While this site highlights my work as a photographer, much of it for HABS/HAER projects, I am primarily a historian. In recent years I have had the good fortune to team with Outside the Box, LLC in the preparation of Administrative Histories for the National Park Service. These are book-length studies of individual units of the NPS, …
In late 2015, I had yet another opportunity to collaborate with my colleagues at Sutherland Conservation and Consulting. We collaborated on the documentation of a historic hydroelectric station in Westbrook, ME. This is an early hydroelectric project built on the Presumpscot River in downtown Westbrook in 1907, taking advantage of a waterfall there. It was built …
Borodino is a tiny community along the east side of Skaneateles Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in central NY. Several terrific 19th century buildings remain in Borodino, located at the intersection of Rt. 41 and Rose Hill Road. I had the chance to photograph this former Grange Hall according to HABS/HAER standards in July 2015, …
In the spring of 2008, while still on staff with Kleinschmidt Associates, I received a request from Public Service of New Hampshire to assist with a dam removal in Bristol, NH. PSNH was coordinating the work for the owner of the dam, the International Packing Corporation. The dam had been damaged in a flood two years …
The arrival of the Erie Canal in 1825 put Syracuse on the map. It connected the new village to the range of markets by way of New York City, and created vast and very profitable new markets for the area’s salt producers. The Erie Canal was an amazing engineering achievement, not least for the ability …
The Barnes-Hiscock Mansion, on James Street in Syracuse, is one of Syracuse’s architectural landmarks. This lower section of James Street once housed an astounding row of grand mansions. Beginning in the 1840s and continuing into the early 20th century, more than a dozen enormous mansions were built lining the street. First built in 1853 and …
The City of Syracuse has relatively few Gothic Revival houses. We have plenty of Gothic Revival churches, of course, but so few houses. The house which I’ve included here is one of the rare survivals. Unfortunately, it too is on its last legs. Abandoned for many years, it now is in the hands of the …
I do a good bit of documentation photography here in Syracuse on a volunteer basis, much of it on behalf of the Onondaga Historical Association. In most cases, I have a decent amount of warning, and can plan my visits to get the best possible images. Sometimes, however, I have little warning of an impending problem. Such …
The Hotel Syracuse, built in 1924, is the last of the grand hotels in Syracuse’s downtown. Held by a series of absentee landowners in recent years, this elegant building has been allowed to deteriorate. While its glory has faded with the lack of attention, it remains a glorious building. In the summer of 2014, the …
In 2012, I teamed again with my colleagues at Sutherland Conservation and Consulting on the documentation of the former Kezar Falls Woolen Mills in Kezar Falls, ME. I’m always grateful for the chance to work with Amy Cole Ives and her staff, who come up with fascinating projects and do great work. I was happy …