PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN
Wapsi Valley Archaeology, Anamosa, IA
My position with my current employer is a Historian and Architectural Historian. I conduct archival and field research for Section 106 projects, write histories on the areas under review, and identify significant architectural features of project areas. In addition, I work with archaeologists to collect and record artifacts for future museum placement and/or futher in-depth analysis. Below are my current projects.
Cabin Relocation
I have been tasked to oversee the move of three historic cabins out of the flood plain along the Red River to Rollag, Minnesota. Two of the cabins will be disassembled and reassembled in their new location, and one cabin will be moved in one piece. All three cabins will become a part of a log cabin park in Rollag.
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Wooden Patterns
In the 1930s the upper Mississippi locks and dams were constructed under the Works Progress Administration. The method for creating the parts needed to build these locks and dams were first made from wood. A mold was created from the wood piece and from that a metal part was machined. Their sizes range from four inches to over twelve feet in length. Because the pieces are now obsolete we are documenting them in order to find them a proper home. They are measured, photographed, and all information on the parts are being cataloged. I am the principal lead on this project.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER
City of Corpus Christi, TX
As the first Historic Preservation Officer (HPO) hired for the City of Corpus Christi I was charged with creating standards for the city to follow when interacting with historic buildings/structures following a Preservation Plan that was put in place in 2021. Below you will find the projects I was working on, the projects I completed, and the implimentations that I put in place during my time there.
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EBONY RECREATION SPOT
The Ebony Recreation Spot was a dance hall in the African American neighborhood of Hillcrest, in Corpus Christi. It's where many Black musicians played in the early part of their careers. The city calls it a blight on the neighborhood, but most of the neighborhood is already gone. It's been recorded as a Texas Dance Hall and once played a pivotal role in the fuctioning of the community. I went before the commission an expressed its importance and quickly learned about city politics.
UPPER WESTSIDE HISTORIC RESOURCE SURVEY
The Upper Westside Historic Resource Survey was just beginning when I first arrived at Corpus Christi. I was a facilitator for the preservation company completing the survey. I identified centrally located community meeting locations, coordinated those meetings, arranged training and aided in troubleshooting issues with the city's ArcGIS program. I enforced deadlines, distributed pay, and presented updates to the Landmark Commission.
600 BUILDING
My first Certificate of Appropriateness for Demolition (COAD) was with the 600 Building. Completed in 1963, the 600 Building is a culmination of three distinctive designs: Meisian, Brutalist, and New Formalist. It was also the first time I disagreed with the interpretation of the city ordinance. The building was not being demolished, it was being converted into apartments. However, some considered that the first phase of remodeling (demolition) fell under the COAD, while others interpreted it as demolishing the entire building. One of the projects I was working on was rewording the ordinance to make it more concise.
PROMOTING PRESERVATION
The above images are an example of how taking advantage of a situation can benefit the public and a young entreprenuer. A young woman, just out of high school, stopped by my office to ask who cleans the historical markers. We gathered information from the Texas Historical Commission (THC) on how to properly clean the markers and also got information on cleaning gravestones. Now, she is not only doing a community service by cleaning the markers and headstones, she is promoting her cleaning company through social media by posting before and after photos. During her process she also updated me on signs were damaged or missing so I could report it to the THC. This is wonderful example of how community involvement can benefit everyone.
HISTORIC OVERLAYS
As an HPO, one of the more difficult processes that I had to learn was the rezoning process. The Tudor home above has been completely restored according the Standards. The brick used to repair damaged brick was made in the original color at the same plant they were made in the 1930s. Rezoning with historic overlays consists of public notices, presentations, Landmark Commision approval. The presentations are then rewritten for the Dept. Head and the approval of the City Council. It's a process that takes about three to four months.
MORNINGSIDE HISTORIC RESOURCE SURVEY
Morningside subdivision was our first attempt at a historic resource survey. I worked with the GIS Deptartment in developing a program through ArcGIS/Survey 123. The program had its issues, but most of the bugs were worked out prior to proceeding with the larger Upper Westide Survey. Eventually, Morningside was temporarily abandoned due to the 75% compliance rule and my focus turned to Clifford Street.
PRESERVATION MONTH
One of my tasks as an HPO was to organize the events during Preservation Month. This meant compiling research on buildings, nominees, and presenting them to the Landmark Commission. I organized the first art contest using the 200,000 plus photos taken by "Doc" McGregor (a local chiropractor). I coordinated with the archivist from the History and Science Museum that held most of the images. Over 200 photos were selected and a website was created for participants to visit. They were to select one of McGregor's photos. Using thier choice of medium, on a canvas, they were to interpret the image in thier own way. The judges were a college art professor, the curator, and a local artist. Winning image in gallery.
STEAMBOAT HOUSE
The Steamboat House, also known as the Steamboat/Ropes House was constructed in the 1890s. It is considered to be one of the few remaining High Victorian "gingerbread" houses in Corpus Christi. The house was gifted to the city in 2007 to make way for an apartment complex. A structural assesment was done on the building after Hurricane Harvey and it was deamed that the building was no longer structurally sound. A Certificate of Appropriateness for Demolition was approved by the Landmark Commission in 2020. A stipulation to the approved demolition was that a "white paper" be written on the home. I was charged with writing the paper, which can be found on the "PAPERS" page.
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HERITAGE PARK
Heritage Park consists of twelve historic homes and are maintained by the Parks & Rec Dept. All of the homes have been moved to the park and most are listed on the National Register. The Parks & Rec Dept. has maintained the homes to the best of their knowledge, however they did not keep any records of repairs. I created an adminstrative form to submit needed repairs. Larger repairs had to be approved by the Landmark Commission while emergency repairs and basic maintenance could be administratively approved. These forms were to be kept in a binder to keep track of the work being done in the park for future reference.
HISTORIC DISTRICT
For the safety of the community and the surveyor, a notice should be sent out prior to conducting a historic resource survey. The postcard above was sent out to the residents of Clifford Street. In this case, Clifford Street consists of one block where every home is built in the Tudor Style. Seven of the homes have historic overlays and the community has already expressed interest in becoming a district. This would have been the first historic district in the City of Corpus Christi.