Preservecast

Today we're going back in time, as we often do, speaking with Mark Sledziewski about his work as the Executive Director of the the National Capital Radio & Television Museum in Bowie, Maryland. The museum collects, preserves, and interprets artifacts, programming, and publications to educate the public about the development and impact of electronic media.

We're still feeling the love here at PreserveCast! Today we're talking with Trisha Tanner, Executive Director of the Alum Association at Mount  Holyoke, about Esther Howland (Mount Holyoke class of 1847), known as the “mother of the American valentine.” At a time when most women didn't have the opportunity to be employed, let alone lead, Howland founded her card-making business and pioneered an entire industry. 

Today we're chatting with Joe Redd, safety director at Durable Slate and Durable Restoration. We talk about preservation from many angles here on PreserveCast, but we've yet to cover safety! We're excited to have this important conversation with Joe on today's episode. 

Danielle Keperling has worked in the restoration industry since 2001, but her education in the traditional trades, construction industry, and historical preservation was built from an early age through her father's work in the traditional trades and her mother's love of historic architecture. Danielle works to help historic building owners restore and preserve their piece of our built history.

Welcome to another episode of PreserveCast! Today we're talking with a previous guest, Erica Avrami PhD, to discuss her new book Second- Order Preservation Social Justice and Climate Action through Heritage Policy. Erica is the James Marston Fitch Associate Professor of Historic Preservation at Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. 

Today we're talking with Harrison Goodall Fellow Molly Baker. Molly also serves as HOPE Crew Manager in the Preservation Services and Outreach department at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Her focus is growing interest in the building preservation trades by engaging a younger, more diverse audience in hands-on preservation opportunities. Molly’s fellowship capstone project was to collect, analyze, and publish replicable models for preservation trades training. Nationwide there are examples of successful trades training programs at various levels: high school technical education courses, conservation corps training, apprenticeships, volunteer opportunities, and accredited community colleges. However, often a barrier to entering these programs is their location. Molly’s project produced a roadmap for smaller regions to create their own preservation trades training opportunities. 

Join us for a conversation with Kate Wood, founder and principal at Worth Preserving where she works with owners, architects, trades and others to rescue, rehabilitate and reimagine residential properties. With expertise on character-defining features we explore what’s “worth preserving.” 

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...HAPPY NEW YEAR! On the eve of New Year's Eve we're talking with Dr. Alexis McCrossen, a author and Professor of History at Southern Methodist University, who is now working on book about the history of New Year’s observances in the United States, tentatively titled, Time’s Touchstone: New Year’s in American Life. She is also the author of Holy Day, Holiday: The American Sunday (Cornell University Press, 2000) and Marking Modern Times: Clocks, Watches and Other Timekeepers in American Life (University of Chicago Press, 2013).  

Today we're thrilled to be joined by A.O. Scott, who, by day, serves as a critic at large for The New York Times Book Review. He's with us today to discuss his contributions to Beyond Architecture: The New New York, which commemorates the sixtieth anniversary of the passage of the New York City Landmarks Law. The 1965 law established the Landmarks Preservation Commission and initiated the era of historic preservation in New York City, the largest city in the United States. The book can be purchased here: https://www.nyrb.com/products/beyond-architecture-the-new-new-york

Today we're talking with Naomi Peach, project officer at Kiplin Hall and Gardens in North Yorkshire, the historic home of George Calvert 1st Baron Baltimore. Naomi is working on the Interpreting Kiplin for 400 Project, celebrating 400 years since the building of Kiplin Hall. The project seeks to engage with local community groups and previously under-represented audiences to create engaging and relevant interpretation for the museum and grounds.

Today we're talking with Stephanie Compton, a passionate zero-waste advocate, founder of Leave No Waste, and an advisor to policy makers. We'll discuss how her work relates to historic preservation, policy, and the deconstruction movement. 

We're again connecting with New England-based hand poke tattoo artist Owen McGrarry, who will be at Sailabration: Sailing Traditions in Ink - a festival celebrating the lives of sailors and the art of tattooing - on October 26th in Baltimore. Before the electric tattoo machine was invented in 1891 by a former sailor, tattoo artists used a simple poke and stick technique. Aboard ship, sailors often used the materials they had on hand, such as large needles for sewing sails, India ink, laundry bluing, and even gunpowder. Owen Payette McGarry is a traditional hand poke tattoo artist based in Boston, Massachusetts. He came to tattooing in 2014 through his interest in maritime folk art, while working as a boat builder.  Owen's previous episode: https://www.preservecast.org/2023/02/20/stick-poke-tattooing-with-owen-mcgarry/

Today we're sitting down with Renée Hamidi, executive director of Valleys Planning Council, a nonprofit that works to protect land and resources, preserve historic character, and maintain the rural feel of 130 square miles of northwestern Baltimore County, Maryland. We'll cover a bit about the work of Valleys Planning Council, and a current issue, the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project, that would put irreplaceable heritage sites and thousands of acres of public-and-private conserved lands at risk. 

Historical archaeologist Dr. Eleanor Breen currently directs the renowned public archaeology program and museum that preserves and interprets the buried history of the City of Alexandria, Virginia. She joins us along with return guest Scott Vierick, who serves on the Alexandria Archaeological Commission. Together they'll discuss the work of connecting Alexandrians with the Port City’s past.     

Gene Kansas, an award-winning cultural developer, preservationist, and social entrepreneur, joins us to discuss his upcoming book Civil Sights (UGA Press, 2025), about the Sweet Auburn Historic District in Atlanta and the movement to preserve it.

Today we're talking with Vedet Coleman-Robinson, Ph.D., who serves as the president and CEO of the Association of African American Museums (AAAM), an organization bringing stories of civil rights and social injustice to the forefront, chronicling the strides that have been made, and emphasizing inequalities that still exist today. AAAM is hosting its 46th Annual Conference in Baltimore August 13-16.  Learn more:   AAAM Website: Association of African American Museums – The official web site of Association of African American Museums. (blackmuseums.org) Conference registration: AAAM 2024 Conference Registration – Association of African American Museums (blackmuseums.org)  

Continuing with the Smart Growth theme from last episode, today we're chatting with Maria Tova Enriquez Dougherty from HDAdvisors about urban planning, policy, affordable housing, and the Virginia Zoning Atlas. As always, we'll cover the connection to history and preservation and the real world impact of this work.  Maria is involved on a variety of projects, including providing policy research and programmatic development for HousingForward Virginia and the Virginia Statewide Community Land Trust (VSCLT) and affordable housing real estate development. As referenced in this episode:  www.HousingForwardVA.org https://www.zoningatlas.org https://www.hdadvisors.net/        

Today we're talking with Preservation Maryland's Revitalization Policy Analyst Briana Paxton about the intersection of historic preservation and smart growth, zoning, barriers to infill, and what preservationists can do to incentivize smart development.  

Today we're talking with Rachel Robinson Vice President, Preservation at Historic Annapolis, a non-profit organization in the historic capital of Maryland. Rachel takes us through her journey to a career in preservation and the organization's current projects.     

We're excited to (finally!) sit down with C&O Canal Trust's President & CEO Lauren Riviello to talk about the C&O Canal, unique ways to activate historic resources, and the innovative Canal Quarters program. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park preserves and interprets the historical, natural, and recreational resources of the C&O Canal and has more than 5 million visitors annually. Lauren joined the C&O Canal Trust in February 2021, serving as Director of Development prior to becoming President & CEO in April 2023. During her tenure leading the Trust’s development team, the organization steadily enhanced its fundraising efforts, growing critical support for conservation, education, and preservation efforts in the C&O Canal National Historical Park. A native of Shepherdstown, WV, she grew up exploring the C&O Canal at Lock 38.