The City of Bellevue’s Historic Preservation Commission and Main Street program, In Vue, are hosting a week-long window intensive window repair and restoration workshop beginning on March 13 through March 17. This hands-on workshop is in partnership with Turner Restoration and the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage to help fill the high demand for window restoration expertise in Bellevue and the region rich with historic buildings.
This project-based workshop is free and will be held at the home of Marily Schleyer at 227 Fairfield Avenue.
Bellevue’s assistant city administrator Jody Robinson experiences the demand for traditional trades people first hand.
“Too many of our historic buildings have experienced damage from improper maintenance and the lack of understanding historic materials or how the buildings function. We hope NKY Restoration Weekend and workshops like this will benefit property owners and our communities as well as create new jobs,” she said.
First of a series
This is the first of a series of hands-on workshops hosted by a partner of the NKY Restoration Weekend.
This workshop is in response to the severe shortage in knowledgeable artisans in wood window restoration. This workshop will provide a complete methodology on wood window repair and restoration including:
• Work site and lead safety
• Anatomy of a wood window
• Understanding the best practices
• Tools and materials to get the job done.
The location was selected as a result of two meetings with the Bellevue Historic Preservation Commission regarding options for Ms. Schleyer’s windows from replacement to repair. Working with the preservation commission, she learned more about the windows and why restoration is the best option. Once she made the decision to invest in the historic windows she could not find a qualified contractor to do the work.
Hearing this from Ms. Schleyer and other property owners throughout the region, Robinson looked for a solution by reaching out to experts to put together the workshop.
Ms. Schleyer reflected on her success that happened through the relentless message of my parents, “Education is the best investment that you can make with money.”
She is paying it forward in her hometown allowing her home to serve as a “learning lab” under the direction of experienced tradesmen: James Turner, Patrick Kennedy, and Fred Aemmer.
About the training team:
James Turner is the owner of Turner Restoration based in Detroit, MI and the Executive Director of the Samuel Plato Academy in Louisville, KY. He has extensive experience in restoring wood and steel windows, as an instructor in hands on programs in the traditional trades and on the public speaking circuit about historic windows.
Fred Aemmer is the owner of Caldwell Sash Company and serves as the Preservation Project Manager/Instructor at the Samuel Plato Academy in Louisville, KY. He has over 40 years in construction and commercial millwork.
Patrick Kennedy is retired from the Kentucky Heritage Council as an advisor on historic building renovations. He helped set up the nationally recognized restoration skills program at Pine Mount Settlement School. Patrick continues his work in historic preservation as a go-to source for historic building projects, contractor for special preservation projects, instructor at hands on education workshops and supervisor for HistoriCorps volunteer projects.
If you would like more information about participating in this workshop or on the traditional trades, please contact Jody Robinson at 859.292.4220 or email at Jody.robinson@bellevueky.org.