Sept. 30, 2016
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History will continue its lecture series celebrating the 50th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act at 6 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 6. Matthew Webster will present the talk “Historic Preservation with Large and Small Budgets” at the Culture Center in the Museum Education Media Room. The lecture series is free and open to the public.
The talk will focus on different approaches to the preservation of historic structures such as preserving a structure as it is, with full restoration and through reconstruction. Webster will use his experience from working on projects in the United States and abroad to investigate the information and decisions that influenced these projects, how they were executed and their ultimate outcome. He will discuss how these projects can provide tips for other preservation efforts and how it is possible to adapt approaches to fit structures and budgets across a wide spectrum.
Webster has been the director of the Grainger Department of Architectural Preservation at Colonial Williamsburg since 2010 and has been working in the architectural preservation field for 16 years. He has led dozens of consultation projects including a structural survey of Happy Retreat in Charles Town; advising the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on painting materials and techniques for period rooms; acting as an advisor in Jamaica for projects at Good Hope, Vale Royal, Arcadia, Hampden and Gale’s Valley; and was part of a US State Department team that helped Russian and American museum professionals to exchange best practices about managing open air museums.
The National Historic Preservation Act has allowed historic resources to be recognized through the National Register of Historic Places and preserved through the survey and planning and development grant programs as well as historic rehabilitation tax credits.
For more information about the lecture series, contact John Adamik, education and planning coordinator for the SHPO, at (304) 558-0240.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts with Kay Goodwin, cabinet secretary. The division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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