About Old House Authority

The Old House Authority fosters the preservation of old houses by promoting the traditional building tradesmen who make historically appropriate renovation/restoration possible. Our website provides opportunities for craftsmen, preservationists and homeowners to exchange knowledge, ideas and expertise. Typically, craftsmen work independently, in small shops, without the benefit of marketing or publicity. We believe that by providing them a forum on our website, more homeowners will have access to their skills and services. This can help prevent the mistakes in renovation that diminish the historic and architectural integrity of old houses.

Maurice Duke, Walter Dotts, Dixon Kerr, Jennie Dotts

We recognize-through personal experience in renovation and restoration--the value of preservation over new construction. The environment is best served by reusing and recycling as opposed to demolishing and building new. The economy, also, is best served by preserving the architecture, ambiance and sense of community that attract residents, businesses and tourists to historic places that can never be built new. Our neighborhoods and houses represent a shared heritage. They offer opportunities for us-in an ever- accelerating, global environment- to connect with those who have come before us, discover the values that shaped our world, and determine how best to build for the future.

Old House Authority is produced by the following individuals who have extensive, first-hand experience in preserving houses and history and who hope to show others the way:

• Dixon Kerr, President and Managing Partner, Old House Authority Windows
• Jennie Dotts, Chief Executive Officer
• Walter M. Dotts III, Chairman and CFO
• Maurice Duke, Historian and Photographer

Dixon Kerr, Walter and Jennie Dotts at Stirling Castle, Scotland, for the International Trades Exchange, 2008

Old House Authority Attends the 2008 International Trades Exchange in Scotland

Old House Authority participated in the inaugural summit of the International Trades Exchange at Stirling Castle, Stirling, Scotland, August 13, 2008. Spearheaded in the United States by Jimmy and Jeffrey Price of Virginia Lime Works, Madison Heights, Virginia, the ITX is aimed at bringing preservation experts and those in the traditional building trades together to increase the fund of conservation skills internationally by sharing knowledge, skills and resources.

Walter Dotts with Jeffrey Price of Virginia Lime Works, who helped organize the 2008 International Trades Exchange.

The ITX is an offshoot of the Quinque Program, which from 2001-2005, provided fellowships which enabled craftspeople from the US and Scotland to work alongside each other for 6-12 weeks on restoration projects. Established by philanthropist Helen Buchanan, Quinque held that worldwide preservation efforts depend on sound, informed and sustainable conservation methods. A comprehensive strategy for ongoing training is an essential part of managing the economic resources of built heritage internationally.

Effective utilization of skills and cross training opportunities between Historic Scotland and US based preservation and conservation programs strengthen the capacity of built heritage. Through a partnership with Historic Scotland, Quinque worked to enhance the skills and knowledge of traditional crafts and building techniques on both sides of the Atlantic.

Dixon Kerr standing outside a stone wall of Stirling Castle, which is being carefully restored by Historic Scotland.

The ITX now seeks funding and opportunities for trades people, professionals, scholars, architects and historians in the conservation and preservation field to travel between Scotland and the US to participate in educational coursework and hands-on training and field projects at historic sites. The objective of the ITX is to create practitioners who can contribute to the repair of buildings and historic objects in the US and Scotland by marrying the practical hands-on skills of traditional crafts with a sound scientific conservation training which includes materials science and conservation ethics.

Old House Authority participated in the ITX program and will continue to work with Virginia Lime Works in the US to further its educational and training goals. If you are interested in participating or contributing financially to the project, contact us for more information info@oldhouseauthority.com.

Founding Canine Remembered

A southern gentleman to the bone, Malone kept a discreet eye on things at his Old House Authority office. Photo by Mike Shields

On March 26th Old House Authority said farewell to one of its founding members, Malone, a rescued pit bull. Seven years earlier, Malone came to us from the city pound in skeletal condition with a ravaging case of mange, a daunting eye affliction, and an undeniable zest for life. It took many months for Malone to recover from the neglect that had nearly destroyed him, but oh, when he did, people noticed. He was gorgeous, proud, affable and unforgettable.

Malone blossomed under the care of those who loved him. He went to work everyday providing us with security and fellowship, his brindle form lurching and swaggering through a number of historic Richmond neighborhoods. Malone met every knock at the office door and ring of the bell with an alert tilt of his powerful body. He became a fast friend to parking garage attendants, ad executives, lunch crowds, and property managers. Most important, Malone taught us that first impressions can be wrong. He encouraged us to look beyond the surface. His success was evident when Malone made the front page of the local newspaper as a poster child for an unfairly maligned breed.

Malone represents what we, at Old House Authority, stand for: an understanding that the most challenging opportunities are the most rewarding. We recognized his potential, when few others did. And he rewarded us for having that vision.

When Malone was diagnosed with cancer, doctors gave him only weeks to live. A half year later, one of his physicians saw him and said that if he lived until Christmas it would be a miracle. He finally succumbed-several days after the following Easter.

Like many of the old houses we help to save, Malone was a long shot. His fractured history, skin-of-the-teeth survival, and daring defiance tested us at the same time they reinforced the need to persevere.

Good dog, Malone.