Join Us for the Upcoming Replacement Materials Symposium! (Guest Blog)

By Lisa Mroszczyk Murphy, AICP

On June 10, 2017 the Maryland Association of Historic District Commissions (MAHDC) will host their second annual statewide symposium in Rockville, MD, focusing on the often controversial topic of the use of substitute materials on historic properties.   At this highly anticipated event participants will be able to learn about non-traditional materials and their appropriateness for use on historic buildings through interactive sessions led by leading practitioners in the field and from fellow historic preservation commissioners, staff, historic property owners, and preservationists.

The Replacement Materials Symposium will tackle the following questions:

• Why do preservationists have a tradition of retaining historic materials and how do replacement materials fit in?
• What are the current trends in historic preservation commissions accepting or denying substitute materials?
• How do commissions and staff best incorporate alternate materials into their design review process and guidelines?
• What do these replacement materials look and feel like up close?

The round out the day’s discussion, participants will have an opportunity to visit the Vendor Hall where leading manufacturers of some of the most popular types of alternate materials such as cementitious siding, door and garage door materials, recycled plastic for porch floors, fiberglass and vinyl porch columns, synthetic slate, and aluminum clad and composite/fiberglass windows. Participants will be able to speak to the vendors while touching and seeing the materials in person.  Check out the event website for a full list of material manufacturers.

Dr. Theodore Prudon

The symposium keynote speaker will be Dr. Theodore Prudon, FAIA, FAPT, FoIFI, BNADr.  Dr. Prudon is an internationally renowned architect, preservation expert, architectural engineer, author, and educator. He has a deep building and architecture experience which spans hundreds of significant award winning projects over his 40 year career. He is one of the founding partners of the SC COLLECTIVE and founder of his practice of Prudon & Partners. He splits his time as Associate Professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, with his role as Professor at the Pratt Institute School of Architecture, Graduate Program for Historic Preservation.  Dr. Prudon serves as the president of the US chapter of DOCOMOMO (DOcumentation and COnservation of buildings, sites and neighborhoods of the MOdern MOvement), which is dedicated to the preservation of modern heritage. He is the author of his seminal and award winning book, Preservation of Modern Architecture published by John Wiley & Sons (April 2008).

MAHDC thanks our Principal Sponsors the City of Rockville and JELD-WEN, as well as our additional sponsors—Royal Building Products, Maryland Historical Trust, and Preservation Maryland.

MADHC Replacement Materials Symposium

June 10, 2017, 8:00 AM- 4:00 PM

Rockville City Hall, 111 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, MD 20850

REGISTER HERE

 

Maryland Historical Trust Director Honored with Award

On May 11, 2017, at the College Park Aviation Museum, Preservation Maryland – the statewide non-profit organization dedicated to historic preservation– awarded Maryland Historical Trust director Elizabeth Hughes its Special Recognition award. This award is reserved for projects or individuals who have exhibited exceptional merit in the field of preservation.

Elizabeth Hughes with Preservation Maryland Executive Director Nick Redding

Governor Larry Hogan appointed Elizabeth as Maryland’s State Historic Preservation Officer and confirmed her appointment by the Board of Trustees as the MHT director in 2015. Prior to her appointment, she had served as the agency’s deputy director. As Preservation Maryland executive director Nick Redding said in his remarks:

“She has shepherded the organization into a new era for preservation – finding ways to help preserve diverse places and stories while also maintaining an agency with the responsibility and oversight of a critical tax credit program and millions of dollars in annual funding. For these reasons alone, she deserves our recognition, but in addition to her work here in Maryland, Elizabeth has quietly and humbly served as the President of the National Council of State Historic Preservation Officers. During her tenure as President of this organization, she proudly represented the Old Line State and helped see that the federal historic preservation fund was re-authorized… If not re-authorized, this program, like many others would currently be on the chopping block. But, thanks to Elizabeth’s leadership, testimony and strategy, the Fund is secure and will provide millions of dollars in support to preservationists around the nation.”

Many thanks to Preservation Maryland for recognizing Elizabeth’s achievements and congratulations to Elizabeth on her award!

Director Elizabeth Hughes with Deputy Director Anne Raines

 

The Life of a Roadside Historical Marker

By Nancy Kurtz, Marker and Monuments Programs

The marker you pass on your journey, embossed with the Great Seal of Maryland, could have been born in the early 1930s, cast in iron and displayed along a narrow roadway in the days when the family car and the road trip were new ideas and local citizens wanted to inform travelers of the people, places and events important in their history.

The Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) and Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) jointly manage the state roadside historical marker program.  The State Roads Commission began the program in 1933 in cooperation with the Maryland Historical Society.  The program was transferred to the Maryland Historical Trust in 1985, with new standards, criteria and placement guidelines added in 2001, including the requirement for markers to commemorate topics that carry statewide significance.  MHT reviews and approves new marker applications.  SHA installs and maintains the markers, and now funds all new and replacement markers.

The Bank Road marker, when it was young

When either agency is notified of a marker problem, SHA staff pick up the marker and start the refurbishing, repair or replacement process.  A tag is installed on the pole to notify the public of its whereabouts.  If you should notice a sudden unexplained disappearance, a marker on the ground or other problem, please contact Nancy Kurtz at 410-697-9561, nancy.kurtz@maryland.gov, or send in a problem report found on the MHT marker website:  http://mht.maryland.gov/documents/pdf/research/MarkerReport.pdf.

With over 800 markers installed since the 1930s, maintenance is ongoing. Markers requiring repair or refurbishing are sent off-site for the work, usually in groups of two or more.  Sandblasting and welding repairs can take three to four weeks.  Repainting can take four to six weeks.  Reinstallation is dependent on weather and work schedule, and usually grouped geographically, so can take two to three months after repainting.  The best time estimate for the whole process would be approximately six months, but can vary according to these factors.

One important aspect of reinstalling a marker is safety.  Roadways, traffic volumes and speed have changed through the years and do not always allow reinstallation in the original location.  Where possible, the markers are placed near a side road to allow drivers to pull off the highway.

The Bank Road marker, refurbished

The early markers are historic in their own right.  Although some show the scars of damage and repair, we strive to keep them on the roadways well into the future.  The history of the marker program, thematic tours, application procedures, photographs and maps are found on the MHT website, including a keyword search for travelers who pass a marker at today’s highway speeds. To learn more, please visit:  http://mht.maryland.gov/historicalmarkers/Search.aspx

 

Introducing Map-Based Medusa: Viewing Maryland’s Historic Places in Real Time

By Gregory Brown, Cultural Resource Information Manager

To kick off Preservation Month this May, the Maryland Historical Trust is pleased to announce a new interactive map-based tool, “map-based Medusa,” to explore the state’s inventory of historic places and archeological sites.  Taking advantage of new web-based mapping technology, map-based Medusa offers the opportunity to view Maryland’s extensive geographic database of historic and cultural properties and to access the records linked to these resources, all within an easily accessible user friendly interface.

The new system allows both in-house and remote access to the documentation of over 60,000 architectural and archeological resources in a variety of ways. Consultants and staff can view a proposed project area and see all known cultural resources, with links to Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties forms, National Register nominations, determinations of eligibility, and other detailed documents. Map-based Medusa also allows you to look up a property by name, address or inventory number, and view that property on a map along with associated forms and photos.

Most architectural information is freely available in Medusa. Archeological site location is restricted to qualified archeological professionals as mandated in the state’s Access to Site Location Policy. Any qualified professional can apply for a Medusa account to get access. For assistance using map-based Medusa, tutorials and FAQs are available online. We will introduce webinars and introductory videos in the coming months.

The new map-based Medusa application was created with the technical assistance of the Applications Development team of the Maryland Department of Planning, the Maryland Historical Trust’s parent agency. We are grateful for the efforts of Information Services Manager Ted Cozmo, Doug Lyford, Greg Schuster, and Debbie Czerwinski, building on earlier database development work of Maureen Kavanagh, Carmen Swann and Jennifer Falkinburg. The online version of Medusa was supported in part through a Preserve America grant administered by the National Park Service, Department of Interior, and by funding from the Maryland State Highway Administration through its Transportation Enhancement Program.

To start using map-based Medusa, go to https://mht.maryland.gov/secure/medusa/.

For more information, please contact Gregory Brown, Cultural Resource Information Manager, at gregory.brown@maryland.gov.