Wrought and cast iron have long been among the most versatile building materials available to designers, craftsmen, and builders. Able to provide structural utility and decorative embellishment, iron can mimic delicate filigree or the solidity of a stone column. In the United States, especially during the late nineteenth and earlier twentieth centuries, hand-crafted wrought-iron and mass-produced cast-iron features were common in municipal buildings, churches, warehouses, factories, and commercial storefronts. Though extremely durable, cast and wrought iron, like all historic materials, require sensitive maintenance, repair, rehabilitation and, on occasion, replacement.
This one and one-half day symposium will give participants an understanding of the properties of historic cast and wrought iron and appropriate treatments for these materials in architectural applications. New York City, home to many surviving examples of cast- and wrought-iron architecture and the country's largest cast-iron historic district, is an ideal venue for this symposium. Symposium sessions will be conducted at Avery Hall on the campus of Columbia University.
The symposium will begin with a keynote lecture on Friday, March 18. On Saturday, March 19, leading conservators, preservationists, and fabricators will present sessions on topics including the basics of repair of historic cast and wrought iron; modes of failure; repair versus replacement decisions; survey and documentation methods; casting and coating; cleaning and abatement; and labor and logistics issues encountered in the field. The symposium will conclude with a panel discussion followed by an evening reception at Low Memorial Library. A guided walking tour of the SOHO-Cast Iron Historic District, will take place on Sunday morning.
The symposium is co-sponsored by the Historic Preservation Education Foundation; the AIA Historic Resources Committee; the Association for Preservation Technology International Northeast Chapter (APTNE); and Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Historic Preservation. Participants will be eligible for Learning Units meeting the requirements of the AIA Continuing Education System. Conference schedule, registration, and other information is available at www.hpef.us. Read the press release.