AIA Houston Historic Resources Committee Speaker Series w/Fran Gale

Download To Calendar
February 25, 2021
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Zoom

Brought to you by the Historic Resources

This lecture has been rescheduled to Thursday, February 25th.   

 

Join AIA Houston Historic Resources Committee Speaker Series (Virtual)

 

Speaker: Frances Gale, Architectural Conservator

Title: Adventures in Preservation

Credit: 1.0 AIA HSW/LU

 

Throughout Fran’s career as an architectural conservator, visits to architectural libraries and archives provided valuable information about historic building materials and sites. As an emerging professional in New York City, she was a regular patron of Columbia University’s Avery Library. Having access to early photographs, architectural journals and trade catalogs was helpful in understanding the physical evidence that she discovered on historic preservation projects. Archival research yielded information on archaic building materials, decorative painting techniques and construction practices. The recommendations that Fran provided on important projects including the General Electric Building, New York Public Library and the Pension Building were often based on archival research as well as the results of laboratory and field examination of historic building materials.

A passion for library and archival research has continued throughout Fran’s career in architectural conservation. In 2007 she accepted a faculty/staff appointment at the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Architecture to teach as well as to work with UT’s Project Management and Construction Services on campus projects. Her shared goal was to update historic buildings on campus while preserving their distinctive elements and character defining features. During her tenure at UT, she made frequent visits to the Architectural and Planning Library and Alexander Archives where she pored through original specifications, early correspondence and remarkable construction photographs. Coupled with the examination and testing of features and finishes, archival research has been a critical component in preserving UT’s historic campus.

 

Bio: 

Frances Gale is an architectural conservator with a Master of Science in historic preservation from Columbia University and nearly four decades of experience in preserving historic buildings and monuments. Fran was a Senior Lecturer and Conservation Scientist at the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture for 11years. Other positions have included Architectural Conservator and Training Director for the National Park Service and Director of Technical Services for AMT Laboratories and Prosoco, Inc. Fran’s recent consulting projects include Union Terminal in Cincinnati, the University of Virginia Rotunda, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site in New York, and Kreische House at Monument Hill and Kreische Brewery State Park in Texas. Fran was elected to the Association for Preservation Technology International College of Fellows in 2010 and became a Fellow of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works in 2017.

 

Approved for 1.0 AIA HSW/LU

Cost: $10