Historic Hawai‘i Foundation, in partnership with Alan Shintani Inc. and the Association of Preservation Technology, Hawai‘i Pacific Chapter, presented a 3-day Wooden Window Workshop for experienced carpenters. The workshop repaired windows at a historic site, ‘Ewa Community Church Parish Hall, providing hands-on training with experts in historic wooden window repair. Participants broadened their skills in this specialty field of carpentry, were introduced to historic preservation and learned best practices for assessing, repairing and maintaining historic wooden windows. They also contributed to the preservation of a significant structure and an important community gathering place in ‘Ewa Plantation Villages. Building Industry Association of Hawai‘i, a supporting partner, donated classroom and workshop space used for portions of the workshop.

The workshop was led by Lucien Swerdloff, program coordinator and an instructor of Historic Preservation and the Computer Aided Design at Clatsop Community College in Astoria, Oregon. Assisting him were: Alan Shintani, President of Alan Shintani Inc.; Barbara Shideler, Principal and Historical Architect at MASON and President of the Association of Technology, Hawai‘i-Pacific Chapter; Dean Crowell, Sr., Assistant Professor of Carpentry at Honolulu Community College; and George Boeman, Assistant Professor of Carpentry at Honolulu Community College. The instructors were extremely knowledgeable, possessed valuable skill sets in their respective fields, and presented information in a down to earth way. All these qualities made for a truly impactful, enjoyable, and cohesive workshop.

Over the 3 days, participants were able to learn new skills, build their knowledge of historic preservation, understand the components of double hung wooden windows and materials used and learn the steps needed to restore them. The end result? The students restored ten wooden windows of the ‘Ewa Community Church Parish Hall. They were thrilled to see their labor result in a lasting and positive impact on the community. One student remarked that he had thought wooden windows could not be restored—he had only seen them discarded and replaced. We are proud to start reversing that trend and increase awareness of preservation practices. There were a variety of moving parts that needed to come together in order to make this workshop happen. Historic Hawai‘i Foundation is incredibly grateful for the partnerships and relationships that were created out of this event. We would like to give a big mahalo to our partners, Alan Shintani, Inc.; the Association of Preservation Technology, Hawai‘i-Pacific Chapter; the Building Industry Association of Hawai‘; Hawai‘i Carpenters Apprenticeship & Training Fund, Honolulu Community College, Transportation & Trades Division; and Unitek Contracting Group, who sponsored lead abatement and removal services for the windows. Mahalo also to our grantors. This project was in part funded by the Historic Preservation Education Foundation, the Atherton Family Foundation, and the Sam & Mary Cooke Preservation Fund for Hawai‘i.

Alan Shintani and his crew are completing final work on the Parish Hall windows including painting (students applied the primer during the workshop) and rebuilding several sash in need of repair. ‘Ewa Community Church is actively working on next steps to complete the exterior painting for the parish hall but no timeline has been set. If you would like to support ‘Ewa Community Church, click here to visit their website/donation page: https://ewacommunitychurch.weebly.com/#

PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK

“Thank you for the opportunity to get involved in your organization. It’s very worthwhile. I’ll work preservation standards into our standards curriculum. I’m  interested in composite materials and restoration of exposed framing members and architectural detail restoration using epoxy with fillers. I did a lot of canoe restoration when I took the Small Vessel Fabrication and Repair courses at HCC. The rafter tails would be a good place to start on the community center building. I’ll keep in touch. Again, I enjoyed the experience and will look forward to further collaboration.” Carpentry Instructor at Honolulu Community College

“Definitely having the hands-on experience and just being able to ask questions and get guidance has been really impactful. I had no idea wooden windows could be preserved prior to this workshop. This knowledge has been surprising and really helpful. It has also been mind-opening to be able to understand how to take these extra steps to really take care of something that gives value. I am really big on being environmentally aware and knowing ways to reduce the use of materials and the impact they can have.” Student at the Honolulu Community College Carpentry Program

“In the past, I had worked on condition assessments for late 1800 homesteads in Northern California and other kinds of general condition assessments of windows; and I always had to look up which part is the sash, which part is the frame. But actually being able to pull out the different pieces while reconstructing it (the windows) really helped me understand, it was so impactful.” Architectural Historian

“I’ve learned the tricks of the trade (glass cutting, how to take the sash apart, the glazing technique) that are going to make my job much easier and I really think this class has been valuable and I will be taking more classes from HHF.” Employee of the National Park Service

“I found working on the double hung windows and understanding how they are constructed and how they can be repaired was really interesting.” Community Handyman

“I think it has been good to learn about how to restore older windows because no one really knows how to do it. I have put in a lot of new windows but I have never restored any old windows, so it has been valuable information for that.” Professional Carpenter

“This workshop has definitely been valuable. One of the first things that I’ve learned being here is about linseed oil and turpentine, which revitalizes old lumber. I didn’t know anything about these prior to coming here, amongst other things.” Professional Carpenter

“With this knowledge, we can save the windows instead of spending money buying new windows. Instead we can replace the historic part of the house. I think that is very important.” Professional Carpenter

“I think the take away from this workshop is all around for me. I like working on historical things and bringing them back to life and getting the opportunity to do that here in Hawai‘i has been fantastic.” Employee of the National Park Service

PHOTO GALLERY

Click on a photo to start a gallery view. 

Day 1: August 5, 2021 – Introduction to Historic Preservation and Window Components, Safety, Site Preparation, Window Extraction

Day 2: August 6, 2021 – Window Sash Preparation and Restoration

Day 3: August 7, 2021 – Glazing, Painting, Jamb Re-Roping Assembly

‘Ewa Community Church

Are you an established carpenter, finish carpenter or recent carpentry apprenticeship graduate and want to learn about preserving, repairing & maintaining historic wooden windows? Then this workshop is for you!

Broaden your skill set and help preserve a local historic building in ‘Ewa Plantation Villages.

  • Receive hands on training with experts in historic wooden window repair.
  • Broaden your skills in a specialty field of carpentry.
  • Practice assessing, maintaining and repairing wooden windows for an existing building in need of repair.
  • Receive a Certificate of Completion upon completion of the 3-day workshop.
  • Receive a copy of Save America’s Windows by John C. Leeke.

The workshop will be led by Lucien Swerdloff. Lucien is the program coordinator and an instructor in the Historic Preservation and the Computer Aided Design programs at Clatsop Community College in Astoria, Oregon. He earned Master of Architecture and Master of Science degrees from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Lucien has organized numerous preservation workshops throughout Oregon and Washington and worked on the restoration of many historic structures. He serves on the boards of Columbia Pacific Preservation and the Lower Columbia Preservation Society, engaging in and advocating for the preservation of historic resources that contribute to history, culture, and sense of place.

Day 1: Introductory, Safety, Site Preparation, Window Extraction
Day 2: Window Sash Preservation and Restoration
Day 3: Glazing, Painting, Jamb re-roping, Assembly

WHEN

August 5, 6 & 7, 2021  
8:30am-4:30pm

WHERE

‘Ewa Community Church Parish Hall
91-1258 Renton Rd, ‘Ewa Beach

Building Industry Association of Hawaii
(BIA Hawaii) Workshop Space
94-487 Akoki St, Waipahu

The workshop is full. Please complete the application  form if you would like to be added to the wait list. Please email questions to:  andrea@historichawaii.org

The workshop is restricted to those who meet the minimum requirements. The fee is $45 (payable prior to August 5). Spaces were filled on a first come first served basis.

This project is in part funded by the Historic Preservation Education Foundation, the Atherton Family Foundation, and the Sam & Mary Cooke Preservation Fund for Hawai‘i.

Presented by:
Historic Hawai‘i Foundation, Alan Shintani, Inc. and the Association of Preservation Technology, Hawai‘i-Pacific Chapter

Supporting Partners:
Building Industry Association of Hawaii, the Hawaii Carpenters Apprenticeship and Training Fund and Transportation & Trades Division, Honolulu Community College

Sponsors: