By KTRK Staff

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LA PORTE, Texas (KTRK) After over 70 years at its home at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site, the 110-year-old vessel Battleship Texas departs Wednesday for repairs.

The tow from La Porte to Galveston will happen from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.

This means parts of the San Jacinto Battleground Historic Site and parts of Independence Parkway will be closed during that time until the ship has moved past the Lynchburg Ferry, which will also be closed.

The repairs will happen at the Gulf Copper Dry Dock & Rig Repair.

If you want to see the move happen there will be some viewing locations for the public. Those include Texas City Dike, Pier 21, Bayland Island, and Seawolf Park for a more up-close look.

The Coast Guard will enforce a safety zone to ensure the safety of the public and the vessels in the Houston Ship Channel. Water traffic will be restricted in the ship channel and the safety zone.

The only U.S. ship that survived in both World War I and World War II. In addition, its really the first ship that the Navy ever retired as a memorial or museum and is the last of the dreadnought battleships, Bruce Bramlett with Texas Battleship Foundation said.

So how much does all of this cost? $35 million.

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110-year-old historic vessel Battleship Texas moving to Galveston for restoration - KTVZ

Signal Restoration Services, the leader in emergency response and property damage restoration in the industrial, healthcare, education, government, hospitality, multi-family, and retail industries, announced Barry Zollman has joined as executive vice president, business development. Zollman brings more than three decades of experience in disaster recovery and restoration to Signal.

This new role combines Zollmans operational and project management expertise with his passion for developing key relationships to better serve clients and the challenges they face when disaster strikes. As Executive Vice President, Zollman will lead the effort to serve and strengthen existing Signal client relationships while also leveraging his vast, respected network to bring in new opportunities to grow and expand Signals clientele. Zollman will report directly to Co-CEO Mark Davis.

We are delighted to welcome Barry to the Signal family, says Mark Davis, co-CEO, Signal. As the company celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, we continue to prioritize bringing the most talented individuals in our industry to Signal. Barry is exactly that. He is renowned in the industry and has earned an impressive reputation as a strategic relationship builder committed to delivering professionalism, excellence, and relentless customer service to clients. That is just what we want and need as we pursue our strategy for market and international expansion.

With Signal, I found a true team and family approach to doing business, says Zollman. Collaboration and trust are important to me in my next professional home, and I am happy to say I found both in the team at Signal. Ive been fortunate in my career to have learned from and been supported by so many industry leaders. Im excited to turn my focus to the restoration market, create new relationships, and explore international opportunities that expand the companys current footprint and set Signal up for continued success for the next 50 years.

In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zollman has worked with a variety of companies across 13 countries. Most recently, he served as vice president of Logistics at Bingham Services Inc., a professional consulting company for the property insurance industry.

Zollman holds an associate of science degree in applied horticulture and horticultural business services from Vincennes University. He volunteers with the Miracle League of Frisco, a non-profit organization providing children ages 5-19 with mental and/or physical challenges the opportunity to play sports as a team member in an organized league.

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Signal Restoration Names Executive VP of Business Development - CleanLink

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Montana attorney general warns of scams and fraud in flood damage restoration - Bozeman Daily Chronicle

COLLIER COUNTY

Gopher tortoises were released to a new home at the Picayune Strand State Forest.

The tortoises are threatened and protected by Florida law

And Southwest Florida is working to protect them.

After two years, gopher tortoises at the Picayune Strand State Forest have been relocated.

It was a collaborative effort between various state agencies and environmental groups.

Marisa Magrino, with Environmental Consulting Services Group said, we are doing all we can to protect them.

The primary threat to the gopher tortoise is habitat loss.

Magrino said these animals were moved from the east side of the forest due to an ongoing restoration project in the area.

The relocation ensures their survival and preservation of biodiversity in the Picayune Strand State Forest.

Mike Knight, District Biologist with Florida Forest Service said the new location is 30 acres and can house 24 gopher tortoises due to stocking density regulations.

This particular recipient site is one of the newest state-wide and is pretty unique for SWFL as well, theres not too many of them around in this area, Knight said.

Their new recipient site ensures not only the tortoises survival but also of other species.

Because the gopher tortoises are a keystone species, its burrowing activities support up to 350 or more other species of wildlife, ranging from different frogs to different insects.. even a few mammals species will make use of this tortoises burrows so having them here on-site not only helps preserve the biodiversity but, in some cases, even increase it, Knight said.

Knight said the Florida Forest Service hopes to develop other sites to save more tortoises.

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SWFL gives a new home to threatened wildlife species - Wink News

Less than 300. In 2019, thats how many Carolina heelsplitters were found dispersed within 11 populations left in the Catawba, Pee Dee, Saluda, and Savannah River Basins of North and South Carolina. A low number for a freshwater mussel thats been listed as endangered since 1993. However, a team of biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Southeast Region are leading efforts to restore habitat and propagate and release captive-reared heelsplitters. Their efforts are succeeding so well that there are now over 3,000 heelsplitters in the wild, mostly in South Carolina.

For their extraordinary initiative and accomplishment in bringing the Carolina heelsplitter back from the brink of extinction, five U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists have been awarded the 2021 Southeast Recovery Champions Award. Receiving the award are Tony Brady, Morgan Wolf, Jonathan Wardell, Somerley Swarm, and Walter (Tripp) Boltin.

Members of the Carolina heelsplitter Intra-Service Recovery Initiative. Left to right: Tony Brady, Morgan Wolf, Jonathan Wardell, Somerley Swarm, and Walter "Tripp" Boltin.

The Carolina heelsplitter ranks at the top of all rarities in the Southeast.Lost from the record books since the 1800s, the species was rediscovered in 1987.But by that time, most populations had been eliminated from North Carolina and a few were still hanging on in South Carolina in geographic areas known as slate-belt stream systems. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the species as endangered in 1993 and designated critical habitat for it in 2002.

Now, 10 of the 11 remaining Carolina heelsplitter populations are in South Carolina. Tony Brady, Morgan Wolf, and Jonathan Wardell established the Orangeburg Mussel Conservation Center (OMCC) at the Orangeburg National Fish Hatchery in South Carolina by transforming an empty shed into a functioning propagation system. Mussel biologists Brady, Wardell, and Swarm were primarily responsible for propagating and growing the mussels and maintaining the system. Wolf is the national lead for the Carolina heelsplitter, overseeing all recovery actions for the species.

Juvenile Carolina heelsplitter being grown out at the Orangeburg Mussel Conservation Center (OMCC) at the Orangeburg National Fish Hatchery in South Carolina

The establishment of the OMCC was a turning point for the species. Beginning in 2016, and over the next five years, more than 5,000 mussels were produced with close to 2,000 of those being released into the wild.In 2021 alone, more than 1,000 individuals, which is five times the number of heelsplitters ever released in a year, were stocked in South Carolina streams. The Service has been working closely with a number of partners throughout South Carolina, including the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, to make that happen.

Carolina heelsplitter freshwater mussels ready for release in the wild

Restoring and reconnecting habitat for the Carolina heelsplitter has been a priority. Boltinled efforts to secure passageways for the heelsplitter and its primary fish host, the bluehead chub. He obtained funding and coordinated all endeavors to replace old culverts. Gills Creek inLancaster County is home to about one third of the remaining habitat in the current range for the Carolina heelsplitter. Now,over five miles of critical habitat for the species has been restored, thanks to Boltin, other Service employees, and Lancaster County officials.

Old, dysfunctional culverts on Gills Creek in Lancaster County, South Carolina - critical habitat for the endangered Carolina heelsplitter freshwater mussel

Over the past five years, the Services Southeast Region Aquatic Habitat Restoration Team and other Service employees from throughout the region, have worked in partnership with Lancaster County officials and engineers, completing three separate culvert replacements on Gills Creek.Heavy equipment operators removed old, dysfunctional, round culverts and replaced them with bottomless arch culverts to restore adequate stream flow in the creek.

Tripp Boltin watching as flow is restored to Gills Creek, Lancaster County, South Carolina - critical habitat for the endangered Carolina heelsplitter

Musseling the Carolina heelspitter back from the brink of extinction has taken years of planning and, true to the One Service approach, the work of many Service employees, Lancaster County, and others. The work is still ongoing. Tony Brady, Morgan Wolf, Jonathan Wardell, Somerley Swarm, and Tripp Boltinare recovery champions for leading the successful process.

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Musseling Back from Near Extinction | US Fish & Wildlife Service - US Fish and Wildlife Service

The steel structure of the 75-year-old Wahconah Park is failing and the city is planning a capital project for the historic structure.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. The city is embarking on a more than $3 million capital improvement plan for historic Wahconah Park with a restoration committee and a promise of federal funds.

The City Council voted at its June 28 meeting to establish a Wahconah Park Restoration Committee.

The nine-member committee will assess the current condition of the 75-year-old facility, solicit public input, recommend the specifics of the repairs, and make recommendations to the city on the hiring of project agents.

In April it wasannounced that grandstand seating would not be available this yearbecause the steel structure was compromised.

Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resource Program Manager James McGrath, who will serve as staff support on the panel, said the city will have a full structural report of the park's grandstand by the time the committee meets. This will guide its work.

"That will help us understand the true condition of the grandstand and what it will take to not only bring the grandstand up to a safe condition, but I think that the scope and scale of such a project would also require the grandstand to meet all current modern building codes, Massachusetts building codes," he added.

The committee is expected to issue a preliminary report to Mayor Linda Tyer within 180 days of its appointment and a final report within 270 days.

On Tuesday, the council will be asked to appoint nine members for committee.

To aid the process, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal was able to place a $3 million earmark into the $57 billion Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies funding bill for fiscal 2023.

McGrath said the $3 million is a great start but he anticipates that additional funding sources will be needed National Register-listed property. One of the functions of the restoration committee will be to work closely with Finance Director Matthew Kerwood and Tyer to secure funding.

After a structural evaluation of the facility in late 2021 that revealed concerns, the city hired a structural engineer and architect to look at it more comprehensively. Their recommendation was for the grandstand to be closed for this season.

The uses underneath the grandstand that include the bathrooms, locker rooms, maintenance room, and concessions were OK'd for use. Because of the way the facilities were constructed, they are rather disconnected from the superstructure, warranting no risk.

To supplement seating, large bleachers were brought in.

"I think although it has a little different look and feel than in previous years, I think folks really are understanding of the situation that we're in," McGrath said.

"Folks really go to Wahconah Park to see great baseball and to experience that atmosphere, so the crowds are returning and I think the Suns are pleased with where we're at, but at the same time, I think they're anxious as are we to understand what the future of Wahconah Park is. We'll work quickly but thoughtfully with this task."

After the structural report is completed, the committee will assess whether the best option is to repair or replace the grandstand. This will be done with thoughtful consideration.

"We understand that Wahconah Park is a well-loved baseball facility and there are so many that have ideas for the future," McGrath explained.

"So we want to hear them and use all of that input to make decisions for how we proceed."

This year the Pittsfield Suns are celebrating their 10-year anniversary. They are a collegiate summer baseball team that competes in the Future Collegiate Baseball League of New England. The team is owned by the Goldklang Group, which also owns the Saint Paul Saints in Minnesota and the Charleston Riverdogs in South Carolina, and moved to Wahconah Park in 2012.

Owner Jeff Goldklang has had a home in the Pittsfield area for about 40 years and when the team was created said, "We intend to honor the tradition and history of the game in Pittsfield while adding heavy doses of smiles and laughs."

In the decade before the Suns came to Pittsfield, professional and collegiate league teams including the Defenders, Black Bears, and Dukes took up residence at Wahconah Park.

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Pittsfield Looks into the Future of Wahconah Park - iBerkshires.com

One thing most can agree on is Burma Road, also known as Defense Highway, needs work. Now stakeholders, which include federal and local governments, need to figure out whos going to do it.

The two-lane, Navy-owned road, which runs across the western shores of Newport, Middletown and Portsmouth, serves as an access point and is home to or in proximity of many institutions, private firms and organizations in the defense and marine industries, including Raytheon, Naval Station Newport and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. It is also utilized as an entryway into Melville and a decongestant of the frequented West Main Road in Middletown.

But over time, the roads condition, utilities and infrastructure have deteriorated, and there is a clear need for a comprehensive restoration that is likely to be longterm and costly.

Some improvements need to be made on Burma Road in the very near future just to ensure that people can continue to use it, get access to the properties and be able to go to work, said Erin Donovan

Boyle, executive director of the Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber is hoping to help facilitate a larger transfer of many Navy-owned assets in the area, including roads, utilities and real estate, to public entities, such as the towns of Middletown and Portsmouth, the city of Newport, the Portsmouth Water and Fire Authority, and the Rhode Island Department of Transportation.

There are about 250 acres of developable land along the route and adjacent to Narragansett Bay under federal government ownership. Prior to becoming Navy property, the land was owned by local municipalities. A gradual expansion of Navy operations leading up to and immediately after World War II resulted in the Navy acquiring the property. Now, as operations have scaled back, the Navy has less use for the space.

The Navy has expanded and contracted its position along Burma Road for a very long time, said Marco Camacho, Newport Board chair on the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission, a non- profit organization that advocates for local autonomy. It still belongs to the federal government, and we should be proactive in preparing for a time when it would no longer be a part of Naval Station Newport. At the same time, there could be a situation where the Navy might want to expand there.

With a majority of federal funding now being earmarked for more immediately critical Naval purposes, the routes maintenance has not been prioritized, and some Navy properties have become inactive, with the Navy now having no critical-mission assets north of Greene Lane in Middletown.

The funds that go to the base have been limited and need to stay mission critical, so the long-term, necessary improvements to the road that are needed to ensure stability have not been made, Donovan-Boyle said. Its been a longtime issue and a long-term process. The pipes under the road are owned by the Navy. They are maintained, but to what degree is, what I think, the question, because theyre not heavily utilized.

Donovan-Boyle was pointing to the Aquidneck Island Infrastructure Assessment, a 2021 study that documented existing conditions in the area through surveys, interview and observations which noted the many issues and extensive need for necessary improvements along the route, such as structural and drainage upgrades, pothole elimination and painting. The analysis put forward an estimated $6.7 million to address road issues, a figure that includes maintenance through 2033.

The areas stormwater systems were also extensively studied and multiple issues were identified.

According to the study, structures were mislabeled, pipes and manholes were missing and catch basins, inlets, headwalls, outfalls, swales, manholes and pipes either did not exist or could not be found.

An estimated $33 million is needed to address water and sewer maintenance in the area, according to the analysis.

The study also points to proposed plans for private businesses or public entities to take over Navy owned assets along the route and beyond. But different entities have different stakes in the area, and with a wide, potentially intimidating scope of work, the details surrounding which stakeholders should take responsibility is complicated.

Securing adequate financing for infrastructure investment and transfer is challenging, and due to the scale of the project or transfer, often one funding source will not cover the cost, the study reads.

For example, Middletown would like to connect Defense Highway with Coddington Highway to provide another route for north and south travel through the town and relieve congestion on the main roads, according to the study. Without that connection, the town does not recognize value in owning Defense Highway, it states.

Similarly, Portsmouth recently established a redevelopment agency to acquire Tank Farms 1 and 2 from the Navy and develop them as mixed-use communities consisting of 200,000 square feet of light industrial use, 45 acres of solar farm, and workforce housing to support the marine trades industry. The town, however, is concerned with the potential environmental cleanup liabilities associated with ownership of the former tank farms and recently hired Matrix Design Group to advise it on the Navy property acquisition and redevelopment.

There is hesitancy by some of those potential buyers due to the unknown conditions of the areas infrastructure and utilities, as some sites have been identified as superfund sites, or areas in which hazardous waste has been dumped, left out in the open or otherwise improperly managed. For example, lead was found in the soil of the former Newport Naval Hospital.

There have been some challenges with environmental degradation over the years, Camacho said. These were things we didnt know back in World War II and can take a long time to remedy. Before any land is transferred over from the federal government to local government, we need to make sure that were not inheriting a risk.

The 2021 analysis also highlights the economic potential of the road should adequate restorations be made to it.

Modernizing and right-sizing the infrastructure for reuse in and around a closed or realigned base is an important investment that can attract future development opportunities, stimulate business growth and create jobs, while generating tax revenue in accordance with a larger scale plan, it states.

Theres a lot of open space there, said Camacho. If it comes back to us, its a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and all stakeholders need to be included. Economic development is important, but so is quality of life.

Ultimately, the decision starts with cleaning up the hazardous sites and the will of the U.S. Department of Defense.

The Navys been a great neighbor, Camacho said. Its been a great employer.

A proposal was submitted by state Rep. Deborah Ruggiero (D-Dist. 74, Middletown, Jamestown) in the most recent legislative session to fund an estimated $50,000 to examine the economic significance of the route. However, the funds were not approved in the states operating budget this year.

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Long Path Ahead for Burma Road Restoration - Newport This Week

YORK A few weeks after theyd fixed two rips in a tall, champagne-colored leather armchair, Robert and Chelsey Pegram spotted an event advertisement with Santa Claus sitting in an identical throne.

Apparently, we were working for Santa, Robert said with a laugh. That was a great thing to be able to say at our kids career day. Its always something different in our job.

Robert and Chelsey own a local franchise of Fibrenew, a global company that repairs and restores leather, vinyl and plastic items in homes, businesses, vehicles, boats, planes and medical clinics.

The York County residents travel all over the Peninsula, including to Williamsburg, to rehab damaged furniture, flooring, siding and window casings, as well as the seats, coverings and interiors of boats, cars, RVs, aircraft, restaurant booths and doctors exam tables.

The Pegrams goal is to return objects to their former glory days, whether for practical, sentimental, financial or environmentally-friendly reasons.

One of their favorite assignments, for example, was spiffing up a 20-year-old, greenish-blue sofa for a Williamsburg couple whod bought it as newlyweds. Sometimes we work on pieces that will be handed down generation to generation priceless things, Chelsey said. Were also able to keep so much stuff out of landfills. Its really fun and rewarding.

Robert and Chelsey Pegram own a local franchise of Fibrenew, a global company that repairs and restores leather, vinyl and plastic items in homes, businesses, vehicles, boats, planes and medical clinics. Courtesy of the Pegram family

A job might require re-dyeing faded or worn surfaces, replacing padding inside a sofa or chair, or erasing scratches, cracks, tears and missing chunks of material on anything from an antique car to a piece of storm-dented siding.

Founded in 1985, Fibrenew has 296 locations worldwide: 222 in the United States and the rest in Canada, Chile, Mexico, New Zealand and Saudi Arabia. There are six other franchises in Virginia, including in Norfolk and Richmond.

The Pegrams are high school sweethearts and parents of four children, ages 2 through 8. Robert, 31, is a York County native and Grafton High School graduate; Chelsey, 27, was born in Germany into a military family, moved to Virginia in 2008 and is a Tabb High graduate. Their two older kids go to Roberts former elementary school, Grafton-Bethel.

Roberts father taught him a variety of handyman skills from an early age, while Chelsey is a lifelong art lover and painter who embraces color-matching challenges. Robert also describes himself as a serial entrepreneur.

I was selling glow sticks and Pop Rocks out of my backpack by age 8, he said. I started a lawn care business at 12. I did do some electrical union work for a while, but Im honestly a pretty horrible employee when Im not working for myself.

Robert Pegram, who owns a York County-based Fibrenew franchise with his wife, Chelsey, works on a flooring project. Courtesy of the Pegram family

Chelsey originally planned to be a nurse but was more drawn to business classes in college. She earned a degree in Business Management from Christopher Newport University.

In 2014, Chelsey and Robert, who studied horticulture at Tidewater Community College, started a landscaping business. However, they struggled to find enough employees or family time and decided to consult a franchise broker, who matched them with Fibrenew.

We had two main criteria: bring a service to the community that wasnt already here, and give something of value back to the community, Chelsey explained. We also wanted to build something that we can be proud of, that our kids can be proud of.

After a two-week online training program on maintenance and restoration of specific materials, the Pegrams launched their franchise on Aug. 1, 2021. They receive ongoing support from Fibrenew leaders and fellow owners worldwide, describing them as a family of lifelong learners.

Robert and Chelsey perform most jobs onsite with a mobile model, although they have created a home workshop. Each day is unique, such as when Chelsey tested her color skills by dyeing the center console of a green 1995 Porsche.

An example of one of the restorations done by Robert and Chelsey Pegram of York County. Courtesy of the Pegram family

As for Santas throne, that was an 8-foot-tall chair with elaborate gold detailing owned by event planners in Newport News. Movers had accidentally torn its material while removing plastic covering. We got it looking good as new, Robert said.

But sometimes, the Pegrams job is to advise that a restoration may not be financially wise or even possible, although the customer ultimately makes the final decision. In one case, Chelsey helped an elderly woman with a leather-bound Bible find an expert in book repair.

I didnt want to ruin the pages, Chelsey recalled. Shed had it since she was a child. Were always aware that what were working on could have a lot of meaning.

Robert and Chelseys older children already have pitched in to help on some jobs. And on a daily basis, Robert feels as if he is honoring his father, who passed away in 2020.

Every time I fix something, I think of all he showed me, he said. It brings out a lot of memories for me, too.

To learn more about Fibrenew, visit http://www.fibrenew.com/hrp, call (757) 303-3052 or email hrp@fibrenew.com.

Alison Johnson, ajohnsondp@yahoo.com

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York couple hopes their mobile repair and restoration business brings value to the community - Daily Press

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) The storms created havoc for a lot in the area. Many people are dealing with flooded basements and downed trees.

Amanda Reynolds and her family are stuck dealing with flooding in their basement for the second time in months.

Theres the water line right here. Thats how deep it was over here and we already had to tear up our flooring when it flooded in May, Reynolds said as she described the flood damage in her basement.

The sopping wet carpet in their basement was the result of the heavy rains, storms and failed sump pumps.

Our secondary pump was starting to overflow so we were scooping water out and using our Shop-Vac to scoop water out of our of secondary pump, Reynolds said.

Adam Myers of the restoration company Paul Davis says they have been flooded with calls.In the last 24 hours, I think we are over 200 at least, Myers said.

Myers says many people are dealing with the same issues Reynolds is going through.

A lot of sump pump failures or broken glass where you might get water coming in through a window in a basement, but a lot of what we are seeing with the floods and the water that weve had is water in basements, Myers said.

To add insult to injury, a tree in Reynolds backyard fell on her home.

I heard a snap and I saw a branch hit the window, the window that was right in front of me, Reynolds said.

Irl Haswell lives next door to Reynolds and has for 30 years and says drainage issues in the area have caused him problems for years in his backyard.

This particular part of the subdivision has a high concentration of clay in the soil, so the water doesnt sink into the soil. It just runs off the top and the way my house is situated my water has ran into the basements of adjoining houses, Haswell said.

Myers says because of the influx of calls it may take some time to help everyone, but they will get to you. In the meantime, he recommends trying to safely mitigate the situation on your own first.

If you can do anything to help to prevent that timeframe so you wany to try and add airflow so little fans, dehumidifiers, Myers said.

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Restoration crews busy helping people with storm damage - WANE

A French-Lebanese architect and her award-winning studio are behind a new installation the front of a heritage house in Beirut at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

The Lebanese House: saving a home; saving a city exhibit explores the reconstruction of the Mediterranean city since the devastating explosion in the Lebanese capital in 2020.

As the Beirut blasts two-year anniversary draws near, architect Annabel Karim Kassar contemplates the national tragedy with a partial replica of a heritage building she is restoring in the battered city.

Accompanied by short documentary films, the architectural installation invites visitors to look at the destruction inflicted on Beirut after a badly stored cache of ammonium nitrate chemicals exploded at the citys port killing more than 200 people and leaving 7,000 seriously injured.

The devastation left 300,000 homeless and caused immense damage to buildings old and new.

A reinterpretation of the traditional Liwan a small salon in the vast entrance hall of a Lebanese residence forms part of the installation, another part of Kassars attempt to make people aware of the countrys architectural heritage, she tells The National.

French-Lebanese architect Annabel Karim Kassar has lived and worked in Beirut, Dubai and London. Her exhibit at the V&A is a second iteration of an earlier project called 'Handle With Care', which she unveiled at Beirut Design Week 2016. Photo: Mark O'Flaherty

Its also about showing the changes that the Lebanese society is going through, says Kassar, whose exhibit includes three specially commissioned films about the explosions aftermath.

Im not pretending to change what is happening, but just trying to do what I can on my level, as an architect, to show awareness, to have an emotional impact on people. To give talks and inform on heritage. Thats all I can do.

As well as drawing attention to the rich detail and diversity of the countrys architectural past Phoenician, Classical, Byzantine, Ottoman, and Venetian the installation takes a stark look at Lebanons difficult present through video-recorded interviews with people across the city.

A lot of people ask, 'who cares about what you are doing now?' I understand and in a way I think thats true, but at the same time I think this is an important part of society and worth showing that the country is capable of other things.

Kassar had been in the process of restoring Bayt K, a traditional Lebanese home in the historic quarter of Gemmayzeh, when the chemicals ripped through the city and much of the reinforcement work that had already been done.

The house swayed from the force of the blast, the facade was separated from the structure, part of the ceiling flew away, Kassar says.

Bayt K was the fourth heritage house taken on by Kassars practice, AKK Architects, as a restoration project during the two decades the French architect has been in and out of Lebanon.

Beit Kassar, also referred to as Bayt K, is one of several heritage homes that architect Annabel Karim Kassar has spent years restoring in Beirut. Photo: Colombe Clier

Prompted by the challenge of preserving the ancient citys cultural and architectural identity, Kassar says she wanted to use Bayt Ks reconstruction as a catalyst to examine how Beiruts architectural past can inspire the restoration and rebuilding of its latest iteration.

Kassar founded AKK in Beirut in 1994 and was declared joint winner of an international competition to rebuild the souqs, the traditional marketplace at the heart of old Beirut.

In between the modernist works of her practice, which has offices in Beirut, Dubai, and London, Kassar has steadily worked on transforming historical 19th-century Lebanese homes into their liveable former glory.

In 2016, Kassar won the London Design Biennale Medal for the Lebanon pavilion at Somerset House and the following year the French-born architect unveiled Handle With Care, a project focusing on the conservation of Bayt K for Beirut Design Week.

The Lebanese House exhibit is, Kassar says, a new iteration of her first one, and seeks to express important lessons in urban restoration and renovation.

Bayt K's Bagdadi ceiling is an example of the rich architectural heritage of Beirut, which includes Phoenician, Classical, Byzantine, Ottoman, and Venetian influences. Photo: Colombe Clier

The four-metre high installation is a continuation of her personal crusade to restore one of the few remaining classic Ottoman-Venetian houses left in old Beirut.

Local and international communities need to be mobilised and involved directly, to protect their common urban heritage. And that restoration is not about recreating a synthetic history but about finding a new, living purpose for traditional buildings, an approach that lies at the heart of my work.

More than three years of work had already gone in to Bayt K when the explosion almost took Kassars team back to the beginning.

Kassar admits it was difficult to restart the restoration project while the country was in the middle of one of the worst economic crises in the world and still reeling from the aftermath of the explosion.

Sometimes I lost hope because it is such a difficult moment in Lebanon to work, she tells The National.

A lot of people ask, 'who cares about what you are doing now?' I understand and in a way I think thats true, but at the same time I think this is an important part of society and worth showing that the country is capable of other things.

Kassar believes that "by saving a building, you can save a city.

Part of the Lebanese House installation at the V&A by Annabel Karim Kassar. Photo: Ed Reeve

Work continued and after redoing the roof, re-stitching the facade and reinforcing the flooring, Kassar went further and replicated parts of the house for an international audience.

The centrepiece of the installation is the triple arcade, a symbol and trademark of traditional Lebanese architecture of the 19th century.

Some of the materials in the architectural installation, including the tiles and marble, are from Bayt K, and Kassar says traditional masons came from Beirut to build it on site.

Even the wood and stones on display were cut and brought in from Lebanon.

To see it put together at the V&A was a really emotional experience for the team.

We all felt that way while we were doing it. You really feel like youre in front of an old house, not a replica, Kassar says.

With so much destitution and destruction pockmarking Beirut, the survival of one very old building may not be a worthwhile cause for celebration for its residents.

But that a part of Lebanons fragile heritage not only survived so many calamities, but is also being marvelled at abroad is perhaps just the inspiration the beleaguered country needs.

The Lebanese House: saving a home; saving a city, opened in June and will remain on until September.

Updated: July 08, 2022, 11:10 AM

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Beirut house installed in London's V&A museum - The National