Kelso House Learning Lab
2022 Conservation Society of San Antonio Building Award Winner!
After receiving the Kelso House in 2018 as a generous donation, the Power of Preservation Foundation established its first hands-on learning lab for trades education. Thank you to all the students and craftspeople who made this project possible! We completed exterior restoration in 2021 and returned the home to private ownership to start a new chapter in its century-long story!
In partnership with the City of San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation and the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), the Kelso House Learning Lab placed students in an apprenticeship where they gained real-world experience in the preservation trades.
This effort provided the framework for future partnerships, establishing a foundation for the development of a traditional trade school, all while restoring a 1906 Atlee B. Ayres house in the Monte Vista Historic District.
After acquiring the Kelso House in 2018, Power of Preservation collaborated with The University of Texas at San Antonio College of Architecture, Construction, and Planning to offer a hands-on component to the Construction Science curriculum. Beginning in 2019, UTSA students utilized the Kelso House Learning Lab as a classroom for small hands-on projects developed by teams of students. This innovative partnership between UTSA, the City of San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation, and the Power of Preservation Foundation continued throughout the Kelso House restoration, providing critical trades training to students planning on entering the fields of construction science and administration, architecture, and historic preservation.
Additionally, the Kelso House Learning Lab became a site for the Office of Historic Preservation's popular wood window repair restoration workshops and Rehabber Club classes. The Kelso House Learning Lab provided an exceptionally unique opportunity for students, contractors, homeowners, and community members alike to learn trades skills in an actual project setting.
Take a virtual tour of the Kelso House Learning Lab from February 2021 below!
