Workshop students learn how to preserve history

With three historic districts in the National Register, Astoria is an obvious choice for delving into historic preservation and learning some of the basics from local craftsmen.

A week’s worth of hands-on workshops were offered for the first time last week by the Clatsop Community College Historic Preservation Program. The four-day field school drew local residents as well as prospective students from out of state.

The courses included a tour of the Astoria waterfront by trolley and boat, a walking tour of historic Astoria neighborhoods, a visit to the Astoria Column, a visit to Knappton Cove Quarantine Station and Fort Columbia in Washington.

The workshops emphasized the crafts, but also introduced students to documentation methods that are used to develop restoration plans. Instructors and local craftsmen conducted workshops for woodworking, blacksmithing, stained-glass repair and wood-window restoration.

“We’re introducing them to a variety of different crafts that are used by preservationists,” said Lucien Swerdloff, an instructor and coordinator for the CCC program.

“It’s a few pieces of the big picture, but it’s enough variety to give people a sense of what some of the crafts are involved in preservation,” said Swerdloff.

The classes were held by Swerdloff, John Goodenberger, Ed Overbay, Jim Hannen, David Curl, Pam Chestnut and Chris Gustafson.

Austin Rice of Redding, Calif., said he has wanted to visit Astoria and CCC for at least five years with an interest in the preservation program.

When Rice found out about the craft workshops, he thought it would be a good opportunity to get a taste for the program and learn more about Astoria.

“I’m someone who has not completely embraced turning over to all the new technologies,” said Rice, remarking that he is enamored with old barns he encounters in Northern California. “I like to try and reach back and be nostalgic. That’s something that’s important to me.”

Rice said he learned a lot of new things over the four days and has applied to the preservation program at CCC. “I’ve pretty much decided I’m going to come back this fall,” he said.

Rice said the thought of traveling and working on restoration projects is an enticing career.

“With something like this you get to learn a lot and there’s definitely a creativity to it, too,” he said. “I think that will be fun.”

About 12 students took part in the courses, which were predominantly held at the Astoria Train Depot, a testimony to historic preservation in and of itself. The building fell into disrepair at one time, but has now become a home for boat building courses as well as for teaching classes about other maritime skills, which are offered by the Columbia River Maritime Museum.

Jim Hannen, who runs Hannen Stained Glass in Seaside, taught students techniques for removing and replacing broken stained-glass pieces that are housed in detailed metal frames. A soldering iron was used to reconnect the pieces of metal after the glass was replaced. The electrical appliance was the only update to the technique.

“This is a pretty traditional process,” said Swerdloff. “It hasn’t really changed much for hundreds of years.”

Across the river

The next day, students traveled across the river to Naselle, Wash., for an introduction to blacksmithing, which was taught by David Curl, who operates Solstice Forge and has clients in Oregon and Washington.

“They got a little bit of hammer work, they learned some basic techniques and they get to take a beautiful, useful piece of iron home with them,” said Curl.

The students were shown some work that Curl is doing on an iron stairwell and practiced creating their own spirals that his client had requested. Some of the creativity and patience that is involved in the craft was noticed by students.

Susan Swanby of Astoria had never done blacksmithing before. “It’s kind of what I figured honestly,” she said. “I think it’s an art though because you have to really know what you’re aiming for. You have to have an eye for it.”

“The big push now is historical preservation and to try and keep everything as original as possible when you’re restoring something,” said Curl.

Swanby has been enrolled in the preservation program for one term after discovering its existence while living in Astoria. She said it looked like a fun and interesting opportunity.

“It gives you a good taste of some handcrafts,” she said of last week’s workshops. “It’s really good, real practicable knowledge.”

Curl will be teaching beginning, intermediate and advanced blacksmithing courses at CCC this fall.

“It’s designed to be a preapprenticeship training program,” Curl said, fully qualifying students to do what is needed for the job.

On July 19, at the Fort George Lovell Showroom, Astoria’s first Metal Fest is being held, highlighting artists who specialize in blacksmithing, bladesmithing and metal fabrication. Proceeds from an auction will support the three courses Curl is offering at the college.

“I don’t care about creating competition for myself by teaching,” said Curl. “If somebody wants to take this up as a profession I’m behind them100 percent.”

On the final day, students had a chance to go out on CCC’s Forerunner training vessel to tour the Astoria waterfront from the river. Swerdloff and Goodenberger pointed out the Big Red Uppertown Net Loft, Englund Marine’s former site, Pier 39 and others for students to observe and consider.

Swanby, who is originally from Portland, moved to Astoria to fix up a home. “I always thought Astoria was a cute town,” she said. “The architecture just grabs you.”

‘The architecture just grabs you.’

— Susan Swanby

speaking of Astoria