Present: Eric Breitkreutz, Matthew Bronski, Susan Close, Taya Dixon, Jack Glassman, Patrick Gutherie, Donna Harris, David M. Hart, John Hecker, Susan Hollister, Lyn Hovey, David Kelman, Peggy Kutcher, Michael Lynch, Jackie Macbride, Doug Manley, Henry Moss, Ivan Myjer, Stephen Parodie, Deborah Robinson, Susan Schur, Malcolm Smiley, Bob Thomas, Eric Ward, Sara Wermiel July MeetingDepartment of Conservation & Recreation, Historic Landscape Programs: At its July meeting, the committee discussed the broad, grass-roots nature of DCR's historic landscape survey and grant programs. Discussion also noted the number of administrative staff who are spread out and running programs at DCR who have professional degrees and experience in historic preservation. David Hart pointed out that this might be a more effective model for agencies doing sensitive work with historic sites and structures than to have a separate "office of historic resources"-- as long as enough people with the appropriate knowledge and attitudes were always part of the DCR staff. September Meeting1. BSA Preservation Award: Sara Wermiel proposed that the next BSA Preservation Award concentrate on successful additions to historic buildings. 2. Ernest Hemingway Estate Museum, San Francisco de Paula: Henry Moss showed pictures of the site, buildings, and interior settings for the extensive Hemingway collection at Finca Vigia, where Hemingway lived for 22 years before moving to the U.S. for medical reasons. Henry illustrated the construction type that was common for 19th century villas in the general area of Havana: brick walls and flat roofs of concrete on steel joists. Alterations to the building and especially the land around a portion of its footings have created movement and cracking. Water has penetrated the roof and affected the steel joists. The collection on display is without climate control. The Hemingway Preservation Association, a U.S. non-profit organization has nearly completed an extensive documents conservation project at Finca Vigia in association with the Cuban government, the New England Documents Conservation Center, and the Kennedy Library. The Hemingway Preservation Association proposed a feasibility study for the Hemingway estate as a cultural landscape, its house museum, and its collection that would be done in the United States. The U.S. Department of State denied a license for the study, because it was seen to support tourism and, therefore, the Castro government. Henry also described the management of the Old Havana as a UNESCO World Monuments site. Dr. Eusebio Leal Spengler, Historian of the City of Havana conceived and administers an integrated restoration and rehabilitation approach that coordinates construction, hotels, tours, transportation, archaeology, and city planning for the extensive precinct of Old Havana. Finances for all these activities are managed as a revolving fund allowing for infrastructure improvements and continuous building rehabilitation. Unusually for such centralized programs, Old Havana's revitalization has demonstrated a number of new ideas, great flexibility, and continuous accomplishment. Henry suggested that committee members who are interested in Modern Movement architecture plan to visit Havana some day, look for illustrated lectures that Lee Cott presents periodically and see the Polidari photographs currently exhibited at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem. Havana is exceptional (globally) for the enthusiasm with which its populace and its architects embraced Modernism in building and in the visual arts. The extent of Modern Movement construction and the popularity of its design remain remarkable although the visible infrastructure of Havana and its buildings are shockingly deteriorated. 3. Archdiocesan Property Disposal: The Archdiocese has announced its parish suppressions and in spite of local protests, this vast effort is underway. There is little or no coordination of disposal of the buildings or their contents with historic preservation agencies beyond the towns that will affect reuse and redevelopment possibilities, largely through zoning restrictions. The Preservation Coalition's "Preserving Historic Religious Properties, LA toolkit for Parish and Community Leaders" may have more relevance for the group's who purchase properties from the Archdiocese than for decisions about how to dispose of properties or which churches to retain. The MHC Statewide Conference in Salem hosted a charrette that studied sites and structures of different periods and configurations. 4. Gaiety Theater: Jackie Macbride, President of the Park Plaza CAC, raised the issue of hazardous materials removal at the Gaiety Theater. Chris Reidy of the Boston Globe had written a piece saying that demolition was more extensive than warranted by the hazardous materials removal permit. Michael Lynch, Susan Schur, and David Kelman pointed out that there are ways to use asbestos removal as a way of adding to deterioration of buildings and making demolition more extensive than Inspectional Services or Environment Departments anticipate. 5. Brick Conference: Susan Schur announced that the next Technology and Conservation conference will concentrate on brick construction. It is planned for March 2006. The BSA and MIT are co-sponsors of the conference. 6. Alexander Parris Archive: Sara announced that the the Massachusetts State Library has digitized its the Alexander Parris manuscripts it has in its collection and these can now be viewed at www.parrisproject.org.
The Architecture of Additions (and Subtractions); Good Neighbors/Additions in Historic Contexts 8: 00 a.m., Thursday, October 14, 2004 The Architects’ Building, 52 Broad Street, Boston – Fifth Floor
Henry Moss, Matthew Bronski, and Sara Wermiel co-leaders and scribes
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