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During May - Preservation Month - members of the WPA opened their doors or set up shop outdoors to build awareness of window restoration and repair. Below is a photos of the setup Mozerworks had at the Tacoma Park, MD farmers market. 

This week we celebrated the first birthday of the Window Preservation Alliance during the Traditional Building Conference in Chicago. 

The venue could not have been more appropriate - the Chicago History Museum - and the room featured beautiful Frank Lloyd Wright stained glass panels. 

And they had to torment us, as it seems the incredible wheel engraved glass in the windows shown on the screen are long lost. Anyone know where they are?

But, two days of presentations on windows, everything from the evolution of sash making to the lengths aluminum window fabricators are going to try to even get close to the elegant details of orignal windows. And lots of stories of windows that were needlessly ripped out in the 1970's, now failing, and in need of replacement. Ha!

Had the great pleasure of meeting a number of window restorers both established and starting up. Learned more about new glass technology. And really got to listed to the struggle that we all face to come up with sensible solutions to window issues. There were amazing case studies of very large windows built a century ago no posing challenges to the way we are used to living. How is it building 11 foot tall operable sash (like you see in most courthouses, town halls, schools and churches) now seems an impossible feat? And when presented with the opportunity to make them operable again the choice is so often "seal them shut we're never going to use them" which just makes me sad and annoyed. 

It's always a challenge to find time to get out of the shop and go to events like this, but it's always worth it. Looking forward to the next meet up of putty heads!

Alison

Very pleased to get press for the WPA in the magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The Traditional Building Conference Series Windows Symposium takes place April 12-13, 2016 at the Chicago History Museum.

The Traditional Building Conference Series Windows Symposium will feature two days of demonstrations, discussions, and direction about working with windows--historic, old and new, traditional, and mid-century modern.  Window professionals and practitioners, experts from the National Park Service and twenty suppliers, many specific to the repair, replacement or construction of historic windows, will be on hand to answer technical questions and aid attendees in their search for hard-to-find skills and products. 

Architects can earn up to 11.25 credits--10.25 are Health Safety and Welfare Learning Units.  Certain designations for continuing education for the NAHB are available, as are continuing education credits for members of NARI and AIBD.

Educational Topics include the following:

The Making of American Windows: A Present-Minded History

Managing Change: Conducting Assessments and Getting the Details Right in Window Rehabilitation and Replacement

Properties and Performance of Vacuum-Insulated Glazing

Double-Hung Wooden Window Case Studies: Replacement and New Traditional Construction

Wooden Window Repair Techniques--Selected Best Practices

Storm Windows: Durability, Efficiency, and Noise Reduction

Metal Windows Case Studies: Repair, Replacement and New Traditional Construction

Window Projects: Testing, Managing, Complying

Confirmed speakers include:  Neal Vogel, principal, Restoric, LLC, Chicago; John Sandor, architectural historian, US National Park Service, Washington, DC; Duffy Hoffman, painter and craftsman, Forest Park, IL; Judy L. Hayward, education director, Traditional Building Conference Series, and executive director Historic Windsor, Inc./Preservation Education Institute, Windsor, VT; Kyle Sword, Manager, Business Development, Pilkington North America, Toledo, OH; Steve Lien; CSI, CDT, AIA, CGP; Senior Commercial Project Manager, Marvin Windows and Doors, Warroad, MN; Stuart Cohen, FAIA, Cohen and Hacker Architects, Evanston, IL; Alison Hardy, Window Woman of New England; David Martin, Allied Window, Cincinnati, OH; Jim Nelson, Mon-Ray, Hopkins, MN; and Kristina Damschen, Indow Windows, Portland, OR;  Kimber Degling, Innerglass Window Systems, LLC, Simsbury, CT; Lynn Bingham, Phoenix Window Restoration, Denver, CO; William Wilder, Graham Architectural Products, York, PA; Kurtis Suellentrop, Winco Windows, St. Louis, MO; Natalie Lord; AIA, LEED AP BD +C; Humphries Poli Architects, Denver, CO; Susan D. Turner, Historic Preservation Leader, Bailey Edward Architecture, Chicago, IL; Julie Hacker,  Cohen and Hacker Architects, LLC, Evanston, IL  Terry Zeimetz, AIA, CSI, CCPR; Pella EFCO Commercial Solutions, Pella, IA; Sally Fishburn, President, SA Fishburn, Inc., Danville, VT; Tim Murphy, TMC Windows, Skokie, IL; Gail Wallace, President, Restoration Works, Inc.; Kankakee, IL; and Chris Hendricks, Director of Sales for Wooden Window, Inc., Oakland, CA.

The Windows Conference, Chicago is sponsored by:

Gold Sponsors- Marvin Windows and Doors, Pilkington Glass, Connor Homes and Historical Arts and Casting

Silver Sponsors- Allied Window, Ludowici Roof Tile, Unico, Heritage Tile and Crown Point Cabinetry

Windows Symposium Sponsors- Mon-Ray, Inc, Indow Windows, Window Preservation Alliance, Phoenix Windows, Pella EFCO, Innerglass and Abatron

Windows are an important character-defining feature of buildings.  But when they suffer from neglect and lack of maintenance, they present significant challenges for rehabilitation including cost, detailing, and return on investment.  When it comes to additions to historic buildings or new construction, getting the details right is critically important for achieving historic authenticity and long-term durability. The conference will examine windows made of wood, steel, and aluminum; storm windows and glass as we move further into preservation of 20^th century materials.  Window work, from restoration of old windows to the design and installation of new windows, generates jobs and serves as an important economic engine within the construction world.

Window Preservation Alliance members can get discounted registration by contacting Carolyn Walsh cwalsh@aimmedia.com or call (781) 779-1560.  

Saturday morning, alarm clock rings and you think "Why am I getting out of bed at this hour to go to a trade show?" Pack up the business cards, brochures, various and sundry window parts and drive. Hassle with finding the place, parking the car, schlep the stuff in. And then you look up and there is an old friend. You find out that they recently moved their workshop too and you share the joys and the struggles. A client stops by and tells you again how much they love their restored windows. You finally get to meet the person you have been emailing in person. And invariably you hear "I had no idea anyone was doing this kind of work," several times during the day.

This past weekend I spend at the Old House and Barn Expo in Manchester, NH. It was so great to meet up with so many WPA members - some I knew, some I did not, at least not in person. We talked about suppliers, projects, staffing, vehicles, paperwork. Restoring windows is an odd profession, and it's so nice to be able to talk to others who GET IT. Those who share the love for old windows and are committed to saving as many as we can. 

Going to events is a big commitment of time and energy. What I loved about this show, and the one in Valley Forge, PA in early February is how WPA members step up, show up, and share the load. We are people who DO things. We support those who organize these events as that is a huge amount of work. And it's so worth it! Rather than just scraping paint all day it's worth it to take a small amount of time to get out, smell the fresh air, and talk to fellow putty heads. Sure there are stacks of sash that have to get done, but taking some hours to get to the bigger picture of why we do what we do is greater income than the $ completing one sash would generate. 

As a show of skill and for fun the Window Preservation Alliance held the first Glaze-A-Palooza on February 19 in Tampa, FL. Winners were judged on speed, quality, and style. 

Winners Scott Sidler, Andy Roeper and Charles Zastrow. 

Alison Hardy, owner of Window Woman of New England, is leading a newly formed group called the Window Preservation Alliance to save America’s historic windows and counter the pervasive message that window replacement is the answer. In the Window Hero Webinar, she talks about the alliance’s plans to help local historic preservation organizations across the country.

Alison has been restoring and repairing windows around Boston for the past 13 years and is a member of the Preservation Trades Network, Historic New England and Historic Salem.

The Window Preservation Alliance (WPA), a non-profit organization of window restorers, is reaching out to the next generation of window restorers by inviting three preservation students to become members of the WPA, funded through a scholarship gift.  Sam Edwards, a student in the Building Preservation/Restoration program at Belmont College in Ohio; as well as Evan Zelezny-Green and Brin Carson, students in the Historic Preservation program at Savannah Technical College in Georgia, were nominated by their schools because they have shown a demonstrated interest in the preservation and restoration of original windows.

“We believe the future of our heritage windows is in the hands of the next generation of homeowners and craftspeople.  If they value the beauty, craftsmanship and irreplaceable materials that comprise wood windows created before 1950, their enthusiasm--and social media savvy--may be just the push needed to save these old beauties and keep them out of the landfills,” said Steve Quillian, principal of Wood Window Makeover and board member of the WPA.

The scholarships for these student memberships were donated to the WPA by Lisa Sasser, principal of Quid Tum, Historic Building Consulting, in Amherst, NH.  “We were delighted to receive Lisa Sasser‘s gift.  By offering these funded memberships for students, the WPA is building bridges to the preservation schools and helping to create  more resources for home and building owners who want to preserve, maintain and, when necessary, restore their heritage windows,” said Marybeth Robb, also a WPA board member.

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The mission of the Window Preservation Alliance is to inspire the preservation of original windows by educating the public about the beauty, craftsmanship and energy efficiency of their windows and supporting the people and businesses that restore them.   For more information, visit windowpreservationalliance.org or call Alison Hardy at 508-932-9320.

For more information on the historic preservation schools in this press release, contact:

David Mertz, Building Restoration/Preservation program, dmertz@belmontcollege.edu

Benjamin Curran, Historic Preservation program, bcurran@savannahtech.edu

In September, the WPA launched a mission to begin a national conversation about restoring historic wood windows. Offering resources for both homeowners, professionals and restorers alike, their new website is a valuable tool.