My Experience in Historic Preservation

By Ben Temperley

A major influence on my decision to enroll in the SIUC M. Arch. program was my experience working for an architectural conservator in Iowa City, IA. While enrolled at the University of Iowa I met a guy named David who offered me a job as his assistant in his architectural conservation business. His business specialty was paint and mortar analysis for restoration of historic projects and historic surveys.

While working for David, the cell phone industry was rapidly expanding. Companies were erecting cell phone towers all over Iowa. David was contracted to survey the surrounding area of proposed cell phone tower locations for historic buildings or sites. The purpose was to determine if the tower would have a visual or other impact on a historical structure like a state capitol building or an archaeological site. David would send me to purchase USGS maps. We would draw a circle with a radius of 1 mile or so around the proposed tower sites on the maps. We would then mark down known historic sites within the circle. Later, we would visit the survey area and drive down every street documenting historic buildings or sites in the area. David would then write a report on his findings and send it to the state.

David taught me about identifying historic buildings (Italianate, Richardsonian Romanesque, Victorian, etc.). He also taught me about qualifications for placing a building on the National Register of Historic Places. To be on the National Register, a building needs to be at least 50 years old. The architecture needs to be significant or a significant event needs to have happened in the building. Modifications or dilapidation may disqualify a building. Additions and replaced windows or siding decrease the chances of a building qualifying for the National Register.

David also had me assist in paint and mortar analysis. Historic preservation projects will often want to match paint finishes and mortar mixes to how they were when the building was originally built or at some other significant time in the building’s history. David would receive paint and mortar samples in the mail, or he would collect samples from the site. The paint samples would be examined under a microscope to view the different layers of paint. David would then identify the pigments according to the Munsell System of Color. Mortar samples were tested by dissolving the sample with Muriatic acid, filtering the sample in beakers with filter paper, and quantifying and identifying the remains.

I enjoyed my time working in the field of historic preservation. I probably would not be studying architecture without it. A career in historic preservation is something to consider for those interested in the field of architecture.