FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 25, 2010
CONTACT: Molly Dannenmaier,
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
CELL: 409-771-5105, OFFICE: 409-765-7834
Molly.Dannenmaier@galvestonhistory.org

For a gallery of press-ready, downloadable photographs of house restoration in progress, go to http://www.galvestonhistory.com/Partners_Press.asp

House located at 3101 Avenue Q to be completed (finished, furnished) and ready for final interior and exterior photography in early September

Galveston Green Revival Show House Rises to the Twin Challenges of Environmental Sustainability and Historic Authenticity

Historic houses can be updated to the highest standards for resource efficiency and hurricane readiness, without sacrificing their one-of-a-kind character. That's what Galveston Historical Foundation will demonstrate on October 2, when its Green Revival Show House opens to the public. Visitors will be able to tour the 1890 cottage at 3101 Ave. Q free of charge, on weekends in October and November, noon to 4 p.m.

The event marks the end of an extensive restoration that kicked off last February, when the house, lying askew on its ruined foundation since Hurricane Ike, was hoisted onto steel beams and wheels and towed 17 blocks to a new location. What makes this project so significant is that GHF is targeting LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, while at the same time carefully preserving the historic value of the house. Because LEED credit requirements often conflict with preservation guidelines, only a handful of historic home owners nationally have attempted the complicated process of meshing the two.

"We wanted to make this a model project for Galveston and other places, but also to explore the full extent of the similarities and disparities between LEED reviews and preservation issues," says Dwayne Jones, GHF executive director. "This has given us a chance to highlight those things and make it work better for everyone. We want to see more historic home owners take a greener, more comprehensive look at their property, and not just follow the preservation rules we've used for many years now."

Galveston is an island city still pulling itself together after the 2008 hurricane sent a 12-foot storm surge into the interior, and it boasts one of the nation's largest collections of historic 19th- and 20th-century buildings. With many residents attempting to incorporate more energy-efficient systems into their historic home restorations, the Green Revival House offers timely, practical solutions for sensitively and affordably retrofitting, whether through small measures or whole building strategies.

Galveston is a city that has faced down one devastating hurricane after another in its nearly 200-year history. One takeaway lesson is that preserving historic buildings is greener than building new, since they contain old-growth material that is far denser, stronger, and more durable than the dimensional lumber available today. GHF's efforts focused on repairing, insulating, and reinforcing the structure, and adding alternative energy. Among the green technologies included are an innovative insulation that resists Galveston's intense humidity, four solar panels and two rainwater cisterns.

Galveston Historical Foundation, one of the nation's largest local nonprofit preservation groups, has saved hundreds of houses from demolition. In addition to tours of the Green Revival House, the Foundation will also open the house for weekly seminars by regional experts on weatherization, lead paint, structural durability, renewable energy, and rainwater harvesting.

The project is sponsored by the 1772 Foundation, the National Trust for Historic Preservation' Partner's in the Field Program, and GHF.

Galveston has the largest contiguous National Historic Landmark-designated areas in the state of Texas. Last year the National Trust named its historic downtown to the 11 Most Endangered Places in the U.S.

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