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National Architectural Arts Center
The NAAC has a threefold program: collecting, exhibiting and educating. Students and faculty in the preservation program would be connected to each aspect of this program. Collection: The centerpiece of the NAAC is the largest collection of architectural and building artifacts in the United States, currently owned by Larry Giles and bulked in two warehouses in South St. Louis. The collection ranges from entire building facades to decorative features, systems, machinery, building materials, print archives and architectural drawings. Exhibition: The NAAC will feature two small galleries with staggered, rotating exhibits. The programming of these galleries will be a shared responsibility of the center staff and students in the allied academic preservation program. Some exhibits will come from the NAAC collection, others from the traveling collections. The Center will also generate traveling exhibits. Education: Crucial to the mission of the NAAC is the alliance of academic programs. Saint Louis University is both well placed and well disposed to connect academic programs with the museum. Planning The planning group for the center includes developers, fundraisers, conservators, museum professionals, and academics. Steve Trampe, a member of the SLU City Planning program advisory board, is acting as the chief developer. Joseph Heathcott, a SLU faculty member, serves as the point person for academic programming. Preservation Studies at Saint Louis University Why Preservation Studies in St. Louis? 1. St. Louis is a city with tremendous historic and cultural resources. 2. St. Louis has a long tradition of historic preservation, and an extraordinarily active preservation community (professionals, scholars, advocates, and developers). 3. A preservation program in St. Louis will have the advantage of being connected to the National Architecture Arts Center, currently in the planning phase. 4. Historic preservation is an essential tool in the process of rebuilding the city. Every dollar invested in preservation tax credits yields $1.50 in development. 5. An academic preservation program can be the focal point for a broader revitalization effort in the city of St. Louis. 6. There is no existing historic preservation graduate program in the State of Missouri. At present, students must leave the State to study preservation. 7. The program could draw upon the expertise of practicing professionals in the area who are nationally recognized leaders in the field of historic preservation. Why Preservation Studies at Saint Louis University? 1. It matches SLU's mission to connect with the city around it. 2. It matches SLU's ambition to develop graduate programs with national stature and visibility. 3. At present, no Jesuit university in the Untied States offers an historic preservation graduate program. 4. SLU already has two departments that typically house historic preservation programs: American Studies and Public Policy/Planning. 5. As a professional degree program, preservation would generate revenue, but it would also feed into academic programs (Public Policy, American Studies). 6. Joseph Heathcott, a SLU faculty member, is already well-connected to the national network of historic preservation educators and practitioners. 7. The SLU campus boasts one of the most impressive historic sites in the city, the Samuel Cupples house, which could eventually become the focal point of the preservation studies. Graduates will be qualified to:
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