Photo by Dave & Angie M. (Original Image)

Original windows matter. From dramatic Gothic masterpieces to the colorful details of stained glass, these gems are instrumental in telling the special stories of our older and historic homes and buildings. For this reason (and so many more), we’ve launched a Weatherization Guide to show homeowners how they can hang on to their unique windows and still meet their goals for going green and achieving greater energy efficiency. Each Wednesday, we’ll take that a step further and inject a little TLC into the blogosphere by spotlighting a user-submitted photo of an older or historic window for the world to see.

Bookmark our Weatherization Guide as a resource for making your older or historic home more eco-friendly without compromising its character. Want to give your favorite window a moment in the limelight? Grab your digital camera and join our Love Your Historic Windows photo group on Flickr for a chance to be next week’s spotlight.

The William Thomas American Legion post, in Alexandria, VA.

William Thomas was the first African American from Alexandria, Virginia to be killed during World War I. Despite the long American history of slavery and segregation, African American males from all over the country still joined the war effort during World War I, viewing the conflict as an opportunity to prove their patriotism and worthiness for equal treatment in the United States. While the Army was often more accepting of African Americans than other military branches, white men often refused to salute black officers and black officers were often barred from officer’s clubs and quarters. As Veterans’ Day nears, it is unfortunate that the few tangible reminders of these soldiers’ historic struggles are being erased from history.

Not only did African Americans’ difficulties help shape the American military institution, their struggles also helped forge other institutions of southern cities. Alexandria is no exception. From the late 17th century, African Americans lived, worked and helped form Alexandria into an important regional market and seaport. Alexandria’s African American population, both slave and free, left an indelible mark on the city’s development and continued to influence the city through the segregation dilemmas of the 20th century.

By the end of the 18th century, Alexandria had a large population of free blacks, which lead to the establishment of several early free black neighborhoods including the Bottoms, Hayti, Uptown (Parker-Gray), the Berg or Fishtown, Cross Canal, the Hump and the Hill. Uptown emerged on the western side of the city and later became the Parker-Gray/Uptown Historic District.

While many African Americans resided in Alexandria, many did not remain long in the city, but passed through Alexandria’s notorious slave market on Duke Street. In the 19th century, Alexandria became of one of the largest exporters of slaves in the south. The site of the slave market was excavated through Alexandria Archaeology, one of the nation’s first citywide archaeology programs. In 1985 the site of the slave market was rededicated as Freedom Place and is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

Due to the legacy of African American life in Alexandria, the Parker-Gray/Uptown Historic District was established to protect one of Alexandria’s traditional African American neighborhoods and to help residents better understand African American culture and community. The District not only has links to slavery and the role of free blacks, but it also contains structures that relate to the social and institutional history of segregation.

During the segregation era, Alexandria established its first black public schools — the Snowden School for Boys and the Hallowell School for Girls. In 1920, these two schools were later consolidated and named Parker-Gray after John Parker, principal of the Snowden School and Sarah Gray principal of the Hallowell School.

Many of the historic buildings in the Parker Gray/Uptown District have unfortunately been lost, including the Parker-Gray School, which was demolished in the 1980s. However, many remain intact including a nondescript structure located at 224 N Fayette Street. This simple frame building was built in the 1940s as a nursery school for black children. The structure has features characteristic of mail-order buildings from ca.1910-1940 and is reminiscent of the Rosenwald Schools. It retains its historic character, and most of its original architectural details, such as exposed rafter beams. There are no other structures like it in Alexandria and many similar mid-20th century African American institutional buildings in Virginia have been lost.

The nursery school was later sold for another institutional use — the American Legion William Thomas Post. The post was the only American Legion in Alexandria that admitted black veterans during the segregation era.

Even though the structure is a contributing building within the Parker Gray/Uptown Historic District, the building at 224 N Fayette Street was approved for demolition in 2009 to make way for new development. Some residents of the Parker Gray/Uptown Historic District only remember the building while it was rented out for raucous parties; many are not aware that the structure represents African American educational institutions during the segregation era, and memorializes black American soldiers of the First World War

Many, including the Office of Historic Alexandria and Alexandria’s Black History Museum feel that the demolition of the structure would be detrimental to the public interest due to its association with African American institutions within the neighborhood, and are fighting for its continued existence.

Boyd Walker from the Alexandria Preservation Alliance feels that the structure meets all of the criteria requiring preservation in Alexandria and believes that the building could be used to educate and serve all the citizens of Alexandria. Whether it’s the history of African American education during segregation, or the role African Americans played during wartime, the structure certainly has stories to tell and it would be a loss if we allowed these stories to go untold.

Sonja Ingram is a field representative with APVA/Preservation Virginia.

Nate V. at the Franklin School.

Hi, this is Nate V. again. Today I am writing to you on a much more personal topic, about how the Boise Architecture Project has impacted the way I look at the world around me and about how it has affected my own life in general.

The BAP is one of the greatest things that I have come in contact with in my high school career. It is entirely built upon student interest, maintained by faculty, has been made a great success, and has been noted for receiving national and local merits. The fact that this was created by a teacher and ultimately controlled by students marvels me, even months after I did the project. What seemed to be a “just get it over with” type of project when first introduced has been transformed into an enlightening quest, so to speak, when doing research on a local building.

The fact that it is local is one of the best parts of this project. You get to see common buildings that you pass everyday tell a story which unravels the mystery of the history of this great city. After all, it is in these recognized or unrecognized buildings that the very foundation of every city is built upon, whether they are old, new, modern, or classic.

Nate V. inside the organ at St. John's Cathedral.

Ever since taking part in the BAP, I have never been the same, but in an entirely good, educational way. These once simple stone and concrete structures are now an intriguing array of shapes and stories. I look at a building, examine it, notice its shape, see the materials that are used, the window structure, the size, and then possibly give a venture on when it was made. But I realize that this is only the beginning of my curiosity. I then want to know the designer of the building. How did he get the job? Why did he design this building in this certain way? What was his motive? I get lost in my own excitement about a building.

I noticed myself doing this on several buildings, particularly on the Morrison Center, part of Boise State University. I couldn’t get my mind off it. I know that most of you would not waste a second thought on a mere building and most likely think I am little crazy, but the natural wonder of it all is that these buildings will be around for years and years continuing to serve their purposes and gain new stories. These new stories will inspire people to give an ounce of a thought to what even brought this building here.

I do not know if I will ever look at another building the same again, or if I will forget all of this years down the line, but I do know that it is because of these experiences, like the BAP, that help me grow in multiple aspects of my life and I want to share my amazement with those around me, hoping that it might spur on the smallest change in peoples’ perceptions of architecture. Perhaps you feel similarly about buildings?

Nate V. is a student at Boise’s Timberline High School and is participating in the Boise Architecture Project. You can follow the students here on the PreservationNation blog and on their Flickr photostream. Also, get daily updates from their teacher, Doug StanWiens, on Twitter.

Are you an educator interested in teaching preservation in your classroom? Visit PreservationNation.org for resources, tips, and ideas to enhance your curriculum with lessons that will teach your students to recognize and appreciate the rich history that surrounds them.

On Election Day, San Francisco voters soundly rejected an initiative that would have created a Mid-Market Special Sign District where new general advertising signs would be permitted. Proposition D was rejected by 53.88% of voters. In fact, it was the only proposition of five on the ballot that was defeated.

The result reaffirmed San Franciscans’ traditional aversion to billboards. In 2002, when 79.1% of voters supported an initiative that established an ordinance prohibiting new general advertising signs anywhere in the City. San Francisco’s Municipal Code also prohibits all general advertising signs on Market Street downtown.

Proposition D, which was sponsored by Market Street property owners, would have created a special sign district on and near Market Street between 5th and 7th streets where new general advertising signs would not be subject to the City-wide ban on new billboards or the ban on all general advertising signs in the Market Street Special Sign District. Had Prop D passed, just about any sort of sign would have been fair game, including roof signs, wind signs, video signs, rotating signs, wall signs, signs with moving parts, and signs with illumination.

The opposition to Prop D was led by San Francisco Beautiful, which had sponsored the 2002 proposition banning new billboards. While Mid-Market has proven remarkably resistant to revitalization, San Francisco Beautiful rightly pointed out that “We can’t fight blight with blight…the extreme presence of billboards along those two blocks could destroy prospects for fully restoring the whole of Market Street, San Francisco’s grand boulevard, to a world-class standard.”

San Francisco Beautiful also expressed concern over a copy cat effect where private interests throughout the city might attempt to circumvent existing zoning and land-use restrictions through well-funded ballot box campaigns.

Anthony Veerkamp a senior program officer at the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Western Office.

Supreme Court Building

The Supreme Court was my favorite. It was so beautiful and there was a lot for me to take in. I love columns in buildings and the Supreme Court is covered with them. The tops of the columns are covered with beautiful, detailed designs. The motto of the Supreme Court beautifully saying, “Equal Justice Under Law.” The front steps are marble and marvelous. The sculpture at the top of the building is so well detailed and amazing. The sculptures on both sides at the bottom of the stairs are huge, one man and one women, which is weird because at the time it was built it was all men that took office. Anyway, the sculptures are so detailed and beautifully depict the government.

I also loved the Lincoln Memorial. The whole outside and inside are amazing. All the states that were states under his presidency, surrounds the monument and again the columns are so neat. Also, the geometrics of the building are fascinating.

Even, though all these buildings are cool and amazing I am so glad for BAP. I would not have fully appreciated and understood the significance of these buildings if it weren’t for AP History and BAP. I would be lost and just see them as cool instead of the historical icons that they are! Without BAP I would be callous towards those glorious columns that I love so much. The great history behind these buildings is remarkable. I was talking to Nate V. who has blogged before and he went when he was a small child and didn’t know anything about the significance of the place. He told me that he wished he could go again so that he could experience it like I did. I’m so appreciative of BAP and of Mr. StanWiens, because without them I would not be the same.

Kim M. is a student at Boise’s Timberline High School and is participating in the Boise Architecture Project. You can follow the students here on the PreservationNation blog and on their Flickr photostream. Also, get daily updates from their teacher, Doug StanWiens, on Twitter.

Are you an educator interested in teaching preservation in your classroom? Visit PreservationNation.org for resources, tips, and ideas to enhance your curriculum with lessons that will teach your students to recognize and appreciate the rich history that surrounds them.

When I was an undergraduate at the College of William and Mary  I loved  learning about the succession of kings that led up to the Glorious Revolution (which marks the ascension of King William and Queen Mary and the creation of the English Bill of Rights).  Every year I spent the fifth of November thinking about Guy Fawkes and his band of co-conspirators who participated in the “Gunpowder Plot” to blow up the English Parliament in London in an effort to usher in a new era of Catholicism in Protestant England.  While unsuccessful, every fifth of November British citizens commemorate the capture of Guy Fawkes with bonfires and effigies.

In accordance with my standard tradition, I awoke this morning thinking about failed plots to blow up parliament—and then I did double take: How could it be the fifth of November already? While we have plenty of time left in 2009, I thought it would be worthwhile to make an end of the year list-things I want to get done in the world of preservation before 2010 rolls around. So here’s a quick glimpse of what I have on my preservation to do list. What’s on yours?

1. Think about what I learned in Nashville and how that can be used to help preservationists do their jobs. What tools would be the most useful for Forum Members?
2. Read the latest Preservation Magazine and Forum Journal.
3. Tweet more (@PC_Presnation)
4. Check out Preservation Resource Center of Louisiana’s Preservation in Print. They have a new hardcopy look that I love!
5. Look for ways to honor Native American Heritage in Preservation.

Just a small part of my list, of course, but it keeps me from thinking about what comes next—those dreaded New Year’s Resolutions!

Priya Chhaya is the program assistant in the Center for Preservation Leadership at the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Lambertville City Hall, NJ

New Jersey, like many others states these days, is facing a severe budget crisis. In the interest of cost cutting and finding ways to save dollars, New Jersey could have dismantled its preservation and open space programs, citing the need to channel its limited funds elsewhere. Or New Jersey could have said preservation was not fiscally sound in a tough economic climate. Other states are certainly doing this so why not New Jersey too? The difference is the decision was left to voters of New Jersey, instead of the legislature. Yesterday on Election Day voters approved a $400 million ballot measure that allows three existing programs to continue, including a nationally-recognized grant program for historic preservation. This, in a state with one of the highest property tax rates in the country and an equally high cost of living. Voters rejected arguments that the state could no longer afford to support open space preservation and grants to preserve historic sites.

Preservation is all too often seen as a luxury when the economy is down. States all over are slashing budgets and eliminating important preservation programs in the interest of saving dollars. What happened in New Jersey yesterday demonstrates how important preservation is in tough and good times. People care about their heritage and places that matter, regardless of how bad things are with the economy. And increasingly preservation is rightfully being recognized for its role in creating jobs and leveraging dollar-for-dollar resources as a true economic stimulus. In a state that has a bit of an inferiority complex – thanks in part to the Sopranos and, most recently, the Real Housewives of New Jersey – today New Jersians can hold their head up high — very high.

Approval of Public Question #1 continues the New Jersey Historic Trust, the Farmland Preservation Program and Green Acres as a stop-gap measure for another two years — funding historic preservation projects and the acquisition and preservation of farmland and open space. $12 million of the $400 million goes directly to support historic preservation projects statewide. In 20 years, the New Jersey Historic Trust has awarded more than $123 million in matching grants for preservation planning and “bricks and mortar” projects to 532 historic sites throughout New Jersey.

Have a pressing policy issue is your state? As we did in New Jersey and others, the National Trust for Historic Preservation can help by issuing an alert to our members and encouraging them to take quick action.

To find out more about New Jersey’s ballot measure, go to www.state.nj.us/gspt/question1.html

Columbia Rosenwald School

On Saturday, October 24, the Columbia Rosenwald School celebrated its restoration and Grand Re-Opening. It was a sunny and exciting day, made possible by the hard work and generosity of the West Columbia, TX community, and larger support from organizations such like the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Lowe’s, among others.

The restoration project was a long and challenging one. The school was discovered in 1995, while being used as a hay barn. It took 14 years to raise the necessary funding and implement our plans. The first step was to move the building across town to its new home adjacent to the historical museum prior to beginning the restoration.

To date, 85 alumni who attended the school from 1921 to 1948 have been identified. About 15 still live in West Columbia or nearby cities and towns and most were in attendance at the re-opening of the school. With nearly 600 people in there in all, the day kicked off with tours of the museum and school, followed by Gospel music from the Apostolic Church choir, and students from Barrow and West Columbia elementary schools singing songs from the 1920s. A hot dog lunch was donated for the entire crowd, and then the ribbon cutting and rededication began. Representatives from both Lowe’s and the National Trust spoke at the event.

The building is now filled with school furnishings from the 1920’s and will serve as West Columbia’s first children’s museum. The children that have visited are fascinated to see what life was for their great-grandparents’ generation so many years ago.

When Julius Rosenwald dreamed of creating this school building program, he wanted blacks and whites, rich and poor, farmers and bankers to work together to raise money and help to build the schools. I’m so pleased that we have come full circle in 2009 to restore the school. Our entire community has rallied together for this project and Mr. Rosenwald’s vision has been realized, and the building will once again be used to educate our children.

The Columbia Rosenwald School received a $50,000 grant in 2009, part of a larger, $1,000,000 annual donation from Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation to fund historic preservation projects throughout the country. Since 2006, Lowe’s has generously contributed $4M to fund 53 preservation and restoration projects across the country, including 33 Rosenwald School buildings.

Guest blogger, Naomi Smith is a Board Member of the Columbia Historical Museum and served as the Chair of the Columbia Rosenwald Steering Committee.

For more information on the National Trust’s Rosenwald Schools Initiative:

• www.RosenwaldSchools.com
• Lowe’s Preservation Fund
• www.ColumbiaRosenwaldSchool.com
• Columbia Rosenwald School video

Hi from beautiful Boise where fall is providing colder weather, crispy air, warm light, and colorful leaves.    The Boise Architecture Project conducted our annual Fall Architecture Walk a week ago and had a great time.   This year, we decided to focus our walk on buildings that would work for the Idaho State Historical Society’s photo contest, in other words historic government buildings.    Per the contest requirements, these could be currently occupied by government offices or have been originally built or used by government employees.   Seeing as Boise is the capitol, there are a lot of these around our town.   BAP students took some really nice pictures, many of which are pictured for you here.   Of course the best have been entered into the contest and we’ll feature those at later date.    BAP students rocked the contest again this year with 32 entries and some amazing photos.    We hope you enjoy the slide show!

Doug StanWiens teaches U.S. history at Boise’s Timberline High School and spearheads the Boise Architecture Project. This semester, his class of juniors and seniors are blogging about what they are doing in class and in the field to learn more about their community and its history. You can follow the students here on the PreservationNation blog and on their Flickr photostream. Also, get daily updates from the teacher himself on Twitter.

Are you an educator interested in teaching preservation in your classroom? Visit PreservationNation.org for resources, tips, and ideas to enhance your curriculum with lessons that will teach your students to recognize and appreciate the rich history that surrounds them.

Visitor Center Opening

Last week, at long last, the Villa Finale Visitor Center opened to the public with great fanfare – both natural and manmade! Nearly 300 friends and neighbors turned out to visit, explore our exhibits, and check out the Museum Shop during our opening celebration. We began with a very touching dedication ceremony featuring remarks from a niece of Walter Mathis’s, as well as Jim Vaughan, the Vice President of Historic Sites for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Phil Hardberger, the former mayor of San Antonio. All knew Mr. Mathis and remarked on how proud he would have been to see his dream of a museum beginning to come true.

Following the ceremony, the guests were treated to wonderful food from the Liberty Bar, beer donated Eugene Simor of Alamo Beer, and an excellent selection of wine generously provided by Charles Butt of HEB. King William neighbors joined us as part of their quarterly social, and I think many of them were excited to learn more about their neighborhood and see objects they had loaned to us for the exhibits.

You’ll see additional blog entries about the exhibits and shop shortly, but in the meantime, if you’re in the neighborhood, come check them out! The Visitor Center is located at the corner of Turner and Madison in the King William district, and we’re open from 9:30am – 3:30pm Wednesday-Saturday, and Tuesdays 12:00 – 3:30 pm.

I also want to thank Councilwoman Mary Alice Cisneros for all she did to facilitate the event, Richard Thompson of Thompson Landscaping for lending us the gorgeous plants for the event, and Josie Fauerso and Joey Fauerso for the flowers. And we couldn’t have done it without Esther Pipoly, Jessie Kardys, Josie Fauerso, Betty Murray Halff, Carolene Zehner, and Alice Lynch, who volunteered their time to help with the planning. In addition to those mentioned above, we also had generous financial support from Dwight Hobart, Frost, and The Howard and Betty Halff Fund.

It was a fantastic night, but what I think I’ll always remember is this:

Weeks ago, while we were planning the event, we went back and forth on whether to rent a tent. They’re not cheap, and we hadn’t had any significant rain in South Texas for many many months. The odds of actually getting rain that day seemed about as good as my winning the lottery – which is pretty impossible since I don’t buy lottery tickets. But rain here is serious business. No polite little drizzle making one want to curl up on the couch with a cup of tea. We’re talking Noah-get-the-ark-because-the-floodwaters-are-rising kind of rain. So we decided not to take any chances. Thanks to the generosity of the Steves Foundation, we rented the tent, and are we ever glad we did!

Just as the dedication ceremony was about to get underway, Hurricane Rick decided to make his appearance. (Hey, who invited that guy?) The roar of the rain on the tent was so loud that the guests couldn’t hear the speakers even with microphones, so we had to move everyone into the building for the speeches. By the time the last speaker finished, we’d received about an inch of rain! Thankfully the rain slowed after that and it turned into a very pleasant evening for all.