Faces of Preservation: Kalpa Baghasingh
Why did you decide to focus your career on preserving old buildings?
I grew up with old buildings around me, at every corner in India. I have fond memories of visting my grandparents and admiring the vernacular architecture in their village. For everyone else, my grandfather was the engineer who built bridges, but for me, he was an amazing storyteller. He inspired me to develop a profound appreciation for history, culture, and sustainability. Old buildings not only bring up emotional links to our pasts, but preserving them allows us to maintain a tangible link between our history and our future.
Sustainability also plays a crucial role in my focus on preservation. By rehabilitating existing buildings, we reduce the environmental impact associated with demolition and new construction. I always remember this quote by Carl Elefante “The greenest building is the one that is already built.” Ultimately, preserving old buildings is about stewardship and respect for the built environment. It's a way to ensure that future generations can experience and learn from the architectural treasures of the past, fostering a deeper sense of community and continuity. Through this work, I strive to celebrate and protect the legacy of our built heritage.
You’ve assessed a lot of old buildings. What are some of the unusual spaces where you’ve been?
Dark dank basements full of spiderwebs, sub-basements, underground tunnels, attics, clock towers, bell towers, you name it, I have been in it.
What is the weirdest thing you’ve encountered in an old building?
Pigeon carcasses, a whiskey bottle hidden in drywall, a signature on a plaster wall dated 1899, an old receipt with mundane grocery items on it, bank vaults - all of it fascinates me! But the weirdest thing I have seen are mushrooms growing out of damp wood floors. And the mushrooms were so old that they were rock solid.
What is the oldest building you’ve worked on?
The oldest building I have had the priviledge to work on is the Grant Sawyer Home in Grove City, Ohio. It was built in 1840 by one of the most influencial businessmen in town - A.G. Grant. The house is one of the oldest examples of a central passage, five bay I-House. The I-House's identifying feature is its two-story, one-room deep (single pile) plan that is at least two rooms wide.
In 2015, Schooley Caldwell was commissioned by the City of Grove City to restore the building into a house museum. It was a lot of fun to investigate, almost like a detective, what the color palette might have been, what kind of light fixtures did they use back then, what kind of flooring, and such. We restored the plasterwork, including decorative moldings. Layers of paint from different periods were analyzed, and historical paint colors were recreated to reflect the building’s appearance during its prime. Heating, electrical and plumbing system upgrades were discretely integrated keeping in mind their visual impact, while at the same time, meeting current code and energy efficiency standards. We also added an ADA restroom to the rear of the building for the convenience of visitors. The addition was designed to look secondary to the histroic building but was compatible to it.
At the end of the day, the success of the project hinged upon its authenticty. We were able to take visitors back in time and help them understand what life would have been in the 1840s.
What is the most challenging preservation design challenge you’ve solved?
Fire separation! I had a very complex set of buildings to renovate in downtown Newark. It was going to be mixed use with retail and retaurants on the first floor and apartment and offices on the upper floors. To complicate matters further, the property boundary was in the shape of a U, encircling a different property with a different use. We had to carefully design fire separations between the different uses and between our project and the neighbor's building, while avoiding sprinkler systems altogether.
Why is historic preservation important?
I will come back to the power of stories. Historic preservation is not just about saving old buildings; it is about sustaining the cultural, educational, economic, and environmental fabric of our communities. Historic preservation keeps those stories alive. It enriches our lives, connects us to our past, and provides a foundation for a sustainable and inclusive future.
