Episodes: page 15

It’s easy to be surprised by the history in your own backyard, even if you’re a historic preservationist. Nathan Dennies, the chairperson and founder of the Greater Hampden Heritage Alliance, joined Nick to trace the history of Baltimore’s iconic Hampden-Woodberry neighborhood, including the many recently re-purposed historic mills, Baltimore’s famous “Avenue,” and the Jones Falls […]

Often if we don’t make a special effort to remember and tell the stories of individuals and groups within history, their contributions to our shared story can all too easily be forgotten. That is as true for Jewish-Americans as for any other group. And that is why Jerry Klinger founded the Jewish American Society for […]

Ever walk into a historic building or place and find yourself imagining new ways to use it? Like an art project or public event? Well, it’s one thing to have the idea, but a historic change maker like today’s guest Dana Saylor, is someone who actually follows through. Dana is a prominent voice in placemaking, […]

A few weeks ago we took PreserveCast on the road — albeit only a few blocks — to visit a truly unique historic place, the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM). Nick sat down with AVAM’s founder, Rebecca Hoffberger, in one of the museums several re-purposed historic buildings to discuss the history of the institution that houses the […]

When is a building worth saving? This can be a controversial question even among preservationists. Greg Galer, the Executive Director of the Boston Preservation Alliance, joined us on PreserveCast to share his perspective. Greg has worked to preserve many examples of mid-century modern Brutalist architecture like Boston City Hall and the Boston Christian Science Center. […]

It may not come as a surprise that some historians and museum professionals are not always quick to adapt to change, but that’s only some of us. There are others out there, like today’s guest Frank Vagnone, who not only are capable of adapting, but thrive on inverting the status quo of museums and public […]

How are battlefields preserved? Why are battlefields preserved? What should we do with a battlefield site once it is protected? These are all important questions and we are fortunate to be joined by someone who can possibly provide the answers. Jim Lighthizer is the President of the Civil War Trust and an expert in battlefield […]

Often with history and historic preservation it can be all too easy for the places associated with a particular piece of our history to fall through the cracks. To a degree, that has been the case with the history of Maryland’s Women’s Suffrage Movement. But today we’re joined by historian Kacy Rohn, a native Marylander […]

It doesn’t matter if it’s your molar, your canine, or what, everybody has some kind of sweet tooth. Something that you may not be thinking about is how that sweet tooth has played a role in history. Susan Benjamin is the founder of True Treats Candy in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and author of the […]

Based in Newport, Rhode Island, The 1772 Foundation’s mission is to ensure the safe passage of historic buildings and farmland to future generations in the Northeast and around the country. Under the direction of today’s guest, Mary Anthony, one of the key tools the Foundation uses to accomplish this mission is their nationwide historic property […]

As historic preservationists, we often can fall into only thinking about history through the framework of buildings and sites or even get caught up on buildings from just one era. That is not the case for our guest today, Dr. Bill Schindler. Bill is one of the world’s leading experimental archaeologists and an expert on […]

Understanding why preserving historic places makes good economic sense can sometimes seem complex and hard to explain. But fortunately our guest today is Donovan Rypkema, the Principal of PlaceEconomics and the President of Heritage Strategies International, and a man who has made a career out of explaining the interplay of economics, real estate, and preservation. […]

When does history end? For some, like today’s guest Clare Lise Kelly, it might be closer to the present than you think. Clare is an architectural historian here in Maryland whose focus is the preservation of mid-century modern architecture from the 1950s and 60s. She literally wrote the book Montgomery Modern, focused on the architecture […]

From buildings to furniture to fine art, there are few historic objects or items that Dr. Susan Buck would be unable to analyze through the microscopic examination of paint samples. Join us for a conversation about Susan’s work on projects from Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia, to the Forbidden City in Beijing, China, to items from 19th […]

As preservationists, we here at PreserveCast are usually concerned with the physical history: what we can know from the cold hard facts. But seeing as how it’s October and Halloween is around the corner, we thought we’d talk a little about haunted history. Author Colin Dickey joined me to talk about the history of ghost […]

Few historic moments continue to reverberate through our nation quite like the Civil War and the abolition of slavery. But despite the way the history lives on, there are some parts that will always be challenging for us to face as a nation. Joe McGill, the founder of the Slave Dwelling Project, joined me to […]

Building Information Modeling (BIM) allows architects to measure elements of a building down to the centimeter, and Tom Reinhart is here to explain how George Washington’s Mount Vernon is expanding on that technology even further to get the most benefit for historic preservationists. What do you get when you cross information from George Washington’s own […]

It’s hard to talk about the history of the Civil War without touching on the Maryland Campaign, which came to an end with the Battle of Antietam. This battle was not only the single bloodiest day of the War, but also precipitated Abraham Lincoln’s issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation. And as important as the battle […]

Community Forklift is part of a vital, growing industry, that of reuse and architectural salvage. Ruthie Mundell, the current Director of Outreach and Education and one of Community Forklift’s first employees is here to share with us her own origin story, as well as share about the amazing work that the group is doing today. […]

Historic preservation is about maintaining a record of human history and those who have come before us, and that doesn’t just mean buildings. Film, tape, and other analog media mediums are not going to last forever and there are only a few people out there who understand the potential threat of losing countless hours of […]