Faces of Preservation: Amanda Fuson
Why did you decide to focus your career on preserving old buildings?
I knew I wanted to be a historic preservationist long before I ever wanted to pursue a career in architecture. I remember visiting a castle in England as a child with my family, and I was amazed that I was standing in the same rooms where people’s stories played out hundreds of years ago. I was walking through the same door frames, staring out the same windows and walking over the same floors as someone else in history, and I loved that buildings could create that shared experience across time. Somehow falling into architecture in undergrad, it wasn’t until working at Schooley Caldwell that I realized I could have a career preserving and renovating historic buildings for modern functionality. Historic preservation has definitely always been my passion and architecture the means through which I pursue it.
Amanda and Bob Loverside at the Statehouse
You’ve assessed a lot of old buildings. What are some of the unusual spaces where you’ve been?
Old Carnegie libraries, haunted jails, rickety clock towers, 19th century breweries, 1920s skyscrapers, abandoned train depots, bank vaults, and several early 20th century schools make the list, but I like to throw out that I’ve assessed a castle on an island (Cook Castle on Gibraltar Island).
What is the weirdest thing you’ve encountered in an old building?
The weirdest experience has to be when we were assessing a 1920s middle school and somehow it was over 80 degrees and sunny outside, but pouring rain on the inside; obviously a roof leak with a delayed reaction, but the irony wasn’t lost. My favorite artifact I’ve found is an old train ticket, dated 1920, which was wedged in the window casing of an old train depot. You definitely find the occasional animal carcass, but generally what you find are remnants of the building’s past lives which is fascinating.
Amanda and a colleague at Slocum Hall during construction
What is the oldest building you’ve worked on?
The oldest building I’ve worked on is the Perry County Courthouse, a Richardsonian Romanesque style courthouse built in 1887. Designed by Joseph Yost, the building is three stories tall, a massive stone building featuring a 40’ stone clock tower in the center. While there had been changes to the building over time, many of the simple interior spaces had retained their historic volume and details. The renovation, which is currently under construction, includes the exterior restoration of the building envelope; the non-original doors and windows will be replaced with historically-appropriate ones, the stone masonry restored and the roof replaced. The project also includes an extensive interior renovation; the non-court related functions were removed from the building, allowing each of the building’s three floors to operate the county’s three courts. The renovated building will provide modern functionality, accessibility, restrooms, courtrooms and office space, while honoring the county’s heritage through the preservation of its important historic features.
What is the most difficult preservation design challenge you’ve encountered?
I find the biggest and most important preservation challenge is always how to take buildings that were designed before accessibility requirements and make them an equitable experience for everyone today. Everyone, no matter their mobility or capability, should be able to enter and experience a building in the same way. In the case of the Perry County Courthouse, the main entrance had always historically been a flight of stairs above grade and the building’s dated elevator had compromised the interior grand staircase. We were able to programmatically relocate the main entrance to grade level, making it accessible, and re-work the interior circulation that provided accessible routes to the new elevator while restoring the historic stair.
Sketch by Amanda for the Front & Fulton mixed-use development
Why is historic preservation important?
For me historic preservation is important because it connects us to our past in a very tangible way. History can be told, but to experience the buildings, craftsmanship and places of our past is how we really understand and connect with our heritage. Historic preservation also brings authenticity to a place. It’s the quirky brick pattern, the strange animal gargoyles, the paneled doors, and the way our eyes dance up decoratively detailed wall that excites us; something you notice different about a building every time you pass, that you know you can’t find anywhere else and makes you want to come back.
