In Brooklyn, where the mystique of the 123-year-old Brooklyn Bridge looms, high school students learn about caring for the bridge and other historic landmarks in their own backyard.
Brooklyn High School of the Arts' students are immersed in the country's first and only preservation arts curriculum, which teaches the art and science of maintaining and restoring historic landmarks. Their education ranges from reading about preservation to hands-on work at historic sites in Brooklyn and New Orleans, where students recently helped stabilize a house foundation built in 1896.
The program is a collaborative effort of the city's Board of Education, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and the World Monuments Fund, a New York-based non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting endangered ancient and historic sites around the world. The curriculum is designed to inspire and instruct the next generation of skilled craftspeople, explains the former instructor, Mark Watson.
Such craftspeople, or preservation artisans, are qualified to preserve and restore historic landmarks like the Brooklyn Bridge, which was completed in 1883, and Grand Central Station, which opened in the late 19th century. Historic preservation requires hands-on training in traditional building methods, like post beam construction, and an intimate knowledge of history, says Kate Ottavino, director of preservation technology at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
"High school, where we have access to young people's hearts and brains, is an ideal time to study preservation arts." -Kate Ottavino, director of preservation technology, New Jersey Institute of Technology
The time for a preservation curriculum has arrived as historic landmarks in New York City and beyond crumble under the weight of decades of age, weather and pollution. What's more, the number of builders trained to handle the unique challenges of preserving and restoring historic structures has fallen dramatically as the construction industry has embraced modern practices. And many preservation masons are about 50 years old or older and nearing retirement.
The demographics and geography of preservation translate into an outstanding job market for skilled craftspeople. "There's enough work to go on forever, and these are jobs that can't be exported to third world countries," notes Watson, who adds that graduates will benefit financially as a preservation mason can earn more than $100,000 annually.
New High school Program
In 1993, the World Monuments Fund, which enlisted Ottavino, held a symposium for academics, nonprofits and preservation artisans and a series of roundtables to identify needs and opportunities in the preservation field. The New York City Department of Education realized the potential for preservation arts in high school and commissioned the curriculum, assigning the new program to Brooklyn High School of the Arts. The World Monuments Fund contributed $500,000 to curriculum development. Academics from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, non-profit organizations and Brooklyn educators used the funds between 2000 and 2004 to create the one-of-a-kind preservation arts curriculum and provide professional development to the entire staff at Brooklyn High School of the Arts.
The group adapted the guild model-the historic method of training the next generation of craftspeople-to the American high school. In the guild model, students are apprenticed to a master practitioner, like a stonemason, for several years to learn the trade. But the preservation arts program relies on an integrated academic program coupled with hands-on projects and internships in lieu of the master practitioner.
"Historically, 14 is the age kids selected a vocation. High school, where we have access to young people's hearts and brains, is an ideal time to study preservation arts," says Ottavino.
"The goal is to institutionalize the process, weaving hands-on experience and internships with the academic background needed to succeed in preservation arts," states Ottavino. The program builds critical thinking skills and an ethic of preservation by weaving history and preservation throughout the curriculum.
Total Immersion
The process for entering Brooklyn High School of the Art's preservation program begins in eighth grade, when the school invites students to apply. Over the last few years, the school has aggressively educated Brooklyn junior high students and their parents about the academic and professional benefits of preservation arts, says Principal Robert Finley. The campaign has paid off. Last year, 700 kids competed for a mere 30 slots in the freshman class. After kids submit an application and portfolio consisting of oral histories, photos or drawings, the instructor interviews each applicant. Chosen students generally demonstrate that the program matches their vocational goals and are enrolled in the program as preservation arts majors, Finley says.
