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THE ASTORIAN • SATuRdAy, MAy 14, 2022
The Merwyn Apartments in Astoria.
Photos by Lissa Brewer/The Astorian
LEFT: The front door of the restored Merwyn building. RIGHT: Lucien Swerdloff opens the door to his Astoria studio, where students can engage in a hands-on experience of historic preservation.
ABOVE: The restored entrance to the Merwyn in Astoria. BELOW: A case in the lobby of the restored Merwyn building displays a
set of artifacts from the building’s prerestoration state. RIGHT: Restoration of this home was recognized in the residential category.
Preservation: ‘These old houses, This county election is one
they’re changing, living things’
you don’t want to miss!
Continued from Page B1
Swerdloff’s historic pres-
ervation program at Clatsop
Community College is one
of just a handful of its kind,
allowing students to integrate
history, theory and practice
from the ground up.
“These
old
houses,
they’re changing, living
things,” Swerdloff said.
“People come into a house,
they take something out, they
put something in, and if you
want to restore that house
you have to decide how you
want to restore it. What do
you want to restore it to?”
“You have to understand
the different materials and
how they behave, what’s
compatible and what modern
substitutes are compatible,”
he said, citing an example of
historic plaster, once made
using hair from horses.
It’s the sort of detail that led
Swerdloff to take a leading role
in founding the preservation
program over a decade ago.
“A few of the local build-
ers and architects, we all got
together and decided that
there was a need for some-
thing like this,” he said. “The
idea was to train people that
had these traditional skills, so
that they could work on these
historic buildings.”
Swerdloff is a recipient of
this year’s Dr. Edward Harvey
Historic Preservation Award.
Named for a pioneer of his-
toric preservation in Asto-
ria, the award coincides with
National Preservation Month,
celebrated throughout May.
Two
local
buildings
received the award as well.
In the residential category,
the restoration of Theodosia
Woods’ Italianate style home,
Keep LEADERSHIP Depend on EXPERIENCE
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With a bright yellow hue and extensive historic detail, the
Alderbrook home of Theodosia Woods received a 2022 Dr.
Edward Harvey Historic Preservation Award.
located in Astoria’s Alder-
brook neighborhood, was hon-
ored. Woods’ daughter, Lin-
den Clark, dedicated extensive
time to hands-on restoration.
The Merwyn Apartments
were also celebrated for an
extensive commercial reha-
bilitation. First constructed
in 1926, the downtown com-
plex once operated as a hotel,
and was previously slated for
demolition before its trans-
formation into housing.
RE-ELECT
PAMELA
Clatsop County Commissioner • District 3