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Project Highlight: Shenandoah National Park | Luray, Virginia

Article by: Lauren Walser, Saving Places | 17 June 2014 When a crew of young members of the Citizens Conservation Corps of West Virginia arrived at Shenandoah National Park’s Skyland Stable in March 2014, they knew plenty about construction, but not much about historic preservation. Less than three months later, however, the once-dilapidated stable looked much as it did when it was built in 1939, thanks to the young corpsmembers who trained alongside preservation professionals to conduct a large-scale rehabilitation of the property. It was the first project under the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Hands-On Preservation Experience (HOPE) Crew, a program that works with youth corps across the country to teach young people practical preservation skills. The idea behind HOPE Crew, says Monica Rhodes, director of the

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Monica Rhodes Pays Tribute to Norm of “This Old House” in Special PBS Episode

It was such an honor to be able to celebrate Norm from This Old House via this special PBS tribute episode. Many of us grew up with Norm (myself included) – and after over 4 decades, this master carpenter and pioneer of home improvement TV genre is officially leaving the show and hanging up his toolbelt. His inspiration reached far and wide for a humble man who became a national celebrity through his uncompromising craftsmanship, trademark plaid shirt, impersonations on popular sitcoms, bits on late night TV and more. He appeared in over 1000 episodes of This Old House, worked on over 50 home renovation projects and hosted more than 280 episodes. As a historic preservationist, I appreciate the work Norm did on this show more than he can know.

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Architectural Record 2022 Women in Architecture Award WInners

Monica Rhodes Wins 2022 Women in Architecture Design Leadership Award

Monica Rhodes is among one of six winners of Architectural RECORD’s ninth annual #WomeninArchitecture Design Leadership Awards! These awards seek to recognize and promote notable women in the field across five categories: Design Leader, New Generation Leader, Innovator, Educator, and #Activist (the category Monica was honored in). Monica’s fellow winners this year reflect a wide range of practice, research, and leadership, and were recognized at Architectural RECORD’s annual Women in Architecture ceremony in #NewYorkCity on 20 October, 2022. The other five winners include:⭐ Design Leader: Carol Ross Barney (founder of Ross Barney Architects, established in ‘81)⭐ New Generation Leader: Jing Liu (co-founder of NY-based firm SO-IL, established in ‘08)⭐ Innovators: Alison Mears and Jonsara Ruth (co-founders of the Healthy Materials Lab at Parsons School of Design)⭐ Educator: Hazel Edwards (first

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5 Takeaways from my Harvard Loeb Fellowship Experience

This time last year, I was settling into my first few months as a Harvard Loeb Fellow – meeting members of my cohort, selecting classes and exploring the campus. Now that the Harvard Loeb Fellowship just celebrated its 50th year, it’s caused me to reflect on my time during the fellowship and the most important key lessons I got from it. You just might find these helpful for you on your own journey: 1. There’s something to be said about goal setting. First, there’s something to be said about goal setting. When I started my career fifteen years ago, one of my metrics of success was to become a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD). What’s a Loeb Fellow, you

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Monica Rhodes - steps of Harvard

Temple alumna joins the most diverse Rome Prize cohort yet

The American Academy in Rome has awarded alumna Monica Rhodes the Adele Chatfield-Taylor Rome Prize in historic preservation and conservation for 2022–2023. When Monica Rhodes, CLA ’08, came to Temple, she was on track to become an African American studies professor. But her trajectory changed during a pivotal internship the summer after she completed her master’s degree at the university. Trained as a historian, she interned for the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission to identify and help preserve African American sites around the state excluding Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The project was supported by Preserve America—a federal program that supports the preservation of local communities—in partnership with the commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the African American Museum in Philadelphia. By the end of the summer internship, Rhodes became more

Read More

Project Highlight: Shenandoah National Park | Luray, Virginia

Article by: Lauren Walser, Saving Places | 17 June 2014 When a crew of young members of the Citizens Conservation Corps of West Virginia arrived at Shenandoah National Park’s Skyland Stable in March 2014, they knew plenty about construction, but not much about historic preservation. Less than three months later, however, the once-dilapidated stable looked much as it did when it was built in 1939, thanks to the young corpsmembers who trained alongside preservation professionals to conduct a large-scale rehabilitation of the property. It was the first project under the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Hands-On Preservation Experience (HOPE) Crew, a program that works with youth corps across the country to teach young people practical preservation skills. The idea behind HOPE Crew, says Monica Rhodes, director of the

Read More

Monica Rhodes Pays Tribute to Norm of “This Old House” in Special PBS Episode

It was such an honor to be able to celebrate Norm from This Old House via this special PBS tribute episode. Many of us grew up with Norm (myself included) – and after over 4 decades, this master carpenter and pioneer of home improvement TV genre is officially leaving the show and hanging up his toolbelt. His inspiration reached far and wide for a humble man who became a national celebrity through his uncompromising craftsmanship, trademark plaid shirt, impersonations on popular sitcoms, bits on late night TV and more. He appeared in over 1000 episodes of This Old House, worked on over 50 home renovation projects and hosted more than 280 episodes. As a historic preservationist, I appreciate the work Norm did on this show more than he can know.

Read More
Architectural Record 2022 Women in Architecture Award WInners

Monica Rhodes Wins 2022 Women in Architecture Design Leadership Award

Monica Rhodes is among one of six winners of Architectural RECORD’s ninth annual #WomeninArchitecture Design Leadership Awards! These awards seek to recognize and promote notable women in the field across five categories: Design Leader, New Generation Leader, Innovator, Educator, and #Activist (the category Monica was honored in). Monica’s fellow winners this year reflect a wide range of practice, research, and leadership, and were recognized at Architectural RECORD’s annual Women in Architecture ceremony in #NewYorkCity on 20 October, 2022. The other five winners include:⭐ Design Leader: Carol Ross Barney (founder of Ross Barney Architects, established in ‘81)⭐ New Generation Leader: Jing Liu (co-founder of NY-based firm SO-IL, established in ‘08)⭐ Innovators: Alison Mears and Jonsara Ruth (co-founders of the Healthy Materials Lab at Parsons School of Design)⭐ Educator: Hazel Edwards (first

Read More

5 Takeaways from my Harvard Loeb Fellowship Experience

This time last year, I was settling into my first few months as a Harvard Loeb Fellow – meeting members of my cohort, selecting classes and exploring the campus. Now that the Harvard Loeb Fellowship just celebrated its 50th year, it’s caused me to reflect on my time during the fellowship and the most important key lessons I got from it. You just might find these helpful for you on your own journey: 1. There’s something to be said about goal setting. First, there’s something to be said about goal setting. When I started my career fifteen years ago, one of my metrics of success was to become a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD). What’s a Loeb Fellow, you

Read More
Monica Rhodes - steps of Harvard

Temple alumna joins the most diverse Rome Prize cohort yet

The American Academy in Rome has awarded alumna Monica Rhodes the Adele Chatfield-Taylor Rome Prize in historic preservation and conservation for 2022–2023. When Monica Rhodes, CLA ’08, came to Temple, she was on track to become an African American studies professor. But her trajectory changed during a pivotal internship the summer after she completed her master’s degree at the university. Trained as a historian, she interned for the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission to identify and help preserve African American sites around the state excluding Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The project was supported by Preserve America—a federal program that supports the preservation of local communities—in partnership with the commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the African American Museum in Philadelphia. By the end of the summer internship, Rhodes became more

Read More