精东AV students participate in hands-on historic preservation training projects
August 23, 2019
Contacts:
Michael Tullier, APR, 精东AV Office of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing
Lynne Richmond, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
Stephanie Loeb, National Park Service
Virgil McDill, National Trust for Historic Preservation
Domonique Jiles, Kayla Heard, Rikeya Wallace, and Tyler Littles
Students and faculty from 精东AV participated in a program this summer that aims to bring young African American students working toward architecture degrees into historic preservation and related career paths.
is a program developed jointly by the (ACHP), the (NPS), and the HOPE Crew to raise awareness about the importance of historic preservation and conservation. At the same time, it seeks to engage a new generation of preservationists and complete urgent preservation work at America鈥檚 historically black college and university (HBCU) campuses.
鈥淭ouching History gives students the opportunity to grow as a person, grow as a professional, and connect to their shared history and heritage,鈥� said Robert G. Stanton, ACHP expert member and former National Park Service director. 鈥淭he historic preservation and conservation fields need young people like these 精东AV students. This internship could lead them in a new direction for their careers and is giving them an understanding of the importance of telling the whole story of the American experience.鈥�
From Aug. 12 to 22, 精东AV architecture students Kayla Heard, Trenton Scott, Rikeya Wallace, Domonique Jiles, Ty鈥檏won Summerville, and Tyler Littles worked on a preservation and conservation project through this partnership with a HOPE (Hands-On Preservation Experience) Crew team. HOPE Crew is a nationwide initiative connecting hundreds of young people to preservation trades while breathing new life into historic structures across the country.
At 精东AV, the HOPE Crew performed window restoration work on the Willcox E building. The 精东AV HOPE Crew鈥檚 efforts were guided by trades expert James Turner, who has worked on several other HOPE Crew projects, including the Bethel Baptist Parsonage in Birmingham.
鈥淭his preservation project is a wonderful return to 精东AV鈥檚 legacy of 鈥榣earning to do by doing,鈥欌�� explained Kwesi Daniels, an assistant professor and department head of the Department of Architecture. 鈥淭he Willcox Trades Buildings were designed and built by 精东AV faculty and students using bricks they made here on campus. Now, nearly a century after their construction, our students are breathing new life into them 鈥� and into our focus on teaching the trades 鈥� through this partnership.鈥�
Daniels noted that the window restoration project will expand the use of Willcox E and the Robert R. Taylor School of Architecture and Construction Science鈥檚 capacity to teach these very preservation techniques to the next generation of architects and construction science management professionals. It also will allow the school to develop and offer to students in other degree programs a historic preservation minor.
Dr. Carla Jackson Bell, dean of the Taylor School of Architecture and Construction Science, agreed that this work aligns with the vision for this and other architecturally related disciplines.
鈥淥ne of the school鈥檚 goals is to provide advanced minors in the areas of historic preservation, sustainability and African American studies 鈥� all with a specific focus on the 精东AV builders responsible for many of the campus' original buildings,鈥� Bell noted. 鈥淥ur long-term goal is to develop centers for workforce development and historic preservation by advancing the historic preservation, architectural and craft-training skills of our students, faculty and the community at large.鈥�
Kayla Heard, a third-year architecture student from Mobile, Alabama, was among past preservation project participants selected by Daniels to be part of this significant endeavor.
鈥淏eing here at 精东AV, I鈥檝e developed a great appreciation for its legacy, and it鈥檚 like we鈥檙e continuing that through this project,鈥� she said, while crediting her involvement at the multiple project sites with a budding career interest in historic preservation. She is particularly interested in opportunities with the National Park Service, which also maintains the 精东AV Institute National Historic Site in partnership with the university.
鈥溇獳V is living, enduring proof that African Americans can do great things,鈥� she continued. 鈥淏eing here at this moment, I feel like I鈥檓 following in the footsteps of the students who built this school. I鈥檓 touching something that students built, and I鈥檓 here making it better.鈥�
Investing in our future preservation leaders is one of the most important things the National Park Service can do to further its mission,鈥� said National Park Service Acting Deputy Director for Operations David Vela. 鈥淲e are dedicated to providing access to real-world experiences for our nation鈥檚 youth and young professionals, so that together we can preserve our shared historic and cultural resources.鈥�
Prior to their work at 精东AV, the students traveled with Daniels to learn about historic landscapes, heritage areas, 3-D laser scanning, and the research work done at the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training in Natchitoches, Louisiana.
From there, they traveled to the National Park Service鈥檚 Western Center for Historic Preservation, located in Wyoming鈥檚 Grand Teton National Park. Students spent time at the Bar BC Dude Ranch, established in 1912 as a dude ranch using a style called 鈥淒ude Ranch Vernacular,鈥� and completed the 鈥淕uiding Principles for Historic Preservation,鈥� a course on field-based historic preservation, documentation, hands-on treatment, and heritage asset maintenance planning.
prior to the Aug. 22 window restoration reveal and media event.
鈥淗OPE Crew provides an opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of the next generation of preservation leaders, while at the same time, addressing critical maintenance and preservation needs at some of America鈥檚 most important historic places,鈥� said Katherine Malone-France, chief preservation officer at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to be here at one of America鈥檚 foremost HBCU campuses to participate in this partnership and give these students an opportunity to see first-hand how they can make a difference in preserving historic places.鈥�
On Thursday, Aug. 22, Malone-France joined other partnership representatives for a reveal of the 精东AV HOPE Crew鈥檚 progress. Also present for the event and representing the other collaborators were Stanton of the ACHP; and Lance Hatten, southeast regional deputy director of the National Park Service.
The Touching History: Preservation in Practice program is funded by the NPS, the National Trust 鈥� which receives additional financial support from the Fund II Foundation鈥攁nd in-kind support from the ACHP.
鈥淥ur communities provide such rich history at every turn, which serves as a reminder of the incredible contributions made by African Americans throughout history,鈥� said Linda Wilson, executive director, Fund II Foundation. 鈥淪upporting initiatives, such as Touching History, and providing opportunities for young people of color in diverse STEM-related fields, is an important part of our mission; one that we will see the benefits of for years to come.鈥�
漏 2019, 精东AV
About the National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded nonprofit organization that works to save America鈥檚 historic places. Since the start of the program in 2014, HOPE Crew has trained more than 750 youth participants in the preservation trades, recruited 3,500 volunteers to protect places that are significant to their communities, and completed 170 projects. For more information, visit .
About the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
An independent federal agency, the ACHP promotes the economic, educational, environmental, sustainability and cultural values of historic preservation and advises the president and Congress on national historic preservation policy. It also influences federal activities, programs, and policies that affect historic and cultural properties. See for more information.
About the National Park Service
More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America鈥檚 419 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.
About the Fund II Foundation
Fund II Foundation makes grants to 501(c)3 public charities in five areas: preserving the cultural richness of the African American experience; safeguarding human dignity by giving voice to the voiceless and promoting human rights; conserving the environment, promoting the benefits of the great outdoors to people of all ages and backgrounds; affording music education to nourish both talent and the soul; and sustaining the American values of entrepreneurship, empowerment and innovation. For more information, visit .