MAC, SPA revieve Old House Workshop

After a 10-year absence, the Old House Workshop is being revived by the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture and the Spokane Preservation Advocates.

The three-night series starts March 11 and continues March 18 and 25 at the MAC auditorium, 2316 W. First Ave. Workshops will be from 6 to 8 p.m.

Years ago, the Old House Workshop regularly drew packed audiences. But the last one was held in 2005, according to news files.

Linda Yeomans, an organizer with SPA, said the workshops were dropped largely because of the amount of volunteer work needed to plan topics, arrange speakers and take care of details.

“I am very happy we are reviving it,” she said.

This year’s workshop series will examine the over-arching Arts and Crafts Movement and its influence on residential architecture.

On March 11, Lawrence Kreisman will provide the context and roots of Arts and Crafts and set the stage for detailed looks at exterior and interior restorations in the Spokane area.

Kreisman is author of “The Arts and Crafts Movement in the Pacific Northwest.” Glenn Mason, former director of the Cheney-Cowles Museum, the predecessor of the MAC, is a co-author of the book.

Kreisman is program director for Historic Seattle, a public development authority that works to preserve historic buildings through reuse for new purposes.

On March 18, Brian Westmoreland, owner of Authentic Restoration Services in Spokane, will show an exterior project he undertook in Tekoa at the historic Fuchs House. He will be joined by Dr. Kathy Meyer, a retired Spokane neurosurgeon, who restored the exterior of her home, the Hill-Hilscher House, an American Foursquare at 1636 S. Cedar St.

On March 25, Sherry Peters, of Salvage Designs will talk about the movement’s use of details, colors and other elements. Homeowner Jim Price will detail the interior restoration of the historic Mack-Kane House at 734 E. 23rd Ave.