FW: PPS March E-Newsletter

In This Issue Preservation Education Events Volunteer/Donation Opportunities Community Notes Quick Links Become a Member PPS Website Preservation Nation Upcoming PPS Events March 30-June 12 Children's Heritage Tours April 2-5 Annual Meeting of the National Council on Public History April 25 24th Annual RI Statewide Historic Preservation Conference May 6 Most Endangered Properties List Press Conference May 29 2009 Festival of Historic Houses Kick-Off Party   June 6 2009 Festival of Historic Houses Saturday House Tour   March 2009 News Preservation Improved Outlook for Endangered Angell Street Buildings The Urban Environmental Laboratory and houses at 127 & 129 Angell Street, featured on the 2008 Most Endangered Properties List, were slated for removal by Brown University. The site occupied by the three residential structures was to be the location of a new Mind Brain Behavior Building, but the economic climate has forced the University to reevaluate their capital projects. In an email to the Brown community, President Ruth Simmons wrote, "the difficulty and inadvisability of debt-funded capital projects led the Corporation to suggest that we should, wherever possible and prudent, consider re-use and renovation as an alternative near-term solution to our unfunded facilities needs." This is great news to preservationists who have strongly advocated for the reuse of Brown's historic structures. Read more: Brain building reverse a boon to UEL Editorial: The virtues of renovation Brain science, Med School buildings will be renovations Proposed Legislation Could Regulate Unsightly Gas Meters                      On February 11, the House Corporations Committee reviewed a bill proposed by House Finance Committee Chairman Steve Costantino and Representatives Fox, Slater, Ajello, and Williams that would require National Grid to place meters in less visible locations on homes, negotiate with property owners, and give special consideration to historic districts. A capacity crowd, including representatives from PPS, gave testimony, and only one speaker objected to the bill - a spokesperson from National Grid. A parallel Senate committee reviewed an identical bill sponsored by Senators Jabour, Perry, Cote, Picard, and Pinga on February 26; once again the only statement of objection was from National Grid. Preservationists and property rights advocates alike are hopeful that the full General Assembly will adopt the bill before the end of the session in June. To help make this happen, please write to your state senator and representative immediately urging them to support these bills (H5088 and S0107). PPS Awards Recognize Excellence in Preservation Each year, the PPS Annual Historic Preservation Awards recognize individuals, organizations, and businesses that have maintained and enhanced the architectural heritage of Providence through preservation projects and new design. Eleven preservation projects and initiatives from 2008 were honored on February 7, 2009; they reflect the diverse range of preservation projects and programs that are ongoing throughout Providence. Honorees include Brown University's Peter Green House, Calender Mills, the Fox Point Bath House, the William R. Huston House on Benefit Street, Johnson & Wales University's Student Services Center and Xavier Auditorium, Phase II of the North Elmwood Revitalization on Parkis Avenue, the Magdalene Ribholz and Andreas J. Stahl Houses on Luongo Memorial Square, the Southside Gateways on Plain and Public Streets, West Broadway Neighborhood Association's Gas Meter Advocacy Effort, and the First Baptist Church. In addition, special awards were bestowed upon Durkee, Brown, Viveiros & Werenfels Architects and the Rhode Island Historic Preservation and Heritage Commission. 2009 Most Endangered Properties List Thank you to all who submitted nominations for our annual Most Endangered Properties List. The 2009 List will be released at a press conference at the Old Brick Schoolhouse at 24 Meeting Street on Wednesday, May 6 at 4:00 p.m. Details to follow, please stay tuned. Toward Broader Horizons: Annual Meeting of the National Council on Public History   Toward Broader Horizons is the theme for the 2009 annual conference of the National Council on Public History, from April 2-5. The conference will bring 400-500 history professionals to Providence's Biltmore Hotel for more than 50 sessions, workshops, and working groups. Sessions and field trips will draw participants into historic sites and museums in the city and beyond. PPS will be an exhibitor in the conference exhibit hall and has contributed to the conference through representation on the local arrangements committee. Click here for more information. Education   PPS Docents Tour Nightingale-Brown House with Noted Architectural Historian Thursday, February 26 marked this month's site visit as part of the PPS Children's Heritage Education Docent Site Visit and Lecture Series.  State Architectural Historian Mack Woodward graciously conducted the ten PPS visitors and three JNBC staffers on a tour of the exterior architecture and first-floor hallway, reception room, dining room, parlor, and library.  The home was built in 1791 for Capt. Joseph Nightingale, sold to Nicholas Brown in 1814 by Nightingale's heirs, and is now home to the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage at Brown University. The home is set back from the street - a design innovation pioneered by John Brown. The front door of the Nightingale-Brown House is ten feet above the street, demanding more effort to access, providing the visitor a fuller view of the façade, and possibly attempting to intimidate or strike awe.  The building is the largest 18th-century wood frame house in the country and is a National Historic Landmark.  "Faces of Fox Point" at Vartan Gregorian Elementary School a Big Hit Vartan Gregorian Elementary School was the setting on Wednesday, February 25 for an open house to celebrate the opening of the "Faces of Fox Point" exhibition, a collaboration between graduate students in the Public Humanities Program at Brown University and the students and teachers at Vartan Gregorian Elementary School at Fox Point, using Lou Costa's Fox Point Archive of images and ephemera. The exhibit features nearly thirty historic photographs of the Fox Point neighborhood chosen from Lou's ever-growing collection and paired with memories of life in the neighborhood drawn from oral history interviews conducted by the grad students. The exhibit explores the topics of immigration, neighborhood life, and childhood. Appropriately, the school's sixth-graders, who had added their own photographs and personal captions to the exhibit, offered tours of the exhibition located at various stations throughout the hallways; they comported themselves very well and welcomed visitors graciously.  The exhibit will be on display at the elementary school until June 2009.  To view it, please contact Principal Colin Grimsey at 456-9377 or Colin.Grimsey@ppsd.org. The Providence Journal has a lengthy write-up here.   Children's Heritage Education Tours Bookings are now being accepted for our Spring 2009 Children's Heritage Education Tours, which are led Monday through Friday at 10:00 a.m., March 30 through June 12.  The tour topics include:   ·    College Hill Tour, 1636-1775 - Roger Williams and the Settlement of Colonial Providence ·    Downtown Tour, c. 1800 - Present - The Rise of the West Side ·    "Avi" Tour - Something Upstairs, 1800 - A Literary Journey to the Past ·    H.P. Lovecraft as Preservationist, 1920s Benefit Street ·    "Avi" Tour - The Man Who Was Poe, Mid-1800s Providence ·    The Crest of College Hill:  A Late 19th Century Victorian Journey   Please spread the word at your children's and grandchildren's schools.  Teachers may contact Education Coordinator Kathleen McAreavey at kmcareavey@ppsri.org or (401) 831-7440, ext. 103. To learn more about PPS's educational programing, including ways you can help, click here. Art+History: Place Explorations How do historic places stir our imaginations?  In this new program, led by graduate students in the Brown University program of Public Humanities and offered for a limited time, students will interact with two site-specific works of art inspired by the Nightingale-Brown House. They will discover how artists and historians interpret historical places and will tap into their own imagination and creativity through verbal, artistic, and kinesthetic explorations of the artworks. Students will also learn about the house and the people who lived here in the past and work here today.    This multi-faceted, hands-on program meets key language arts, social studies, and visual arts learning standards.  Place Explorations is offered in conjunction with the temporary exhibit Art+History and its partners at the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage, New Urban Arts, RISD's Office of Public Engagement, the Providence Athenaeum, the Providence Preservation Society, and Brown University's Cogut Center for the Humanities.  Mondays and Thursdays, April 6-May 14; 12 p.m.  70 minutes.  Limited to 30 students.  To book a free site visit please contact Kathleen McAreavey, PPS Education Coordinator, kmcareavey@ppsri.org. Events 30th Anniversary of the Festival of Historic Houses   In honor of the 30th Anniversary of the Festival of Historic Houses, PPS will be celebrating with a three-tiered event. The festivities will begin with a Kick-Off Party at the home of Brooke and Eugene Lee on May 29. On June 6, PPS will host its traditional house tour, featuring some of the most magnificent houses on Stimson Avenue. Afterwards, PPS will be moving its celebration to Providence's Historic West Side. Please stay tuned for updates as the committee continues to formulate this not-to be-missed event. PPS Unmasked: The Carnivale Winter Bash a Success! Each year, the Winter Bash takes place in an historic Providence building undergoing rehabilitation, highlighting preservation in action. This year, PPS revisited the Sharpe Building in the Foundry Complex, the site of the 2007 Winter Bash. On Saturday, February 7, over 600 people celebrated Carnivale 2009 without having to travel to Venice or Rio de Janeiro at PPS Unmasked: The Carnivale Winter Bash, PPS transformed the Sharpe building for a masquerade night to remember right here in Providence. The event featured fabulous entertainment by Santa Mamba and DJ Lively and Unkle Thirsty. To view pictures from the event, click here. Title Sponsor: Nortek Event Sponsors:  Bank of America, Case Construction, Duffy, Sweeney and Scott, Ltd., Durkee, Brown, Viveiros and Werenfels Architects, H. Carr & Sons, LGC & D Wealth Management, Marsella Development, Sullivan and Company CPA, and The Foundry Associates   In-kind donors: DJ Lively/Unkle Thirsty, Fiji Water, Hammer + Sickle Vodka and McLaughlin and Moran Invitation and logo design by Watermark Design. Volunteer/Donation Opportunities General Office/Clerical Assistant PPS seeks a volunteer to assist with general office/clerical tasks, including but not limited to answering a multi-line phone, greeting visitors, working on special projects, mailings, and attending and assisting with various major events. Experience with Microsoft Office programs necessary. Help needed Mondays and Thursdays, any time from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m., and Wednesdays, any time from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.  Must be pleasant on the phone and able to handle multiple tasks at once. Please email your interest and availability to info@ppsri.org. PPS Seeks Floor Lamp The PPS offices are a bit dimmer today, despite the brilliant sunshine outside: late last week, one of our floor lamps gave out. If you have an extra floor lamp that you wold like to donate to PPS, please contact John Rogers, Office Administrator, at 401-831-7440 or info@ppsri.org. Thanks in advance! Community Notes Available for Rent: Shakespeare's Head, 21 Meeting Street Commercial tenant sought for lovely garden-level office space in historic building. Office approximately 400 square feet, it features a row of windows with a view of the tranquil Shakespeare's Head Garden and plenty of natural light. Monthly rent is $650. Terms: Long-term, triple-net lease. Contact Kristi Agniel at (401) 749-5008.    Location: Convenient to Downtown, Courthouse, State House, College Hill and RISD. Owner:  Shakespeare's Head Association.  Availability: Immediate. Creative Providence Summit: Senator Claiborne Pell Lecture on Arts & Humanities March 3, 5:30 - 7 p.m. at The Hotel Providence, 139 Mathewson Street   Mayor David N. Cicilline invites you to the inaugural lecture with Jeremy Nowak, a nationally recognized leader in the field of urban development. Mr. Nowak will speak about the role of art and culture in neighborhood regeneration. The Creative Providence planning team will also present findings from the cultural assessment and a report on the next steps in cultural planning. A networking social will immediately follow at Aspire with a 10% off cash bar and specialty drinks menu. Click here for more information. Judging Lincoln... Chief Justice Frank J. Williams (ret.) to speak at PPL   The Providence Public Library proudly presents Chief Justice Frank J. Williams (Ret.) for Judging Lincoln, a lecture in recognition of the Lincoln Bicentennial, on Thursay, March 12 at 6:00 p.m. at the Central Library-150 Empire Street, Lippitt Hall (first floor). The aim of the program is to raise awareness of the Lincoln Bicentennial, reveal more about this important historical figure (including details such as Lincoln's ties to Rhode Island through John Hay), and foster civic engagement and dialogue in the community at large. The program is free and open to the public; reservations are requested by contacting Lisa Miller at lmiller@provlib.org (preferred) or 401-455-8057. For more information and a schedule of events, visit the event page on the Providence Public Library website. Traditional Building Conference & Exhibition The Traditional Building Conference & Exhibition will take place March 12-14 in Boston, MA. This trade event is dedicated to historic restoration, renovation, and traditionally-inspired new construction. this year's theme, Smart Solutions for a Challenging Market, will address how traditional building skills and products can help you thrive in turbulent times. Visit www.traditionalbuildingshow.com for more information. The mission of the Providence Preservation Society (PPS) is to improve the quality of life in the city of Providence through historic preservation and the enhancement of the built environment. PPS is a nonprofit membership organization, exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and is recognized as a charitable organization.