Norman Alston Architects

Norman Alston Architects marks 20 years

On November 9, 2009, our firm will mark the 20th anniversary of its founding. It's a story I've told many times, of a difficult job market and my own decision to open my own practice specializing in historic preservation. Problem was, it's usually best to have some actual experience in your specialty before depending on it to support you and your young family. Preservation, it seems, was a long-simmering interest of mine that I had only recently discovered, but had little practical experience with and no established client base. Perhaps not the best business model.

Now, 20 years later, we can reasonably claim to be one of Texas' most experienced historic preservation firms. So many interesting projects. So many great clients. I've loved every minute of it. Looks like it was the right decision after all.

Thanks to everyone who has made this day possible.

Highland Park rejects Preservation.......again.

It's not as if I'm surprised. As noted in Dan Koller's article in Park Cities People, efforts to establish some sort of organized, predictable and effective preservation program in Highland Park have been set back yet again by the Town Council. In this case, it is an effort to get professional help to conduct a study on possible preservation steps that has been rejected, indicating how deeply the aversion to historic preservation runs here.

Understand, virtually none of the paradigms of preservation that we work with routinely in other venues apply here. This community, adjacent to Southern Methodist University, is historically associated with many of Dallas' most notable and successful citizens. Always among the most affluent areas, development began in earnest in the 1920's and has produced some of the best examples in the Dallas area of virtually all of the major stylistic movements since that time, especially Spanish Mission Revival. That so many have survived is testimony in large part to the personal success and  associated resources of so many of the community's citizens.

Somewhere along the line the advantages available to historic preservation in Highland Park have become the primary threat to the survival of many of these buildings. The stylistic leadership exhibited in the early days has more recently contributed to the spread of some pretty bad ideas. The unfortunate habit of painting perfectly good brick traces it origins to the Park Cities and became fashionable due to its association with these beautiful and exclusive neighborhoods.

The biggest threat, however, and the one some of the good folks in Highland Park are seeking to address, is that of tear downs. Long, long before the term "McMansion" became popular, property owners in the Park Cities discovered that their older homes were far smaller and seemingly less stylish than what was permitted for new construction. Rising property values made it economically advantageous to tear down the potentially historic houses and construct new, larger ones. This means very big money in Highland Park and with it, highly motivated and politically savy opponents to any effort that might impede that income stream. I doubt this actually comes to a surprise the preservationists in Highland Park. Good luck to them.

New LEED Standards take effect Monday, August 3.

In April, the US Green Building Council rolled out LEED version 3, a significant revision to both the LEED certification process for projects and to the credentialing process for "green professionals" who hold the LEED AP designation. The intention is for the new processes to reflect the rapidly advancing technology and evolving techniques of green building. The credentialing, as universally understood, will be much, much more rigorous for those seeking the new designations, such as LEED AP BD+C. I have found the information about this transition difficult to follow until I saw this article by Tristan Roberts which showed up in my Linkedin update today. As an author for the tests, he has many interesting and useful insights for those looking to stay abreast of this fast-moving field.

Highway rest areas have their preservationists too.

Waltzing across Texas on our highways is a way of life around here, but with the 4th of July Holiday upon us, many more are set to be on the road the next few days. That's probably why the Wall Street Journal published a story today about the trend among states to close so many of their highway rest areas in a budget-trimming move. The rationale is that so many private fuel stops and restaurants have cropped up that the humble rest area is no longer needed. To the surprise of many, this has not been well received. Truckers associations and the AAA, among others, have begun touting such steps as a threat to highway safety.

The gem of this article to me was to find the web site, Rest Area History.Org, which is dedicated to documenting the history of highway rest areas and preserving them.

As I read the article, I found it strangely inconsistent with what I had experienced lately. It seemed to me that rest areas in Texas were enjoying a resurgence, with large new facilities having recently opened near Belton and Sweetwater. Sure enough, later in the article, Texas is noted as a state bucking the trend, going as far as adding wi-fi hot spots to most of the state's rest areas. TxDOT maintains this interactive map showing locations of the state's rest areas, including a photo gallery of many.

If you're out and about, check out the big new ones in Bell County and Nolan County.

Email trouble today, Monday, June 29, 2009

It is Monday, after all. I have just been informed by our hosting service that there is a problem with the email servers. As of this moment, it appears that none of the alstonarchitects.com email accounts are working. If you encounter a problem or think you have sent us an important email, please call and confirm. Also, you may use the old email address, naarch@swbell.net. It's still working.

Statue of Liberty to reopen the crown on July 4

The observation deck in the crown has been closed since 9/11, so it's nice to get back another little bit of life as we knew it before that day. At the National Parks Service site on the Statue of Liberty, information is available that shows that things may not be quite back to normal, as there will be airport like security screening prior to boarding the ferry.

I also understand that advance reservations are required and that visitors to the top  will be limited to 10 at a time, with a maximum daily limit of 240. And once you have your ticket, passed through security and waited in line, there is always the climb of 354 steps. Let's see, 354 steps, even at only 7 inches each, is still more than 206 feet, or about 17 or 18 stories. The people who do this should be admired because they will have overcome much to be there.

The state of historic preservation according to Architectural Record

Using the controversy surrounding Charity Hospital in New Orleans as the embodiment of the current environment for historic preservation , author Robert Ivy, FAIA, in this article provides an interesting and thorough look into preservation's apparently evolving role. I am usually skeptical when a publication that provides a comprehensive look at architecture decides to focus down on just preservation. Very often the message is that preservation should "...lighten up and get with the times".

Not so with Mr. Ivy's article. He starts with a remarkably efficient summary of the history of historic preservation in the US, creating an easy to understand context for his observations. I also feel his catalog of factors influencing modern preservation efforts is thorough and even handed, especially in regard to sustainability and midcentury modern architecture.

My only  raised eyebrow occurred upon viewing the slideshow on Charity Hospital. The design of the new entry canopy, apparently developed by RMJM, the firm hired by the National Trust and the Foundation for Historic Louisiana, looks to conform to a very odd and liberal interpretation of the Secretary of the Interiors Standards. Some discussion  of this would have been welcomed.

The photo shown is from the Architectural Record's slide show and was provided to them by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Austin Energy Audits: Commentary in the Advocate Magazine's Back Talk Blog

Yesterday I read a piece in the Wall Street Journal that recounted how the City of Austin has enacted an ordinance that requires home sellers to obtain energy audits in order to sell their homes. Unfortunately, I see this as just another example Green actions getting out in front of Green thinking, a subject that seems to come across my desk alot these days.

In my role as a guest blogger on the Advocate Magazine's Back Talk Blog, I have posted my thoughts on this subject and what it may mean in the larger effort to improve energy efficiency and sustainability.

The post can be found at the following link:

Energy Audits: Will Dallas require them?

Parks Estate receives Preservation Achievement Award

At their 10th annual awards presentation, Preservation Dallas recognized a number of recent achievements in preservation. Among those was the Joseph F. and Lucy Parks Estate which was recognized in the category of Residential Restoration/Rehabilitation.

Our congratulations to owners Tom and Kathi Lind. Without their vision and determination, this important Dallas landmark might have been lost. Congratulations are also in order for Preservation Dallas themselves as it was their leadership in getting the house into loving hands that made the restoration possible.

On behalf of the design and construction team, our thanks for the chance to be involved in an amazing project.

A visit to historic Fort Sam Houston

I recently had an opportunity to visit Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. I had heard for years that it was a remarkable complex with many historic structures. I must admit, however, that I did not have high expectations for a U.S. Army base, knowing that historic preservation was not generally considered "mission critical" to the military.

I was amazed. It is one of the largest and finest collections of historic buildings that I have seen. There are, by their accounting, approximately 900 historic structures, many of which are on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition, Fort Sam Houston is a National Historic Landmark. This is a big deal, a designation signifying that the Fort is one of the nation's most important and valuable historic sites. Fewer than 2500 sites across the US have achieved this designation. Once I saw the base and became familiar with it, it was easy to understand why.