| Background
HCN's workshop in Cairo takes you not to the land of pyramids and ancient tombs, but rather to the southernmost tip of Illinois – a place steeped in US history. Cairo (pronounced "kay-ro") was headquarters for General Grant at the beginning of the Civil War, was the central hub for steamboat traffic, was known for its blues musicians, saw intense civil rights activity, and was for many years the economic and cultural center for the region. It also has an incredible array of architecture. In the past 50 years, Cairo has suffered tremendously from the economic depression that plagues the region and is now a virtual ghost town, its historic buildings lining deserted streets.
 In a last-ditch effort to save their city, the community has come together and formed the Cairo VISION 20-20 Committee. Working in partnership with Southern Illinois University at Carbondale - School of Architecture, HCN, and other organizations, the group has devised a plan to bring community revitalization and economic development to a "New Cairo" by the year 2020. One component of this plan calls for utilizing the city's historic resources to attract businesses, residents, and visitors. HCN and our partners are collaborating on a project to create affordable housing by preserving and rehabilitating a group of historic "shotgun"-style houses. These houses are just some of the more than 350 properties in Cairo already listed on or determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
Project
The shotgun houses were selected for this phase of the project because there are so many of them in the city; rehabilitation of just a portion of them will make a remarkable contribution to the pool of affordable housing. HCN's workshop will build on previous efforts by SIUC students and professors. During the 2008 Preservation Summer  course, students' survey work will identify the house to be the site of HCN’s workshop in 2009. During the workshop, participants will begin actual restoration of the house; work will include a variety of tasks and cover a wide range of preservation and carpentry skills. The restoration project will serve as a demonstration/prototype project, providng ample opportunity for public outreach and training opportunities. Once completed, the building will be used as an office for the VISION 20-20 preservation projects office overseeing additional shotgun restorations; it will also provide a place for volunteers to stay while working in Cairo.
Work will be led by Bill Black, Jr., of Bill Black & Son, Inc., who is a regional leader in the field of building preservation and led HCN's Kornthal workshop. In a powerful example of how an innovative idea developed for one location can be successfully replicated in other locations, Mr. Black intends to develop a "redesign-build" course in Paducah, Kentucky similar to the one SIUC professors and HCN have developed for Cairo. This concept is based on an urban design and planning project SIUC staff and students did in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
Logistics
The workshop will be two weeks in length and participants may register for either one or two weeks. The cost is US$685 for one week and US$1,370 for two weeks, which covers lodging, breakfast and lunch (dinners not included), insurance, workshop materials, instruction and fieldtrips. Transportation to the workshop is not included and is the responsibility of the participant. Local residents may participate for a reduced fee of $80 per week, which covers lunch and insurance, and must contact Monica Smith directly at monica @ ldd.net to register.
If arriving by air, check flights into St. Louis, Missouri; Nashville, Tennessee; or Chicago, Illinois that connect with commuter flights to Marion, Illinois or Cape Girardeau, Missouri. From there, a rental car is still necessary. HCN may arrange shuttle service from nearby airports, so contact workshops @ heritageconservation.net if you need this service.
Workshop participants will be housed in a small hotel or local community center. Check-in is available on Sunday of the week you are attending. (Saturday night, June 13, 2009, is not included unless you are attending for both weeks.) Work hours at the site are generally Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. Lunches will be provided at the site. A group fieldtrip will take participants to some of the area's scenic and historic sites. Instruction will be in English.
 Southern Illinois can be quite humid in the summer, with June's average daytime highs being 32 C (90 F). Bring clothing that is suitable for the weather that will also be protective while working. Close-toed shoes are required; long pants and long-sleeved shirts should be brought to the site, although they may not be required at all times. Water bottles, sun screen and insect repellent are highly recommended. Please be conscious that safety is an important issue at any work site.
If you need additional information, contact us at workshops @ heritageconservation.net or call +1 303 444 0128.
If you find this project intriguing, but are unable to attend, you can still participate by supporting conservation work in Cairo and at other project sites with a tax-deductible donation to HCN. We have partnered with Groundspring.org to make it easy and
safe for you to donate online:
If you would prefer to mail in a gift, please use our donation form. |
