Personal Reflections on IPTW 2006
A.A. Krishnan
Monday, January 01, 1900
Two years ago, in 2004, the Tulane School of Architecture Preservation Studies Program hit the road to go to this event called IPTW in Mobile, Alabama. They offered us scholarships to attend, and having the vague notion that preservation was somehow involved, we decided to check it out.
IPTW, we found out, stands for the annual International Preservation Trades Workshop, and not only were we wowed by this gathering, we experienced a sea change in how we related to older buildings. In the company of top preservation tradespersons, and some of the more charismatic, active minds of the preservation world, suddenly even the least hands-on of our group was soldering copper flashing in a slate roofing demonstration. The Tulane delegation had a blast. Wouldn't it be great, we thought, if IPTW were to be held in New Orleans?
This year, our wishes were realized. On October 26-28, 2006, the Preservation Trades Network (PTN), the sponsor of IPTW, took the plunge and staged its 10th annual IPTW in the Holy Cross neighborhood, under the theme of "Rebuilding Hope and Reclaiming Heritage." IPTW 2006 was designed to be unlike any previous conference. Through the generous support of several foundations, the event was made free to the public. Trades demonstrations became actual repair projects on Katrina-damaged historic houses. Special "Walk and Talk" sessions meandered through the neighborhood using the houses of Holy Cross as inspiration for guided discussions about treatment and repair options. In the main event tents pitched near the levee and Jourdan Avenue, lectures stayed relevant to the realities of New Orleans, with sessions about restoring old windows or raising houses, often against the backdrop of high winds that threatened to send the tents sailing. Parked close by was the "Mobile Preservation Unit," a 32-foot RV used by PTN to periodically bring experts in the building trades into New Orleans. Over 100 members of the PTN community traveled from 26 states, Scotland, Canada and Sweden to volunteer side by side with local residents.
The diverse schedule allowed IPTW 2006 to become a personal experience for each attendee. "Attending the workshops was like being courtside at an NBA All Star Game," says local Jonn Hankins. "PTN master artisans complimented each others' virtuoso skills in way that made rehab projects come together seamlessly, even as they educated and entertained novices like me. Moreover, they held up the example of their personal commitment to the restoration of our city as open invitation to other top building arts master craftpersons and institutions, showing them how to come here and use their world-class skills to make tangible contributions to our irreplaceable historic neighborhoods.
Recent art history graduate, Philip Gilmore, brought his father to the conference. Gilmore had an ulterior motive. "I'd love to buy a historic house and renovate it," he said. The Gilmores joined in to help plaster a section of wall at the demonstration house at 506 Flood Street, under the supervision of John Laing, a master from Scotland. "Laing made it so anyone could do the work. He had this great 'come on in' attitude," said Gilmore. Outside the house, Sarah Jackson of the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT), demonstrated how to lime wash brick piers. The day before the brick piers had been repointed by four students visiting from the Brooklyn High School for the Arts.
Andrew Robinson, whose shotgun at 934 Jourdan Avenue has been the recipient of several volunteer efforts, calls himself a recent convert to the preservation cause. He and his family enthusiastically welcomed attendees and gave tours of the work in progress on their home. "I've been in the house for 20 years, but until I started working with PTN, I hadn't realized how much of a jewel it is," Robinson said. During IPTW, the missing posts and gingerbread on their porch were restored, and the blue tarp installed in January 2006 by the Tarps New Orleans initiative finally came off for permanent repairs to his asbestos roof. Robinson's thoughts now extend beyond his own home. He notices the shoddy work happening in his neighborhood that falls well short of HDLC regulations. "I'm concerned about enforcement, especially about the replacement of old doors and windows," he said. While short-staffed, HDLC staff posted several stop work orders. "Every time I go into our districts, I find another house to cite," a HDLC staff member sighed.
Nilima Mwendo, who owns a house a block away from the Robinsons was moved by IPTW 2006 as well. "It has been emotionally difficult for me to visit the memories of my 'old' life in shambles," she said. "Yet, my ongoing question was, what do I do? I had to tread carefully because my house is special, it is historic, and this means alot to me." Mwendo was surprised by the generosity of workshop leaders who dropped by her home and gave her practical advice. "The sneaking suspicion that there needs to be a scientific approach to incorporating the new with the old was verified at the conference," she said. "I learned that specialists were also trying to resolve this problem. It is refreshing to now know of another pool of resources available to me as I journey into the future."
The theme of rebuilding homes after a flood in traditional way that, as Rudy Christian of PTN put it, "would basically require cleaning the house and not much repairing" was much discussed by attendees. Dennis Livingston, who is in the process of writing a how-to manual for Gulf Coast homeowners, led spirited discussions on healthier rebuilding strategies. Several nonprofit organizations sent staff to soak up valuable information on how to rebuild in a stronger, more lasting manner. Myrba Cambell, a local who owns a non-historic house in Lakeview, read about IPTW 2006 in the Times-Picayune and hurried over for the last day of workshops. "This is a wonderful free resource," she said, and further added that she feels it is critical for more events to be staged that help homeowners become educated consumers about the repair work they will eventually have hire contractors for. Andrew Robinson of the 934 Jourdan demonstration house further emphasized that people need to be able to identify what tasks they could do themselves.
Many of the PTN members who traveled from afar to IPTW 2006 weren't sure what to expect in New Orleans. "Magnitude is not a large enough word" to describe the challenge of rebuilding after Katrina, one PTN member wrote in an email afterwards. "Are volunteers available for only a week really useful?" asked another. The response was an overwhelming "yes." "If you try to visualized the totality of the unimaginable devastation you get lost," commented a PRC volunteer who regularly comes in for long weekends, "but if you focus on a list of tasks at hand, it is manageable. There is nothing quite as fulfilling as helping out New Orleans."
In 2001,. by coincidence IPTW was planned to take place in Brooklyn, New York after 9/11. In the chaos of September 2001, consideration was given to cancelling the event, since many members of the local trades community were involved in recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site. However, the consensus was to gather despite adversity and demonstrate the human spirit to prevail. Likewise, this past October in New Orleans, IPTW 2006 united in the belief that preservation is as much about the future of communities, as it is about the buildings. Certainly, in Holy Cross there are still "lots of no people around," wrote one IPTW attendee, "but you could hear the birds singing in the trees."
Upcoming activities of the PTN community in New Orleans include more visits to homeowners via the "Mobile Preservation Unit" and a possible workforce initiative to train local talent in the trades. For updates, keep an eye on their website, www.ptn.org.
