US/ICOMOS, National Preservation Conference

US/ICOMOS hosted its annual International Breakfast at the recent National Preservation Conference in Portland, Oregon, organized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation (scroll down for photos).  This breakfast is hosted annually by the US/ICOMOS Board of Trustees to provide members and those interested in membership with updates on US/ICOMOS programs and activities. Ninety people attended the breakfast, which was held the morning of Friday, September 30, in the resplendent Renaissance Room of the Governor Hotel.

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The attendees included US/ICOMOS Trustees, Fellows, individual and institutional members, including representatives of Cornerstones Community Partnerships of Santa Fe, New Mexico and the Historic Charleston Foundation of South Carolina, both of which are active partners with US/ICOMOS in the International Exchange Program and other endeavours. A number of past US/ICOMOS Interns also attended as did numerous people attending the National Preservation Conference who were simply interested in learning more about US/ICOMOS and international preservation initiatives.

John Fowler, US/ICOMOS Chair, welcomed the group and made introductory remarks concerning current US/ICOMOS activities, such as participation in on-going discussions regarding heritage recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the up-coming 15th ICOMOS General Assembly, which will be held October 17-23 in Xi’an, China.  Don Jones, US/ICOMOS Director of Programs, then made a brief presentation on the variety of US/ICOMOS exchanges recently completed and underway, including last fall’s US-Russia Volunteer Initiative, the 2005 US/ICOMOS Summer Intern Program, and the upcoming pilot program for the planned US – Caribbean Exchange, which will involve Jekyll Island, Georgia and Falmouth Heritage Renewal, Jamaica for an eight-week bilateral exchange.

David Singer, an independent consultant who is working to document and restore the Shenandoah-Dives Mine in Silverton, Colorado, then discussed his work at this remote site.  Located at 9,300 ft above sea level in the San Juan Mountains, the mining operation dates to the turn of the 20th century and employed new flotation technology that made it economically feasible to mine low-grade ore deposits.  Working in partnership with the National Park Service’s HABS/HAER program, Mr. Singer hosted two US/ICOMOS International Interns this past summer—Charu Chaudhry of India and Andreea Milea of Romania—during the first stages of documentation.

Mr. Fowler then took to the podium again to thank the Historic Charleston Foundation for their work in hosting the 8th US/ICOMOS International Symposium, which was held May 5-8, 2005 in Charleston, South Carolina.  Dr. Jones then made a presentation on the upcoming 9th US/ICOMOS International Symposium, being planned for April 29-23, 2006 in Newport, Rhode Island.

Above
Skyline of Portland, Oregon

Below
Charlene Seiffert (University of Florida),
Roy E. Graham (US/ICOMOS Fellow), and
Philip Cryan Marshall (Roger Williams University)

Above
John Fowler, US/ICOMOS Chair

Below
Janet Foster (Columbia University) and
Rhonda Sincavage (Preservation Action)

Above
James Hare and Donna Vogel
(Cornerstones Community Partnerships)

Below
Shenandoah-Dives Mine, Colorado
Special thanks to Farin Salahuddin and the rest of the staff of the National Trust for Historic Preservation
for their assistance in planning and hosting the US/ICOMOS International Breakfast.