Preservation Studios– St. Lawrence University

Summer Internship2017

Contents+

Section Page

Introduction 3 Company Overview 4 Summer Internship Program Outline 5-6

Contact Information

Preservation Studios, LLC Derek King derekking@preservationstudios.com 60 Hedley Place Buffalo, NY 14208 (716)-725-6410

Cover Image: J. Harwood, “Carnegie Hall, looking southwest,”

St. Lawrence University-Old Campus Historic District, National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form

(Albany, NY: Division for Historic Preservation, New York State Parks and Recreation, 1990), Photo 5.

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Introduction+

Preservation Studios LLC (PSLLC), of Buffalo, NY, has over a decade of experience in the historic tax credit field, including dozens of Historic Preservation Certification Applications and National Register nominations and the designation of seven National Register-listed historic districts in Western and Upstate New York in the last three years. PSLLC has three partners, including two full-time historic preservation professionals, along with two staff historians and an assistant project manager.

This proposal outlines a possible collaboration between Preservation Studios and St. Lawrence University. PSLLC has two SLU alumni on staff, one of which is now a partner in the firm, who began as interns with the company.

In addition to creating a sustained internship program through St. Lawrence to provide similar opportunities to students and recent graduates, the company would like to help provide much needed preservation services to the North Country.

Students who participate in PSLLC’s internship program would be able to take the skills learned in Buffalo with the company back to the North Country where they could be applied in the creation of National Register nominations for important local landmarks and districts. The research conducted for these nominations could also contribute to future student and research as part of independent studies or Senior Year Experience research.

Preservation Studios has a fondness and a dedication to the North Country due to their staff’s connections, and have already completed a National Register nomination on behalf of the Lisbon Public Library. Unfortunately, the distance between Buffalo and Canton makes similar projects difficult, and though there is a need in these communities, there is often limited or no funding available to pay for professional preservation services.

A collaboration between St. Lawrence University and Preservation Studios would achieve the following:

1) Through an internship at PSLLC, it would allow students to get valuable work experience in a history-related field

2) Upon return to the North Country, they can offer that experience to the community they may only be living in for a year or two more.

Through the expertise of the staff at PSLLC, and the variety of programmatic approaches at SLU, this endeavor could be successful not just academically and professionally, but as a service in an area desperately in need of heritage conservation.

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Company Overview

Preservation Studios, LLC, is a full-service historic preservation consulting firm in operation since 2002. The firm advises property owners, developers and municipalities pursuing historic preservation and rehabilitation projects. Preservation Studios specializes in a variety of services, including: historic rehabilitation tax credit services, National Register of Historic Places nominations, historic resource surveys, historic district nominations, technical services, and project management.

Preservation Studios has three full-time historic preservation professionals on staff that will be directing the project. Architectural Historian Derek King joined Preservation Studios in 2012 and holds a B.A. in History and Anthropology from St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY, and completes research and writing for National Register nominations and Part I of the Federal Historic Preservation Certification Application. Prior to his current role as the company’s Director of Operations, he served as Director of Architectural History from 2013 to 2015.

Project Manager Michael Puma joined Preservation Studios in 2011 to assist with research, architectural history, and technical services. Michael holds a B.A. in Environmental Design from the School of Architecture and Planning at the University at Buffalo. He has served as the company’s Directory of Technical Services since 2013, and works primarily on the Part II applications, assisting project architects and clients to ensure the proposed design and work is consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.

Director of Architectural History Caitlin Moriarty, Ph.D., has worked with Preservation Studios in various capacities since 2010, completing research and writing for Part 1s and National Register Nominations while serving previously as the company’s Vice President of Architectural History from 2011-2012.

The team includes two part-time staffers: Kelsie Hoke, M.Arch., who primarily works in the Technical Services Department on HPCA Part 2s, and Matt Shoen, B.A., another graduate of St. Lawrence (’14) who assists Caitlin and Derek in the Architectural History Department as well as runs the company’s marketing and social media program.

Preservation Studios’ team also includes a financial services professional. President Jason Yots joined Preservation Studios in 2008 to assist property owners, developers and municipalities pursuing Community and Economic Development (CED) projects, historic preservation and historic rehabilitation projects. A 1996 graduate of the University at Buffalo’s School of Law, Jason helps structure and finance complex CED projects, including the navigation of the historic rehabilitation tax credit allocation and syndication processes and the layering of various CED incentives.

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Internship Program

HISTORIAN INTERNSHIP PROGRAM June – August 2017

Preservation Studios’ historian internship program caters to students and recent graduates with interests in local history, architecture or architectural history, and urban studies, or who are considering a career involving historic preservation. The primary role of the Historian Intern will be to assist the Architectural History Department of Preservation Studios with research, writing, and other preservation related activities. Familiarity with architectural terms and building types is ideal but not required.

Preservation Studios is a small historic preservation consulting firm located in Buffalo, New York. Our staff of six young, energetic workers collaborates on projects and maintains an informal, supportive working environment. Our services are housed within an Architectural History Department, which prepares National Register Nominations and Historic Tax Credit Applications, and a Technical Services Department, which assists architects designing historic renovations. The majority of our projects are located within Western New York.

Eligibility Intern must be a St. Lawrence University student of high academic quality who has completed HIST 299: Historical Research Methods (but need not be a history major or minor).

Architectural History Tasks

Intern will assist with community and neighborhood histories, architectural histories, and building descriptions. Intern may also assist with National Register, Historic Tax Credit, and other application forms. To those aims, the intern is expected to:

• Locate primary sources (e.g. Sanborn maps, city directories, etc.) • Synthesize secondary sources • Write cogent and clear narratives • Create properly formatted Chicago Manual Style citations and

bibliographies • Follow provided guidelines for completing application forms

Intern will also contribute to Preservation Studios media sources. To that aim, the intern is expected to:

• Write blog entries • Post to social media • Assist with podcast production

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General Intern Activities

In addition to the primary responsibilities outlined above, the intern may choose or be asked to participate in the following activities:

1. Site visits to existing or potential projects 2. Client meetings 3. Interaction with preservation groups and officials (such as local

preservation boards, SHPO, PLSNY, PBN, etc.) 4. In-house educational sessions 5. Volunteer community activities 6. Public meetings and events 7. Architectural and historical tours 8. Historic resource photography

Internship Terms

1. Term of internship: June – August 2017 (2.5 or 3 months, negotiable)

2. Stipend: $1,000/month

3. Commitment: 20 hours per week, according to a mutually established schedule. Any hours above 20 hours per week will be compensated to Intern at the previously agreed upon hourly rate.

4. Intern will compile a portfolio of selections of his/her work at Preservation Studios. The organization and content of each intern’s portfolio will be different, depending on his or her experiences, perspective, and approach.

5. At the end of the internship, each intern will make a brief presentation of his or her portfolio and will receive feedback from colleagues at Preservation Studios.

6. Intern will be responsible for securing own lodging and assistance in moving.

Please submit to History Department administrative assistant Rita McCollum (rmccollum@stlawu.edu) the following, by e-mail or hard copy:

• Letter of interest • Resume • Unofficial transcript • Writing sample from HIST 299 or other class using Chicago style citations • Names of two SLU faculty member references

Deadline: March 27, 2017

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