I will be one of five panelists for the final event of Historic Saint Paul’s Green Retrofit series. Join us for what is sure to be a lively discussion at the SPNN studios on Tuesday, Jan. 26, from 5:00-7:30. An hour-long open house precedes the program, which will begin at 6:00. While the event will be taped for later broadcast on SPNN (cable channels 14, 15, 16, or 19), a live, studio audience is welcome to attend and get the information well ahead of the general viewing public.

The panelists will talking about insulation, energy efficiency, windows, the Minnesota Green Star program, and other topics related to making older residential buildings more “green.” I’ll post an update after the event, both to summarize the panel discussion, and to let you know when it will be broadcast. Stay tuned!

Minnesota Public Radio has reported that Gov. Pawlenty has announced a deal for the state to $18 million for 10 miles of Lake Vermilion shoreline to create a new state park. The property, owned by U.S. Steel and adjacent to the Soudan Underground Mine State Park, would have been developed for residential lots, if the state park proposal had not come through. I had recently approached someone in the area about submitting a 10 Most Endangered Historic Places nomination for the area. Lake Vermilion is spectacular (and the Stuntz Bay boathouses are really cool)—definitely a place worth preserving for all of us to enjoy. I am relieved that the state park proposal may actually pan out.

More recent coverage on the Lake Vermilion State Park proposal:

Star Tribune editorial, Jan. 21, 2010

Timberjay editorial, Jan. 19, 2010

MPR story, Jan. 15, 2010

Timberjay story, Jan. 14, 2010

I recently wrote a letter to the editor of the Arrowhead Leader, a newspaper in Moose Lake, Minnesota. Since I suspect that the newspaper’s circulation is rather small, and an online version is not available, I am printing my letter here, with a link to a PDF copy of the original article. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Dear Ms. Johnson:

I am writing to tell you how much I enjoyed reading John Schwoch’s article about the Moody Barn, printed in the Dec. 24, 2009 issue of the Arrowhead Leader. Here at the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota, we subscribe to a clipping service so we can keep tabs on historic preservation activity throughout the state. Most of the time, the articles that are sent tell us of buildings that are threatened with demolition, or are the subject of local political battles, or have been victims of a devastating fire. Mr. Schoch’s article reflecting on first finding this unique, historic barn, and then searching it out again and considering another pilgrimage to the site on Christmas Eve, warmed my heart and inspired my daily work to save other important historic places throughout the state. Thank you for publishing this piece.

To all of you, best wishes for 2010.

As someone who is solidly in the “35-44” age bracket, I will admit to a certain fascination with Facebook. (Have you read “Why Facebook is for Old Fogies?” The author took the yet-unformed words right out of my mouth.) Aside from checking out pictures of my friends’ adorable children, and finding out more than I ever thought I’d want to know about my high school classmates’ adult lives, I’ve found Facebook to be a valuable tool for preservation advocacy. While our own attempts to build a social network have been only moderately successful (we’re still newbies at this, and we’re busy), other groups have done a great job building a constituency of people who care about particular historic resources.

Not surprisingly, one of the most successful recent preservation-minded groups has a large contingency of youngsters. (The word “youngsters,” in and of itself, identifies me as middle-aged, doesn’t it?) The Rock Island Bridge Coalition, which started as “Save the Rock Island Swing Bridge,” has 528 members, many of whom are somehow affiliated with the group of Simley High School students who kicked off advocacy and fundraising efforts last spring. Keith Joyce, the group’s creator and a member of the Inver Grove Heights Park and Recreation Commission (and of my age demographic) posts regularly about news, events, and other happenings related to the preservation and rehabilitation of this bridge, which was one of the Alliance’s 10 Most Endangered sites in 2009.

Another 10 Most site that immediately received its own Facebook fan page was the Big Fish in Bena. Another whopper of a group (at least as far as local preservation efforts are concerned), Fans of the Big Fish – Bena, Minnesota has almost 500 members. The recent restoration of the Fish was funded by a private donation by Bell Mortgage, so the Facebook page has been used largely for posting stories and photos—including a recent fan pic of the Fish in holiday attire.

Two potentially endangered sites in Saint Paul also have their own Facebook pages. “Save the Victoria Theater” was created in October 2009, when a neighboring business signed a purchase agreement to buy the theater and demolish it for parking. The Facebook page has been an impressive vehicle for spreading information about the historic significance of the building, which was previously unknown to preservationists, and has 378 members at present.

The “Save 3M Building 21” Facebook page was created to raise awareness about the Saint Paul Port Authority’s redevelopment plans for the 3M Main Plant site on the East Side of Saint Paul. Although the site only a few dozen fans (so far), it is chock full of great photographs and the Notes section of the page includes excerpts from the various historical and architectural publications, information that will be critical in making a case for the site’s preservation.

I hope I am not the only one who is somewhat flummoxed by Facebook’s organization, though. Some pages are set up as Groups, others as Pages, still others as People that can be “friended,” as opposed to “fanned,” and there are Cause pages, too. I wonder if the success or viability of Facebook as a networking and advocacy tool depends somewhat on how easy it is to find the various pages/groups/sites. For example, Historic Augusta, a local non-profit preservation organization in Georgia, is set up as a Person (first name, Historic; last name, Augusta) and has almost 2,500 friends. This in contrast to the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota (first name, PAM; last name—not needed, since we’re in the same realm of Cher and Madonna) which is set up as a Group and has 409 fans. Even the National Trust for Historic Preservation (emphasis on “national”) has a mere 8,800 fans on Facebook. The Michigan Historic Preservation Network, which is set up as a Cause page so that it can take online donations, has 475 members (and has raised $375). What gives?

I suspect it has something to do with the level of interaction, and maybe these other groups are very savvy in their outreach. As I said, we’re busy, but not too busy to respond to comments on our Wall or to send out interesting bits and blurbs from time to time. Please become a fan of ours, if you aren’t already. Friend/fan/join these other groups, too. And if you know of other grass-roots preservation efforts that are using Facebook, please let me know about them so I can, at the very least, see what makes them tick: PAMfieldnotes@gmail.com Thanks!

In the past several weeks, I have received numerous calls and e-mails about threatened historic schools throughout the state. Maybe people are contacting us in response to our recent schools-themed issue of the Minnesota Preservationist. Or maybe the situation facing school districts is more dire than ever. I have heard that demographic changes—i.e., declining school enrollments—are projected, and money is tight everywhere. What boggles me is that there are such great reuse opportunities for school buildings, and historic schools are so integrally tied to community character. Historic buildings should be a preservation slam-dunk—what is standing in the way?

It can’t be the lack of good examples. Dozens, if not hundreds, of schools have been reused as affordable, market-rate, and senior housing. St. Paul developer MetroPlains has alone done numerous such projects in former schools throughout our region:

Stonehouse Apartments, Cannon Falls, MN

Washington Crossing, Winona, MN

Riverwood Pines, Little Falls, MN

School House Apartments, Beulah, ND

Academy Park, Devils Lake, ND

Alcott Manor, Grand Forks, ND

Old Main, Canton, SD

Lincoln Park, Newton, KS

Mundinger Hall and Rehwinkel Hall, Winfield, KS

Marquette Manor, Two Rivers, WI

Pearl Place, Belvidere, IL

Another example is the Lincoln School apartments (now condos) in Eugene, Oregon, which features a fabulous open-air courtyard in the location of the original gym/auditorium (check out photo #10)—what many developers would probably think of as wasted space. The Lenox School condominiums in Memphis always caught my eye, too. A quick Google search turned up yet more examples, in Albuquerque, Moline, Madison, Seattle, Boston, Richmond, and Atlanta.

Lest you think that housing is the only option, here are some examples of historic schools reused as offices in Illinois, Texas, and Las Vegas, as a men’s homeless shelter and recovery center in Alabama, and as a convention center in Kentucky.

And, let’s not forget the feasibility of continuing to use the schools for their original purposes, as these three examples in Pennsylvania, and an entire list on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s website, attest.

I’ll write more about historic schools—including some information on the ones that are threatened in Minnesota—in an upcoming post. In the meantime, if you have solutions, concerns, or other ideas to share, e-mail me at PAMfieldnotes@gmail.com.

Have you heard about Minnesota’s weatherization program for low-income residents, which got a huge boost in funding from the federal stimulus bill? (If not, read about it on Congressman Jim Oberstar’s Facebook blog or check out the nifty graphs on the Department of Energy’s web page.)

Preservation advocates, including the staff of the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota, at first were concerned that this money would go towards window replacement, artificial siding, and other so-called “improvements” that could seriously affect historic fabric. (Historic windows are a particular item of concern for the Preservation Alliance.) But, as it turns out, the state administrators of this program are on our same page. One state staffer recently stated to a member of the SHPO staff that the program was “not interested in window replacement, because that’s not where heat loss comes from.” How is that for validation?

You might not be imagining things if your home feels drafty, though. Oodles of weatherization resources are available on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s website, including featured downloads on topics such as Energy Efficient Strategies for Cold Climates. If that is not enough, the Minnesota Department of Commerce’s State Energy Office has published a Minnesota Weatherization Field Guide with lots of technical data (it is intended for pros) and some good illustrations. There’s even a picture that explains how to close off the air leaks within the walls of an old, balloon-framed house. (Balloon framing was the most common type of house construction through the early 1900s.)

We’d like to know how concerned you are about weatherization and energy efficiency of your historic or older building, so drop us a line at PAMfieldnotes@gmail.com

Stay warm and healthy!

The Gunflint Trail has been designated a National Scenic Byway, according to an article in the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The National Scenic Byways Program is an often under-recognized partner in historic preservation, but the program—and its national resource office located in, of all places, Duluth—presents a number of educational, promotional, and financial tools.

I didn’t see much historical value in roadways until a year or so into graduate school, when I learned about the Historic Columbia River Highway, its multi-faceted restoration project (everything from buildings to bollards), and some of the problematic but intriguing issues involved in restoring and interpreting an early 20th-century roadway for modern use. Read more here.

Now is the perfect time to take a scenic autumn drive along one of Minnesota’s designated scenic byways. Just be sure to notice the historic resources along with the colorful leaves—and keep your eyes on the road!

Hello from Nashville, Tennessee, and this year’s National Preservation Conference.  I’m borrowing Erin’s blog to let our members and friends know that we’re bringing back some great best practices to apply in Minnesota.  From programs and events to leadership and governance, the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s annual conference is the place to share successes and learn from our peers what can improve historic preservation in Minnesota.

Minnesota has a strong presence at this year’s conference with attendance by our two Trust Advisors (Carolyn Sundquist of Duluth and Will Stark of Minneapolis), an Emeritus Advisor (Roger Brooks of St. Paul), a current (Amy Mino) and former (Gary Stenson) Alliance board member, and a board member of our Local Partner, Historic Saint Paul (Marek Mino).  We’re trying to get together tonight to compare notes on the Conference so far.

Minnesota was given high marks at our meetings for Tuesday’s USA Today article listing Minneapolis as the top most philanthropic city in the nation.  Of course!  The Alliance is just one of many nonprofit organizations benefitting from your generous support.  Thanks to all of our donors for making our work possible.

Erin and I will be back in the office on Monday with new ideas and rejuvinated energy to move ahead.  The best ideas so far?  My votes go to: “The Anti-Wrecking Ball,” an event in St. Louis, MO, that featured a battle of the bands raising funds to protect their local historic landmarks preservation ordinance; Landmarks Illinois’ Pub Crawl, engaging young preservationists; Historic Seattle’s Young Preservationists’ group organizing a “Speed Mentoring” event; Michigan Historic Preservation Network’s windows rehabilitation workshop for unemployed contractors; and a tie for Preservation Pennsylvania’s and Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance’s state tax credit efforts, which brought together broad coalitions to support the advocacy effort.

Thanks to the National Trust for Historic Preservation staff and Tennessee’s preservation organizations for hosting a great conference.

Bonnie McDonald

Executive Director

The history of the St. Croix River is in the news this week. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported this morning that an organization called Friends of the St. Croix Boom Site is urging the state Department of Natural Resources to transfer ownership of the property to the National Park Service. The St. Croix Boom is a National Historic Landmark (one of twenty-three NHLs in Minnesota) due to its significance as a historic logging resource.

Meanwhile, the Saint Paul Pioneer Press has a feature article about a new book, North Woods River: The St. Croix River in Upper Midwest History, and Spirit of the St. Croix Days are this weekend in Hudson, Wisconsin.

I gave a presentation yesterday to members of Linden Hills Power & Light about historic wood windows. Windows is one of the categorical, statewide listings on the Alliance’s 10 Most Endangered Historic Places list for 2009. I’m sure that listing had a few people scratching their heads, but hopefully it also inspired a few people to scrape peeling paint, replace dried out glazing putty, and lay down many ribbons of caulk.

Window restoration has received a lot of attention recently. Follow the links at the bottom of our 2009 10 Most Endangered page to read about why preserving original windows is more sustainable than installing replacement windows, and how it can stimulate the local economy. Also check out this recent post by Adrian Scott Fine on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Facebook page. While you’re at it, friend the Trust so you can get these kinds of updates firsthand.

Restoring wood windows and making them more energy efficient will be the topic of discussion at several sessions of the annual statewide historic preservation conference put on by the State Historic Preservation Office. The conference is next Thursday and Friday at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska. Attend in person and learn some firsthand tips from experienced window rehab contractors.

You can also view my presentation here. (Sorry, but you’ll have to provide your own narration and excessive hand gestures.)