With Your Coffee

University of Vermont Alumni House, 61 Summit Street.

Happy weekend and happy Preservation Month! And, Happy Mother’s Day! I’ve rounded up recent links for your weekend reading.

• In honor of Preservation Month, watch this movie about Jane Jacobs: Citizen Jane. (Note: if you can’t see it in person, you can watch it via Verizon or AT&T on demand.)
• A volunteer historical society in Putney, VT is running the Putney General Store after it has suffered a series of losses and challenges.
• A new use for a historic church.
• The 1980s/1990s mansions of the Hamptons (Long Island, NY) are being demolished for new homes. What do you think of that?
• This basketball court in Paris dates to 1893. Not quite how they are built today!
• Prohibition in Vermont.
• The debate on playgrounds being too creative.
• A modernist house, House II, in Hardwick, VT is for sale.

Have a lovely weekend, and hopefully spring is on its way to you. Cheers!

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With Your Coffee

Dreaming of warmer days and spring trips like those to Quebec City. Seen here: Hotel du Parlement. 

Happy weekend, everyone! Happy April! It’s snowing in Burlington, and, no, that is not an April Fool’s joke. How I wish it were. However, the snow is prettier than the barren trees and patches of brown dirt that are usually here this time of year. I suppose snow is okay for another day. A few reading links for the weekend:

• The last of the Howard Johnson’s restaurants, located in Lake George, NY is for sale. What happened to the ubiquitous restaurant chain? Have you been to one? I cannot recall if I have, though I remember my parents saying on road trips, let’s stay at a HoJo’s! Of course, the time we tried to, the pool was gross + green, which would not do for four young girls.

• Beautiful photographs of Alaska on its 150th anniversary as the 49th state of the United States.

• Brutalist structures should not be painted, and not be white!

• This 12 stall barn was remodeled into a home. How did they do it? Basically, gutting it. While pretty, the new residence does not retain any historic integrity. What do you think? I was hoping they’d keep some of the stalls for something! (A pantry? A closet? A powder room?) And the doors. Sigh.

• Are you an alum of the UVM Historic Preservation Program? If you haven’t heard about the 40th Anniversary Celebration on October 13-15, 2017, be sure to check out uvmhpalum.wordpress.com for the latest updates. It’s the perfect excuse to come back to Burlington for a visit! Spread the word.

• This time of year in Vermont makes me miss North Carolina. Spring is well settled in by now in the south. Vermont has another 3-4 weeks before the leaves start to sprout on the tree branches. I’d say spring comes to Burlington in early May.

I really need a new podcast. Any suggestions?

With Your Coffee [Monday Edition]

Silos at Dealer.com, Pine Street, Burlington, VT. Painted by local artist Mary Lacy.

Good morning! How’s it going? Is September incredibly busy for everyone – what happened to summer days? In need of a preservation conversation spark? Here are some recent finds relating to transportation and place. Read anything good lately? Working on anything fun? Let me know.

• Transportation nerds unite. Let’s talk about pavement. 99% invisible for the win, yet again.

• Have you heard of Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway? Everything about that makes me want to take a long road trip across the USA.

• Related: I’ve learned about many old highways from Jim Grey’s blog.

• Traveling the country by train is also on my to-do list.

• Do you live in a college town? I do. Granted they crowd the streets and the sidewalks, they bring vibrancy and money to BTV!

• What’s your ideal NYC neighborhood? Take this quiz to answer the above question. But, remember, real estate prices are NYC prices… thus, ridiculous.

• It’s a been a sad few weeks for historic structures in Vermont recently. In the past few weeks, Vermont has lost three historic structures to fire: the Cornwall Covered Bridge; the Shelburne Farms Dairy Barn; and the last working round barn in the state.

Cheers!

With Your Coffee

[Summer edition.]

Renewable energy: what do you think?

Hello, friends! How is summer going for you? Too fast? Same here. Less time on the internet (other than work), and more time outside is my motto for this season. For those times when you want something to read, I’ve been gathering good links. Here are some that I’ve found lately: 

• A new podcast, Brave State Vermont, talks about Vermont’s marble and concrete sculptures at interstate rest areas.

• This election brings up a lot of arguments and tension in society. One thing cannot be denied: white, male privilege is a real thing. 

• President Obama is the best, and this is why. 

• Apartment Therapy, I love you, but your teardown disappoints me. 

• Farmers Markets: how they work. 

• The elephant hotel in Coney Island. 

• We talk so much about the health of cities; but, what about rural America? 

• In Brownington, VT, 40 oxen were employed to move a schoolhouse, in 2016. 

• Dollar General: how did it overtake Vermont so quickly? Moral of the story: zoning and regulations, people. 

• Happy 60th Birthday, Interstate Highwat System. You have mixed critics. 

What have you been reading lately? Any good preservation adventures? Hope you have a fabulous, fun weekend! 

With Your Coffee {Tuesday Edition}

Shard Villa in Salisbury, VT

Hello preservationists and friends! It’s time for an unconventional Tuesday “With Your Coffee” post because it’s good to switch it up once in a while. How’s it going by you? Work and life have been busy around here, but in a good way with challenging work projects, more daylight, and many good reasons to get outside. Here are a few inspiring and fun links that I’ve come across lately, some preservation, some design, etc. What about you? Fill me in!

• Forget tent camping or RV camping; how cool is this Cricket trailer?

• The architecture of Vermont’s churches (good podcast episode from Vermont Public Radio).

• Sign up for the Amazing Preservation Race in San Antonio, TX!

• I love when obscure everyday items are in the news, like manhole covers.

• Before grocery stores were commonplace, they were connected to gas stations, meaning they catered to people who could afford a car.

• Do sororities now equate to feminism?

• This couple went into serious debt to rehabilitate a house. Would you?

• I am not super into Harry Potter, but this sign made me laugh.

• You can rent Julia Child’s house. Talk about inspiring!

• Raina’s photos continue to be my favorite.

Have a great day! Let me know if any of these stories spark a conversation. Cheers!

With Your Coffee

Traveling this weekend? Feels like spring. Have fun! Seen here: Vermont I-89.

Hello preservation friends and happy weekend! How goes it? Big successes to share? Are you simply glad to have made it through the week (preservation and life can do that to you once in a while. You are not alone)? What are you working on these days? Have you watched House of Cards yet? I’m super psyched to do some binge-watching. Here are a few links from around the web if you’re looking for something to read this weekend.

• Happy Birthday to Vermont! A well-lived 225 years!

• Once upon a time, there was a proposal for a National Park in Vermont.

• Visiting California and seeing the sequoias is high on life list.

• Saying goodbye to Harper Lee.

• Have you taken the National Trust’s “What Kind of Preservationist are You?” quiz? What did you get? I’m a CLASSIC preservationist.

• How the Federal Housing Administration has impeded our preservationist urge to maintain and create mixed used building on our Main Streets.

• Kind of a fair point. If you want dense living and urban transit, relocate to where it exists.

• Did you listen to an 99% Invisible podcasts? If you listened to Miss Manhattan, you’ll want to read this about Audrey Munson.

• This makes me laugh because I’ve had many fat cats in my life.

What have you been reading lately?

Coffee cheers! 🙂

 

With Your Coffee

Welcome to the weekend! How’s it going? The flamingo in the photo above is from my sister who is exploring the wild American west (specifically Las Vegas as of lately). Of course, I asked for flamingos and she obliged. She sent some live flamingo photos, too, but you know I cannot resist flamingo kitsch. This week I worked on some blog formatting changes. If you haven’t noticed, check out the Series page and the drop down menu when you hover over it. I’ll be working to tidy up the blog and making it more accessible. Hope you like it! Now, for some links.

• A new use for historic motels.

• A reporter asks, where are the Burlington payphones? Apparently, there are very few. Remember this one in Weybridge, VT?

• The retail landscape in Vermont is changing, and so our four (yes, 4) indoor shopping malls.

• Did you hear that highway roadside fonts are recommended for a change? That sounds expensive!  That’d be a lot of signs.

• Not all Americans want a walkable, urban lifestyle.

• Waving Goodbye to the lumberjack as a profession (not to be confused with the pop culture “lumber-sexual” look).

• Sometimes I like looking at the historic real estate ads.

• Check out Canada’s National Trust blog.

• And, if you didn’t see this via @SavingPlaces: a restored plantation that is now boarded up and left in limbo?

Have you read anything good this week? Please share!

Coffee cheers! Have a great weekend.

With Your Coffee [Back to Work Edition]

A church on the town green in South Ryegate, VT. 

Mondays after the holidays. Ouch, right? How are you? Did you have a good holiday? Make those resolutions yet? Good luck to everyone.

We finally have snow in Vermont and the ski resorts breathe a sigh of relief. I spent a lot of time falling on the icy cross-country ski trails, but more snow will come for future weekends. To ease the Monday blues, here are some links from around the web to get those neurons firing again.

• Menokin is a 1796 plantation house in Warsaw, Virginia that is being partially reconstructed with glass walls.

• Photographing New York’s mom & pop stores. Reminds me of the “Legacy Businesses” session at the National Trust Conference.

• So many churches fall on hard times and must close like this one in Quechee, VT.

• Apparently, the social pressures of Instagram are very real with teenagers.

• “Micro-homes” have made their way to Burlington, Vermont. Like tiny houses but with a different name, and slightly larger.

• And, Burlington, a small city, contemplates how to build up.

• Donald Trump will be in Vermont soon. Note the lack of enthusiasm.

Cheers! Have good, caffeinated Monday, my friends.

With Your Coffee

Choosing a Christmas tree in historic Shelburne village (VT), and supporting local tree growers and the Boy Scouts at the same time. #shoplocal

 

Good weekend morning! How are you? What are you up to? Sipping coffee, staring at your Christmas tree? That’s what I’m doing. Turn on the Netflix fireplace, too, and I’m set. I love Christmastime, even though we have no snow in Burlington. And, it’s 35-50 degrees. Well, at least I’m not frozen yet! Have you finished your shopping? I have not, as per usual; but I enjoy the hustle and bustle of the final shopping days before Christmas.

If you are sipping coffee (or spiked eggnog), need something fun to read while the Christmas music is playing? A few links from around the internet:

• I don’t know about you, but I wish I perfected double dutch as a child. I should have – I have 3 sisters – a whole team!
• Photogrammer: an excellent source for historic photographs, ca. 1935-1945, by the United States Farm Security Administration and Office of War Information (FSA-OWI). 
• A 1938 article about tourist cabins.
• Homes that hit the eggnog a bit too hard this season. Cracks me up!
• This is stunning.
• Soviet bus stops look very… well, not as communist as one would imagine. But, still very concrete.
• What’s your favorite Christmas movie? Mine is a toss up between White Christmas and The Muppet Christmas Carol.

Cheers!

With Your Coffee

A couple of beautifully maintained Queen Anne houses in Burlington, VT.

Good morning! How are you recovering from Thanksgiving Day? Has it been a relaxing week? Thanksgiving has long been one of my favorite holidays because it can be nice and relaxed or full of family. Aside from this Black Friday nonsense, Thanksgiving itself is not a commercial holiday (meaning, you might buy food, but it’s not a mandated present-gifting holiday). Know what I mean? But, today, Saturday November 28 is Small Business Saturday! Shop local!

Here are a few links for your reading list, if you’re interested.

• Doing some Christmas shopping in New York City? Macy’s still has its wooden escalators.

• Who doesn’t love (or secretly want) an Airstream?

• Rockefeller Center lights the big Christmas tree this week!

• The negative effects of the interstate are hard to undo.

• Digital preservation, online. Ironic? 

• What people say at zoning board meetings, as portrayed by cats.

• Once in a while a shipping container looks pretty awesome.

• You might have heard this by now, but a telephone booth in Prairie Grove, Arkansas is officially listed in the National Register. 

• And, for fun: need some resilient house plants that also require low light? I vote for snake plants.

Have a great weekend. Hug your loved ones, be safe!

Shop Small on Small Business Saturday!