it is curious
> to wonder to what degree it matters in a contemporary intervention if the 
> trades employed have any idea of the history or significance of a site or 
> if one should rely solely on their work skills interfaced with a static 
> object without bother to a larger context? As to interpretation of a 
> structure, though, I would say that a sensitivity to the signs of the 
> individual craftsperson, good or bad, is significant. Corollary to this a 
> person experienced in trade work that reflects and thinks I feel would 
> tend to be more sensitive to the evidence than an individual who is not 
> tactile oriented in their world view.

An example of character mixed with tactile material shows up in the classy 
1855 farm house I am currently working with.   The original builder was a 
master of wood craft in every way, with perfectly precise and elegant 
details created in the wilderness with hand tools.  A later occupant of the 
house made some modifications that are considered historically necessary to 
leave in place, but the carpenter was a sort of klutz.   The second guy used 
giant slot head screws out in the middle of boards and left crude rough sawn 
edges on his butt joints.   The first guy left no easily visible signs of 
attachments in his blind connections and made it almost impossible to find 
marks of his planes.

Happily for me, the first class 1960's restoration crew left both examples 
alone, providing the opportunity to now interpret for visitors the variances 
in personal character as well as tactile material manipulation through the 
historic time.    However, the first restorer did not mention these detail 
variations in his report, but by not messing too much with the 1800's layers 
and by appropriately respecting the existing as-found situation, left the 
materials in a state that allowed continued discovery and interpretation, 
even 50 years later.

cp in bc

Craigflower Manor & Schoolhouse National Historic Site
Victoria, BC

--
To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the
uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to:
<http://listserv.icors.org/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>