Restoring Archives

In 2012, a derelict 1866 Washington house was listed on a waterfront lot worth more without it; preservationists spent 6 years buying it and 8 more restoring it before reopening it in 2026

Picture from the book ‘Granville Haller: Leader’ by Martin N. Chamberlain via Historicwhidbey.org In 2012, a crumbling 1866 farmhouse sat on a prized waterfront lot in Coupeville, Washington, listed for sale at a price that reflected the land’s value far more than the building’s. The Haller House, one of the oldest surviving structures on Whidbey […]

Workers restoring a medieval English house found 800 years of hidden history, including rare wall paintings, sealed doorways and mysterious protective marks

A conservation project at Dunstable’s Grade II listed Priory House has uncovered 800 years of hidden history, including nationally important wall paintings, sealed medieval doorways and protective marks once used to keep evil spirits away. Specialist teams led by HB Archaeology & Conservation Limited, together with structural engineers and building contractors, have been working since […]

In 1967, Guy Savy and a partner bought a degraded Seychelles island; after restoring nesting habitat, its sooty tern colony rose from under 20,000 pairs to about 700,000

Guy Savy and a partner bought a degraded Seychelles island A tiny coral island on the northern edge of the Seychelles Bank was once close to ecological collapse. Years of commercial farming, habitat destruction and wildlife exploitation had badly damaged its natural environment. Today, after more than five decades of careful conservation, Bird Island is […]

In 2013, Florida’s Tortuga Music Festival began restoring dunes with sea oats; 13 years later, fans and volunteers have planted 33,000+ on Fort Lauderdale Beach

Music fans and environmental volunteers have planted more than 33,000 sea oats along Fort Lauderdale Beach over the past 13 years, turning an annual music festival into one of South Florida’s longest-running coastal restoration projects. The dune restoration effort began in 2013 alongside the first Tortuga Music Festival, an event created in partnership with the […]

In 1993, Tim Curry bought a Los Angeles home for $650,000 as it faced demolition and spent years restoring it; hours after news of his death, the $7.5 million home found a buyer

Tim Curry’s historic Los Feliz home, which he lovingly restored, has come under offer for $7.5 million following the actor’s death at 80. Tim Curry’s historic Los Feliz home has come under offer just hours after news of the actor’s death at 80 was announced. The property, which Curry painstakingly restored during his ownership, had […]