About 100 members of The National American Classic Car Association got their motors running and headed out on the highway for a tour of the Northern Neck this week. Luckily for us (and for you by association) Menokin was on the itinerary. In between group rotations I was able to take a few shots of some of the gorgeous automobiles that were here. I wish I could have photographed them all!
Enjoy this ride back in time to sleek lines, white walls and style.
Truth be told, the thought to compare the two had never occurred to me.
But it did occur to Ed Slipek, Senior Contributing Editor of Style Weekly Magazine when he recently visited the Menokin Revealed exhibit at the Virginia Center for Architecture.
In his article Material World in the current issue, Slipek focuses on the importance of making the open call for plans and ideas when undertaking a large project such as the Shockoe Bottom proposed baseball stadium.
The lesson of ‘Ruins, Memory and the Imagination: Menokin Revealed‘ is: How do we know a good solutions unless they’re set up against alternatives? Wouldn’t it be great to have 11 more design proposals for Shockoe Bottom? The process might make us crazy, but then again, it could produce something quite worthwhile.
While Menokin Revealed was an academic exercise for the Harvard Graduate School of Design students of The Menokin Project’s lead architect, Jorge Silvetti, their ideas and images are thought provoking and inspiring.
Virginia is steeped in history, much of it originating in the Northern Neck. Yet the reality of our locals schools means bare-bones budgets, and few or no field trips for students to learn about and explore the myriad historic venues right here in their back yards.
Enter History on the Go. This local program provides regional elementary and middle school students an overview of some of the great educational resources available to them within the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula.
Collaborating cultural institutions develop presentations and coordinate with the schools for an immersion event. Five or six stations are set up in the school gymnasium or auditorium. Each class rotates around the room to visit every station, spending 15 minutes learning about, and participating in, a different activity related to that particular site.
On December 4th participating organizations brought their messages to Richmond County Elementary 4th and 5th graders. A whopping 176 students shared in these programs:
Belle Isle State Park – Animal Adaptations. This station exhibited various animal skins and casts of various footprints. Students learned about living and hunting habits of native species in this region.
Mary Ball Washington Museum and Library – 18th century school, reading and writing. Students discussed a one room classroom environment, using a replica of a classroom. The students practiced writing on slates and used a quill pen on paper. Discipline and games were also discussed.
Middlesex Museum and Historical Society – Historical documents and court 
cases. Students reviewed copies of original court records re slaves, property and possessions, and insurance documents and discussed the importantance of record keeping.
Reedville Fisherman Museum – Life cycle and history of oysters and watermen. Showed live oysters and discussed the body makeup (heart, how they breathe, etc.) Students use tongs to transfer oysters and discussed the work of the local watermen.
Richmond County Museum – Indian exhibit and pictograghs. Pointed out the living habits and clothing, medicine, diet, use of tools of Virginia’s indigenous peoples.
Menokin Foundation – Maps and Watershed. Menokin’s Education Coordinator Alice French, and intern Allie Lyth, introduced the word and concept of conservation. Students got a brief history of Francis Lightfoot Lee and how Menokin is using historic conservation in preserving his house.
They also learned about Menokin’s environmental conservation practices and got to compare a variety of maps,* learning about the types of information these different kinds of maps give us. They then looked at our site and surrounding sites showing the entire Northern Neck in its Rappahannock River Watershed.
*Maps
Captain John Smithʼs early maps of Virginia
Topographic contour maps
Aerial maps
Road maps
Waterway mapsMenokin’s Activity involved studying a map of waterways and locating the headwaters, the tributaries, and the mainstream, and connecting the ends of the river to identify the watershed. The students then became a human
watershed and passed water down through it, learning how water moves within a watershed, that everything surrounding a river affects our water, and that we all use the same water over and over, and that is why conservation is so important.
By participating in programs like History on the Go, Menokin continues to focus and act on its mission to provide educational and cultural opportunities to our regional communities and beyond.
It is November, after all. So I don’t feel so bad begging for your votes again for Menokin.
Architecture is a very public art form, but is also highly personal. We use the built world to describe and anchor some of the most important events in our lives. It shapes our lives and reveals our history.
The structures featured in this survey were nominated by architects throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia on the occasion of the Virginia Society of the American Institute of Architects’ (VSAIA) 100th anniversary. The 250 works of architecture — buildings, bridges, monuments, and memorials — in this survey represent some of the best of Virginia’s rich architectural heritage. We encourage you to select your favorites based on design, symbols of innovation, spirit of your community and Virginia. More importantly, select structures that hold a special place in your heart and mind.
Once the votes are tallied, the Virginia Center for Architecture will release the top 100 structures — Virginia’s Favorite Architecture. These favorites will then be featured in an exhibition at the Center. In addition, through the compilation and timely release of a year-long series of top ten lists, we’ll use structures to tell the story of the Commonwealth and the citizens that built it and inhabit it today.
Thanks!
What better way to spend a rainy, Northern Neck weekend than in a wood shop, surrounded by antique (and yes, some electric) tools, aromatic shavings and fun people?
A group of 15+ gathered at Menokin on an early October weekend to learn some tricks of the trade in restoring and recreating wooden features of old buildings. Instructors from Oak Grove Restoration shared helpful information such as choosing the right wood for the job, the history of wood and why the old stuff is better than the new stuff, and which tools do what.
Plenty of hands-on activities had students carving, scraping, smoothing, sharpening and drilling. Enjoy the pictures!
Stayed tuned for information about our next workshop, which will probably be in the Spring.
By Alice French – Education and Outreach Coordinator at Menokin
JULY 3, 2013
I spent the day today with Lance and Carl and their Grandmother, Frances Lively.
We learned a little bit about Francis Lightfoot Lee and his house explored the Visitor Center with a scavenger map.
Next we talked about the landscape we were in. We talked about the importance of taking care of the land and water here too. Next we looked at some images by land-art artist, Andy Goldsworthy.
Alice, our day at Menokin was a definite highlight of the week. My grandson did not stop talking about it and gave a full briefing to his grandfather and his parents. Your knowledge, Menokin’s story, and our walk through the house helped transport us to Francis Lightfoot Lee’s era. Thanks for a terrific adventure.
Then we went on a hike. We looked at all the different types of plants we could identify. We walked down the trail to Cat Point Creek. Along the way we talked about the rolling roads and boats coming up the creek to ship merchandise down the Rappahannock River. We identified different trees on the trail, came across a box turtle, and looked for other wild life.
After the trail hike, we took a break at the picnic tables under the trees by the House. Here we pulled out some maps and talked about what a watershed is.
We walked around the house and talked about the architecture and gardens.
Finally before we were done, we made our own piece of Land Art. The boys looked for something in the landscape and built a design inside a tree trunk with walnuts which had fallen to the ground. The first design followed the swirling pattern of the tree trunk. The second one filled up the entire trunk and topped it off with a feather found lying on the ground in front of the house.
It was hot! But we had a lot of fun! And remembered that tomorrow we are celebrating the fact that Francis Lightfoot Lee, would be signing the Declaration of Independence.
Go Frank!
I hope you have enjoyed seeing the progress of The Menokin Project model as it has evolved from a sketch to a finished piece of art.
Harvard Graduate School of Design students Carmine D’Alessandro and Alex Jacobson, and Machado and Silvetti Project Manager Jayne Kang – under the supervision of lead architect, Jorge Silvetti – have delivered a masterpiece of model making that will undoubtedly help The Menokin Foundation take this project to the next level.
We would like to once again express our boundless appreciation to Union First Market Bank for their generous gift that made this all possible.
With no further ado, may I present to you……………….The Model.
Production of this model was made possible by a generous grant from Union First Market Bank.
Project Progress Reports from:
Jayne Kang | Project Manager, Senior Designer | Machado and Silvetti Associates, LLC
PROGRESS REPORT ITEMS:
Week 3 – Part I: 07/01/13-07/03/13
Material, Assembly and Visual Testing (liner, rainscreen, historic walls, etc)
– North Elevation Full-Assembly Study [continued]
– Typical Armature Corner and Roof Rainscreen Assembly Study
– Test prints of different woods for the site base Model production:
– Final 3/16” ZCorb Print – Final 1/16” ZCorb Prints [Existing(x1)], Proposed (x2)]
– Final modeling adjustments to the armature model for printer
Included in this progress report are digital renderings and photos that document two major efforts made in the course of this short week, which involved:
1) finalizing the quality of material and level of resolution in the site model, with consideration to cost and aesthetics; and
2) studies of various isolated assembly details (i.e. mechanical connections, lighting, aesthetic effects when combining the layered elements) in order to come up with something that is clean, most accurately representative, stable and has the best visual effect.
See the first progress report here.
The Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) is a subspecies within a group of hinge-shelled turtles, normally called box turtles. T. c. carolina is native to the eastern part of the United States.
This handsome fella was crossing the lane at Menokin this morning on our way into work. Alice and I stopped to say hello. We remarked on his beautiful coloring and striking red eyes. A little research into the Eastern box turtle revealed just what those eyes mean.
Just think, this turtle may have been around when Menokin was still standing.
I have read about this place. Never knew I would make it here. Thanks so much! Awesome place and enjoyed the walk and history!