Whenever I receive a call from my colleague Mike Franklin, an independent real estate broker, I snap to attention. As a specialist in marketing historic properties that fall outside the realm of most real estate agents, he runs across some amazing properties. As a passionate advocate for the preservation of historic buildings, he appreciates the …
Minidoka National Historic Site is a unit of the National Park System that commemorates the forced relocation and incarceration of more than 100,000 American citizens of Japanese descent during World War II. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 gave rise to virulent anti-Japanese sentiments, and the military and federal officials immediately began …
In September 2019 I traveled out to southwestern Minnesota to visit Pipestone National Monument. This unit of the National Park System was created in 1937 in large part to preserve the pipestone (Sioux argillite, also known as catlinite) which American Indians have quarried here for at least two millennia. It is a sacred site for …
The Great New York State Fair is a focal point in the annual calendar of rural New York State. Coming at the very end of August and ending on Labor Day, it is a riotous and fitting way to bring the summer season to a close. With my wife volunteering at the Wool Center, I …
In May 2019 I had the chance to attend the Michigan Historic Preservation Network‘s annual conference. The conference was held in the historic city of Holland, MI, and I was hooked. It is a beautiful small city, with a fantastic historic district. I brought my 4×5 camera with me, and was able to take some …
The Lehigh Valley Railroad Roundhouse was built in 1916 in Manchester, NY, a small town between Rochester and Syracuse. This semicircular building once was a key part of the largest freight yard and locomotive service facility in the world. Almost 450 feet across, the inner part of the semicircle contains 30 service bays where railroad …
The Seven to Save list which was released by the Preservation League of New York State in 2016 included this architectural landmark, the Dutch Reformed Church in Newburgh, NY. The City of Newburgh’s Planning Department arranged for me to see the interior of the church in late March of 2016 so that I could conduct …
Continuing my series of posts on the HABS/HAER photography that I did on a volunteer basis on behalf of the Preservation League of New York State. The second round of Seven to Save photographs that I did in 2018 included a category: Wells Barns. This was a fascinating experience, and gave me access to barns …
I have worked with the Preservation League of New York State on a volunteer basis since 2016, providing HABS/HAER photography for their Seven to Save program. Through this program the League identifies the state’s most important and threatened historic resources. Every two years the League selects seven threatened properties or groups of properties. Over the …
I have had a long-standing relationship with the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse, NY. In 2007, I conducted HABS/HAER photography of hydroelectric facilities and dam at canal facilities throughout New York State. The purpose of this volunteer effort was to form the backbone of a major exhibit that opened at the Museum in 2008. In …