Utah Heritage Foundation

We could do much better with saving historic windows here in Utah. They are one of the major character-defining features of any historic building and are looked at carefully when you are applying for historic rehabilitation tax credits.  There is certainly a culture of replacing them here, thinking that newer will be better.  Part of it just might be that there is difficultly in locating a contractor that can perform the work or having the knowledge that the windows can in fact be repaired and can have longer life than replacement windows.

This new website gives you information that we've been collecting and promoting for years and has been scattered across many articles and other websites.  Please forward to your friends and neighbors if they are also trying to save their windows.

The page includes links to lots of window resources including how-to guides, repair workshops, and local and regional contractors.
www.savethewindows.org

On Saturday, September 18, a free Preservation Workshop will give owners of historic buildings valuable information about the care and preservation of their buildings. The workshop, presented by the Murray History Advisory Board, will be held at the Murray Baptist Church, 4886 S. Poplar Street, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The workshop will begin at 9:30 a.m. with a short walking tour of historic buildings on Poplar Street (1/2 block west of State Street). During the tour, State History’s Don Hartley, state historical architect, will share his broad experience and knowledge about preservation solutions and maintenance issues. Hartley will then present a workshop on ways to update and maintain a building and increase energy efficiency while still retaining historic integrity. He will also discuss tax credits and other funding options. Professor Robert Young of the U of U College of Architecture and Planning will present a case study of historic home preservation and the integration of sustainability/green preservation. 

After lunch, participants may take an optional bus tour of historic Murray sites (cost for the tour is $5). The 90-minute bus tour will begin at 1:30 p.m.

Download the complete flyer here.

Ogden School City District is restoring and adding needed new space at historic Ogden High School in what will ultimately be a $70 million investment.  As is appropriate, the district will support upgrades that specifically impact the school's functionality.  However, part of the historic preservation piece is left to be raised by private funds, another $9 - $11 million.  OHS alumni and historic preservationists across the country are joining together to raise funds to specifically preserve the glorious auditorium and the magnificent exterior windows.

Last week, UHF staff took a behind-the-scenes tour of incredible rehab in progress.  Here are the photos for you to see the work up close.

You don’t have to be a contractor and it doesn’t have to take all weekend.  So here’s a few tips from James Schwartz of the National Trust for Historic Preservation to keep your windows working well this winter.

 

 

The National Trust is featuring a weatherization guide for historic homes on Preservation Nation for those of us that are thinking every day about how we can be more energy conscious in order to be better stewards at home and in the community, thinking globally acting locally.

The Trust website includes sections on how to conduct a home audit, why historic windows matter, mechanical systems, insulation, and roofing.  Many of these helpful, visual, and interactive tips and exhibits will help you as the building owner better understand how your historic building is already green and sustainable, and be better able to utilize the historic features during rehabilitation to make it more efficient for the future.

 Go to the Weatherization Guide

On Friday, Sept. 18^th the Ogden High School Restoration Project kicked off their public capital campaign in regal style complete with band, cheerleaders, community leaders, Lieutenant Gov. Greg Bell (OHS '66).  The climaxing moment was the campaign's co-chair pronouncing that they had raised $6.8 million of a $9 million total campaign, which was given a thundering standing ovation and song by the band.

Taking a tour of the completed Phase 1 and underway Phase 2, the work is amazing.  The students are excited and spontaneously begged to join us on the tour to get a behind-the-scenes look at their school.  They were disappointed to hear that they would graduate before the auditorium, new science labs, and black box theater spaces would be completed.

But that's how much the students are invested in this place.  They really own it forever.  In the new commons, you could sense their comfort level as the light flooded in through a new steel and glass wall and bounced off the former exterior cream brick façade that once faced the ROTC quad.

And because every class feels the same way about their experience, OHS is reaching out to them and to the public to help restore one of the foremost historic landmarks in Utah to continue serving its educational purpose.  As Dean Hurst ('44) of the Stewart Foundation said at the kickoff, "A few have given much.  Now there's a need for a lot of people to give a little."

Go

Certainly there is interest in getting the most out of your windows for energy efficiency.  Replacement may be a choice you are considering because of the recently enacted tax credits for energy conservation.  However, rehabilitating your wood windows not only saves the "eyes to soul" of your building, but the work can be eligible for historic rehabilitation tax credits.

Nelson Knight at the Utah State Historic Preservation Office ran across a great resource (put together by our colleagues at the Kansas State Historical Society) for educating owners on the ease and effectiveness of repairing wood windows.  It's a great educational tool, as well as offering a how-to method for those owners who are inclined to tackle a repair project themselves.

Here you can learn the following techniques: