1. Familiarity with architectural history, historic materials, historic finishes, historic systems, and traditional construction techniques and crafts.
Both Partners meet the Professional Qualifications Standards for Architectural History, as defined in the US Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation. These include the “… education and experience required to perform identification, evaluation, registration, and treatment activities.” William Remsen also meets the Professional Qualifications Standards for Architecture and Historic Architecture and is a registered professional architect.
Both partners have extensive experience working on historic buildings of all types, from a variety of materials from different historical periods. Ian has exceptional, award-winning craft skills. He has lectured extensively and taught classes on preservation trades. He has also served as president of the Preservation Trades Network and is an active member of the preservation wing of the Timber Framers Guild, the Traditional Timber Frame Research and Advisory Group (TTRAG).
2. Familiarity with decay processes for historic materials, finishes, and systems.
Both partners have academic and practical experience backgrounds. Ian’s work at Historic Huguenot Street (a Historic District Museum) as Head of Physical Maintenance/Restoration and William’s work as Chief Preservation Architect for the Preservation Society of Newport County (PSNC, the Newport RI Mansions) and as Supervisor of Architecture Conservation for the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities [now Historic New England] exposed them both to the full range of historic materials and problems. William designed and managed architectural interventions, including roof renovations, environmental monitoring, electrical wiring, HVAC, and plumbing upgrades, pest monitoring and eradication, exterior woodwork, and masonry conservation, at numerous PSNC historic house museums.
- The Hunter House (c. 1750), American Colonial style
- Kingscote (1839-1881) Gothic Revival style by Richard Upjohn and McKim, Mead, & White
- Chateau-sur-Mer (1852, 1871-1880) Italianate style by Seth Bradford & Richard Morris Hunt
- Chepstow (1860-1861), Italianate style
- Brayton House Museum (c. 1860-1880), Colonial style
- Isaac Bell House (1881-1883, Shingle Style designed by McKim, Mead, & White
- Marble House (1888-1892) Neo-Classical style designed by Richard Morris Hunt
- The Breakers (1892-1895) Italian Renaissance style designed by Richard Morris Hunt
- Rosecliff (1898-1900) Neo-Classical style designed by McKim, Mead, and White
- The Elms (1899-1902) French Neo-Classical style designed by Horace Trumbaur
3. Able to identify hazardous conditions and organize appropriate responses including use of OSHA (US Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and NIOSH (The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) compliant tools, personal protection equipment (PPE), and procedures.
Both Partners are OSHA-certified in construction site safety and OSHA compliance issues. Both Partners have led training classes in site safety and PPE use.
4. Familiarity with investigating, documenting, evaluating, assessing conditions, and designing and organizing proposed conservations interventions into a prioritized, practical hierarchy balancing needs, risks, and resources.
Both partners have independently and together carried out numerous conservation assessments of a wide variety of historic properties, both in the US and internationally. These structures are constructed in a wide variety of historic and modern materials, including wood, stone, brick, and mud brick, in many styles and from many historical periods. Documenting, evaluating, assessing conditions, and designing and organizing proposed conservation interventions are essential parts of conservation assessments.
William is certified as Historic Preservation Building Assessor for the Collections Assessment for Preservation Program (CAP) of the American Institute of Conservation (AIC). The CAP Program utilizes collections care and building care professionals to produce general conservation assessments for museums around the United States. AIC CAP architectural assessors must: demonstrate professional training in conservation, architectural conservation/preservation, architecture, landscape architecture, or engineering; have at least five years of professional experience in conservation/preservation; and possess experience conducting general conservation assessments.
5. The ability to put together and manage interdisciplinary teams of expert and consultants to handle large and complex projects.
Both Partners have put together and managed interdisciplinary teams of experts and consultants to deal with large and complex multi-million dollar projects. Structural engineers, archaeologists, architects, landscape architects, historians, conservators, sociologists, archaeologists, hydrologists, photographers, geologists, project managers, general contractors, and numerous specialized trades have all been hired as part of our teams.
6. The education to deeply understand the philosophy of historic preservation and conservation so that all proposed work conforms to professional standards of practice and appropriate responses are creatively developed to unforeseen conditions.
Both Partners have strong academic backgrounds in graduate-level historic preservation, including philosophy and the national and international conventions and charters that guide preservation practice: Ian at Boston University’s Preservation Studies Program and William at the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) Architecture Conservation Training Program in Rome, Italy and at the Graduate School of Design of Harvard University.
After adding years of practical experience to their academic training, both have been asked to share their knowledge through lecturing and teaching on architecture conservation and historic preservation. Highlights include Ian’s Preservation Carpentry/Building Conservation class that he developed through the New York State Historic Preservation Office for community colleges and his important 2019 TED Talk on preservation trades: Ian Stewart: Could preservation trades help save our cities? | TEDx Talk. William has taught architecture conservation to graduate preservation students at Boston University and archaeology to undergraduate design students at the Boston Architectural College. William also created and managed The SAVE Historic Conservation Training Program for Professionals to build needed capacity in the Turkish community in Cyprus. This program included practical training specifically selected to address local conditions, traditional building materials and techniques, and the needs of the Cypriot professional community. Trainees included architects, engineers, art historians, craftsmen, archaeologists, staff of the Department of Antiquities responsible for cultural heritage management, and university students. There were over one hundred trainees in this well-received program.
William selected leading international conservation experts, including preservationist Prof. Brown Morton, conservators Jessie Johnson and Kent Severson, wall painting conservators Luigi De Cesaris and Albert Sucato, and wood conservator Vicenzo Canuti, to teach specific modules while he personally taught or co-taught several modules. Modules typically included classroom instruction and practical hands-on experience and demonstration, with limited lab work and field visits as appropriate. Trainees were exposed to professional standards of practice and modern materials and techniques by observing and interacting with visiting experts carrying out real conservation projects. The training topics included:
- Philosophy and Ethics of Conservation
- International Historic Preservation Guidelines and Conventions
- Organizing and Managing Cultural Heritage Conservation Projects [Legal issues, Planning, Documentation, Design, Implementation, Supervision]
- The Conservation of Archaeological Objects
- Health and Safety on Conservation Projects
- The Museum Environment: Lighting, Environmental Conditions, Displays, and Proper Storage for Archaeological Objects
- Digital Environmental Monitoring for Cultural Heritage Sites
- The Installation of Protective Ultra Violet Window Films in Museums
- The Conservation of Stone and Mortars, including Materials Performance and Decay Mechanisms
- The Conservation of Mosaics
- The Conservation of Wood
- The Conservation of Metals
- The Conservation of Mud Brick Architecture
- The Conservation of Plasters and Renders
- The Conservation of Wall Paintings
- The Conservation and Management of Heritage Sites, including Walkway and Signage Design
7. Able to combine both theory and practice in practical, creative, cost effective and safe ways to design and carry out large and complex historic preservation projects.
In contrast to many firms, which may focus on only parts of the total project, such as academically oriented architecture history research for HSRs or design work, the Partners have extensive experience carrying out every aspect of a wide variety of historic preservation projects. The Partners are perfectly at ease meeting with Trustees, government officials, and other stakeholders, strategizing with conservators in white coats in museum laboratories, or working shoulder to shoulder with craftsmen getting their hands dirty up on scaffolding or in excavations. Because the Partners actually know how to do the work, they are uniquely qualified to efficiently assess and document existing conditions, to develop appropriate conservation intervention solutions and options in ways that are most beneficial to the clients, and to carry out the work by themselves or in conjunction with teams of experts and craftsmen under their supervision.