Resources at last year's expo: interior finishes, walls and floor coverings; how to reuse old barn wood; roofing slates; early hand-forged and machine-forged hardware. Photo: Historic Red Hook.
By Lisa Green Congratulations. You’ve just bought an old house or barn. Or maybe you’re ready to tackle some badly needed restoration of your vintage home or turn your barn into living quarters. Now what? Our best advice: get yourself to Red Hook, New York on Sunday for “It’s All About Place!" -- a free expo of hands-on demonstrations and resource information for old house and barn enthusiasts. The Town of Red Hook and Historic Red Hook, a preservation society, are hosting the event at the circa 1760 Elmendorph Inn from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Experts in the fields of restoration architecture as well as artisans, historians, town planners and landscape designers will be on hand to answer your questions about sustainable preservation, restoration and adaptive re-use of period houses and barns. This your chance to speak to plumbers who specialize in old houses, ask questions about historic plaster work, or get information on the dry but necessary issue of town zoning. It’s sort of like Antiques Roadshow, says Emily Majer, a preservation carpenter by trade and a member of Historic Red Hook. “People arrive, check in, and then they’ll be pointed in the right direction for whatever help they need." Bring your photos for “show and tell" with the experts, watch a blacksmithing demonstration, enjoy the live music and food. A local couple will present an account of their own meticulously recorded restoration of an 18th-century Red Hook property. Another session focuses on the incentive programs available for owners of historic homes.
The Elmendorph Inn, 1976, and after renovation in 2015.
The event should be of interest even to those who don’t plan to put in any sweat equity on their homes. Researchers will be available to give you advice on how to piece together your home’s backstory. You don’t have to be a Red Hook resident to benefit, stresses Majer. “This is a community-building tool," she says. “Particularly for those new to an area, finding out the history of your house gives you an instant connection to where you live." “It’s All About Place!" 2016 House and Barn Preservation ExpositionSunday, June 19, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Elmendorph Inn 7562 North Broadway, Red Hook, NY (845) 759-8181
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