Preservation Lovin'

Neon Museum - Las Vegas, Nevada (Photos Courtesy of Author)

My final year of my masters program in Historic Preservation. The only thing that is stopping me from getting my diploma (other than completing all of my courses/credits) is the ultimate thesis. Feelings of anxiety has overcome myself and the majority of my peers. However, it is only through my love and passion of my thesis topic I know that I have the courage to complete this ultimate dissertation that may perhaps (as my professors have scared us to death) define my burgeoning years in the historic preservation field. This is definitely not for the faint in heart!

Okay, perhaps I am over-dramatizing this…

Let’s get back down to earth. For all those that are inclined, for my thesis I venture to preserve the neon signs of Las Vegas! I plan to do this by:

• Investigating the existing conditions of signs;
• Digging through the history of timeless Las Vegas neon signs to elucidate how their appearance has evolved over the years;
• Analyzing how these signs age and deteriorate;
• Researching different conservation techniques to preserve the paint, metal, and neon glass of these amazing sculptures;
• And proposing a plan on how best to conserve these relics of Las Vegas yesteryear. 
• (If there is anything that I am leaving off, please let me know.)

If you have any information, recommendations, comments, concerns, contacts, ANYTHING that can help me with my thesis, PLEASE let me know! (Even if its to drop an opinion on how you think the sign should be preserved.)

You can reply to this post, make a comment in the disqus thread (found on comments and requests link at the bottom of each post), the ‘ask me anything’ link at the bottom of the page, or shoot me an email at the email address found in my about page.

Oh and please reblog this to help spread the support of preserving Las Vegas Neon Signs! Thanks everyone! :)

Southington, Connecticut

A dear college friend’s wedding brought me to this town in Hartford County, Connecticut. My friends and I just so happen to be here for brunch at the same time they were having their annual Apple Festival. From what the waitress at the diner said, the Apple Festival took place because of the town’s abundance of apple trees.

I absolutely adored the beautiful mural of this diner’s walls as it told the story of the town from its early colonial history to present day times. This definitely is a wonderful way to take a town’s history and illustrate it in a beautiful and educational way!

Architectural Metals

Central Park

Bow Bridge

A class visit to investigate the architectural metals at Central Park was guided by the Central Park Conservancy’s Supervisor of Monuments Conservation Matt Reiley. The iconic Bow Bridge has always been one of my favorite spots in Central Park and it was a pleasure learning about its architectural and engineering advancements.

From the Central Park Conservancy website:

“This handsomely designed cast-iron bridge spans 60 feet across the Lake, linking the flowering landscape of Cherry Hill with the sprawling woodland of the Ramble. The first cast-iron bridge in the Park (and the second oldest in America), the bridge is named for its graceful shape — reminiscent of the bow of an archer or violinist.”

(Courtesy of http://nedbeaumontjr.wordpress.com/category/architecture/)

The use of cast iron to construct the bow bridge was revolutionary for the time. The image above depicts the underside of the bridge with the arched cast-iron beam held in tension by the bracketed wrought-iron tie rod.

Conservation Workshop

Tenement Museum

Paint Samples

For my Conservation Workshop class, we’ve been given the opportunity to investigate one of the apartments at 103 Orchard Street. Part of learning about the history of a site is by testing the existing conditions. However, it should be fully acknowledged that any kind of testing is invasive and damaging to the building.

Check out the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) Code of Ethics to learn more about conservation.

Taking paint samples at 103 Orchard Street for the Tenement Museum.

*CORRECTION: Not all testing is destructive! Stay tuned for an upcoming post about an example of non-destructive testing. It is important to explore as many non-destructive testing techniques not only for the sake and money, but also for protecting the historic building.

Tenement Museum

108 Orchard Street

New York, NY 10002

Located in the Lower East Side, the Tenement Museum tells the story of the curious building at 97 Orchard Street and its past residents. What is most peculiar is how the museum illustrates these stories by leaving certain rooms to be interpretive and depict the historic time while also leaving other rooms in an as-is condition to capture the memory of the stories.

Visit http://www.tenement.org/ for more information on the Tenement Museum