New Course on Historic Preservation Technology Offered to Trust Craftspeople
College of the Redwoods in Eureka, California has created a course on historic preservation technology through an interagency agreement with the Presidio Trust. The ten-session course titled "Historic Preservation Field Techniques" is the only program of its kind offered west of the Mississippi. It will be available to Trust craftspeople who are interested in learning about current technologies and techniques for maintaining and rehabilitating historic buildings.
Approximately 75 to 120 Trust craftspeople, project managers and plan reviewers will enroll in the program, which involves 10 eight-hour sessions held over eight months. At each session, students will meet in a historic building on the Presidio, where they will receive hands-on instruction on how to maintain and restore these structures. They will cover topics including interior and exterior wood repair, roof and gutter repair, and identification of historic components of a building, all in the context of sustainable materials and methods.
"The course, which Trust staff helped design, complies with standards set by the Secretary of the Interior for the rehabilitation, restoration and preservation of historic properties. The curriculum is part of the College of the Redwoods’ Historic Preservation and Restoration Technology certificate program," said Cherilyn Widell, preservation compliance officer for the Trust. "The Trust has always been committed to enhancing the skills and technological knowledge of its staff. Now that this program is available, we will be able to train many more of our craftspeople in the most current historic preservation construction methods."
College of the Redwoods received the "Governor’s Historic Preservation Award" for their role in establishing the program, and for ongoing work in advancing technology to improve historic preservation.