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Conference Focus: Preservation of Rustic Architecture

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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK—Featuring a lineup of top architects, historians and preservation specialists, Yellowstone National Park will be the site this fall of a two-day event focused on the preservation of outstanding rustic architecture. Scheduled for September 30 to October 3, 2014, the Conference on Preservation & Stewardship of Historic Places will be presented through a partnership between the National Park Service, Yellowstone concessioner Xanterra Parks & Resorts, the Montana Preservation Alliance and American Institute of Architects Historic Resource Committee. The conference will become an annual event.

The event will take place at the Old Faithful Lodge Recreational Hall, just a short distance from the 110-year-old Old Faithful Inn, the park’s most recognizable lodge and one of the best examples of rustic architecture in the world.

The conference is offering an early bird rate of $395 per person for those who register by August 31. After that the registration cost is $425 per person. Registration includes all conference presentations and field demonstrations as well as scheduled conference meals and breaks. Lodging is available at several in-park hotels including Old Faithful Inn and Old Faithful Snow Lodge.

‘Rustic Architecture’

The term “rustic architecture” is commonly used to describe the national park buildings that have historically been a significant part of the visitor experience, often as recognizable as the parks’ most famous natural features such as Old Faithful geyser. Many of these buildings were built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by railroads, concessioners like Xanterra, private interests and the National Park Service.

“Our parks’ natural features would be appreciated and celebrated by far fewer people if it were not for the many architectural treasures like the Old Faithful Inn that assure comfort and enhance the overall experience of park visitors,” said Jim McCaleb, Vice President of Parks North for concessioner Xanterra Parks & Resorts and long-time general manager of Yellowstone National Park Lodges. “We hope and intend for conference participants to leave with a renewed commitment to preserving rustic architecture and to be armed with a new arsenal of ideas and information to apply to their own areas of historic preservation and stewardship.”

Xanterra and the Montana Preservation Alliance have assembled an impressive roster of leading professionals from historic architects and preservation specialists to master craftspeople. The conference will offer a range of presentations, including lectures, hands-on skill-building, and field demonstrations of log and masonry treatments. Presenters include:

•    Melissa Robb, Historic Architecture Specialist at the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office;
•    Chris Robinson, Superintendent of the National Park Service Historic Preservation Training Center;
•    Harrison Goodall, Principal of Conservation Services, LLC;
•    Jim McDonald, AIA, Principal of A&E Architects in Missoula, Mont.;
•    Tamara Burns, Principal of HopkinsBurns Design Studio in Ann Arbor, Mich.;
•    Tobin Roop, Chief of Cultural Resources at Yellowstone National Park;
•    Pete Brown, Historic Architecture Specialist, Montana State Historic Preservation Office;
•    Darren Kisor, Historic Preservation Crew Supervisor for Yellowstone National Park Lodges;
•    Kirby Mathew, Supervisory Exhibit Specialist with the U.S. Forest Service Heritage Preservation Team;
•    H. Thomas McGrath, Jr., FAIA, Preservation Consultant;
•    Mary Murphy, Branch Chief, Concessions Facility Management for Yellowstone National Park;
•    Chere Jiusto, Executive Director of the Montana Preservation Alliance;
•    Mary Hopkins, Historic Preservation Officer for the state of Wyoming;
•    Rand Olsen, founder of Rand Olsen Construction;
•    Laura Soulliere Gates, an expert in protected area management; and
•    Al Williams, Grand Teton National Park.

Other highlights of the conference include an evening tour of 110-year-old Old Faithful Inn, designed by architect Robert Reamer, and guided by Robert Reamer biographer Ruth Quinn along with James McDonald AIA, Principal of A&E Architects in Billings, Mont., and Rand Olsen with Rand Olsen Construction LLC. A second tour of landmark rustic buildings in the Old Faithful-West Yellowstone area will also be offered as an option on Friday, October 3.

For more information about the conference call the Montana Preservation Alliance at (406) 957-2822 or visit www.preservemontana.org/ynprustic. To book lodging for the conference use the link on the website and complete the secure reservations request form.

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