Architecture Specialty Group

The mission of the Architecture Specialty Group (ASG) is to ensure the best possible care for immovable cultural properties such as buildings, monuments, outdoor sculptures and heritage sites through education, training, research, and collaboration of professionals involved in architectural conservation. The responsible care of architectural sites takes into account their unique requirements and often complex treatment approaches.

This website intends to promote discussion of issues pertaining to the field of architectural materials conservation. Following this effort, the ASG is planning to broaden information available online. Services, including publications by ASG and podcasts related to historic preservation and architectural conservation are being explored.

The ASG encourages qualified members to apply for Professional Associate or Fellow status with AIC.

News

July 2009

Annual Meeting

By the time you read this, the 2009 Annual Meeting in Los Angeles will be a memory. The ASG session included papers presented by Ellen Hagsten, Tim Macfarlane, John Scott, Richard Wolbers, Batyah Shtrum, Erica Morasset, Lauren Hall, Linnaea Saunders, and Norman Weiss. Topics included the preservation of Menokin, an 18th century ruin; cleaning the façade of the National Building Museum; residue left behind after cleaning stone with Arte Mundit cleaning paste; cleaning the Carrara marble capitals of the Philadelphia Merchant’s Exchange; conservation of an interior mural by Millard Sheets; and concrete repairs and coatings for the Guggenheim Museum. Thank you to all of the speakers and to outgoing Program Chair Charles Philips for organizing an interesting day of presentations and discussion.

2009-2010 ASG Officers

Joshua Freedland was elected Program Chair and Leslie Friedman was elected Secretary/Treasurer during the recent ASG election. Joshua will be responsible for organizing the ASG session for the 2010 annual meeting in Milwaukee. (By the way, it isn’t too early to think about presenting a paper next year. Abstracts will be due in the fall.) Leslie will prepare the ASG budget and take over writing this column. Charles Philips moves up to ASG Chair. Kevin Daly is the new Chair Emeritus.

Get Involved

ASG Chair Emeritus Kevin Daly challenges ASG members to become more involved in our specialty group in the next year. Below is a list of ways that members can participate in our organization.

• Participate in an SG committee.  We have a Publication Committee (Jenn Capetto), a Membership Committee (Victoria Alvarez and Rachel Burch), and a Webmistress (Tina Reichenbach), all of whom could use help in raising our profile and getting new members.
• Become a PA or Fellow.  Information is available on the new AIC website.
• Contribute to the AIC website so that AIC's public face includes ASG.  For example, the website will include "Conservation Stories" written by conservators about their work.  Contact Paul Messier, the AIC's Communications Director, if you wish to provide a story.
• Edit the Wiki.  AIC's Wiki project is underway. We must work to include architectural materials and to edit others' entries to include architectural applications.
• Participate in grants/scholarship programs. 
• Encourage more student memberships in ASG.  This year we approved allocation of money to offset much of the cost of joining the AIC for students who will join the ASG.
• Find an Angels project for the 2010 Annual Meeting in Milwaukee.  We could simultaneously execute Angels projects throughout the country to be held the weekend of the meeting. 



Linnaea Dawson
ASG Secretary/Treasurer

Archive of Past News and and Business Meeting Minutes