated my hard-earned pennies to for-profits, but not all that asked.  And with a lot more deliberation than when I’ve donated to non-profits.

What do y’all think?  Would you donate to the Georgia Theatre?

Wren’s Nest Conservation Project — Fixing Historic Windows

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I was reading this post on historic window repair from Villa Finale, a National Trust Historic Site in Texas, and it reminded me that I hadn’t shared anything about our own window conservation.

Most of the windows in the Wren’s Nest are original.  There’s one, however, that’s been boarded up for as long as I’ve been here.

The window is at the top of the stairwell, but it isn’t within easy reach at the top of the stairs.  The best way to get to it is actually through the secret hatch in the roof.  We’re keen on hatches.

I wanted to make sure we repaired the window as accurately as possible, but I didn’t know who to call.

That is, not until I met Tom Bretherton at the Decatur Old House Fair.  Tom kicks it so old school that he spells it ‘ye olde school’ and nobody laughs, not even the English majors.  He’s meticulous about historic preservation, and to be honest many of the details of what he did went way over my head.

Very basically, Tom removed and repaired the sash.  Then he reinstalled it, replacing a few rotten parts.

He even busted out his sewing kit.  Tom was explaining what he was doing exactly, but then the doorbell started ringing and I had to fetch it.  My guess is: sewing the rope to the rope.

When I came back we had a new window!

The glass isn’t original the to the Wren’s Nest, but it is contemporary to our glass.  There are striations and bubbles and everything.

Georgia Preservation Roundup

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The staff of the Wren’s Nest neglected to mention National Preservation Month during, uh, National Preservation Month.  Luckily, historic preservation cannot possibly be contained within the month of May, much like the NBA playoffs.  Here’s what’s going on ’round these here parts –

• Maria Saporta updates us on the threatened Crum and Forster building.  Here’s more information on how you can help (note: the date for the hearing has been changed to sometime in July).

• The AJC covers the unveiling of the handsome Noguchi Playscapes restoration at Piedmont Park.  Check out some before and after pictures.  The picture above is from 2006, courtesy of Tom from Docomomo/US-GA.

• Several buildings in Plains, GA might become a National Historical Park thanks to Jimmy Carter.

• This month the Atlanta Preservation Center is offering four Twilight Tours of Atlanta.  The tour of historic Midtown is tonight.

• And, the Atlanta Preservation Center’s summer camp — City Sleuths: Exploring the Mysteries of the City — is open for registration.  I chaperoned this camp a few years ago, and it is delightful.  Atlanta INtown has the details.

• Finally, the Buckhead Heritage Society is fighting to keep developers from removing the graves at Mt. Olive Cemetery, one of the oldest African American cemeteries around.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution Features Wren’s Nest Conservation Project

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Today’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution ran an article on our conservation project here at the Wren’s Nest.  We graced the cover of the Living Section and got a few lines on the front page too.

Online, ajc.com has a Wren’s Nest photo gallery.  Here’s one of the 17 pictures by Kent D. Johnson for the AJC –

This is probably when I was saying, “If you tell people that I only own one suit, I’ll have to get another one.”

After you check out the article and the photo album, come back here and tell me what you think.  I’ll wait, don’t worry.

Wren’s Nest Conservation Project – New Brick Path and Secret Tunnel Part 2

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The new brick pathway at the Wren’s Nest is finished, complete with a secret tunnel to divert water from the house.

Remember what it looked like before?  Not bad, huh.

Two gutters connect underground and divert water away from the house.  By moving the water a few feet from the house we will preserve the structure much more effectively.

Behold — the tunnel’s inner-workings:

Our brick folks did a great job of matching the “new” brick to the old path. They used the brick that’d just been sitting in our yard like so many foundlings.

Here’s what the foundling brick looked like in its natural habitat.

Now you can’t even tell the difference in bricks between our other path and this newbie.

Good job, bricks.  I can’t wait to walk all over you.