I’ve been reading at bedtime to my 7-year-old daughter Clare since she was born. There were times when she didn’t listen to a word I said, as she crawled around her bedroom, but, as she grew, she truly embraced this ritual and now practically demands a nightly bedtime story.
Although she has a bookshelf full of books, we both get bored reading the same ones all the time. We go to the library weekly, and Clare checks out books at her school library, too. I’m also always looking for good book recommendations. Not too long ago, a friend in the industry who happens to be another editor and avid reader, recommended “The Forever Tree”. She was reading it to her young boys at bedtime and thought I would like it for Clare.
The book is absolutely beautiful for anyone who is involved in the renovation/retrofit/remodeling industry (and beyond!). It is the story of a tree that was the favorite of the neighborhood animals and people. When the tree died, the animals organized. One of my favorite passages from the book underscores why I’m recommending it to you: “The Raccoons organized an emergency meeting. They had heard of People who knew how to fix things, People who knew how to use their hearts and brains and hands to make things that last forever, special People who believed that something beautiful is always worth saving.”
These “special People” are architects, carpenters, artists—YOU. They transform the beloved tree into a treehouse that the neighborhood people and animals could continue to enjoy. The story is based on real events at the Camp Wandawega property in Elkhorn, Wis., and was written by the property’s owner, Tereasa Surratt. I cannot say enough good things about this book! It will pull at your heartstrings and share with the littles in your life your pride in this industry and saving beautiful things.
It makes me think of our “Cover Story”. Stone Mill Lofts was a beautiful building even in its first iteration. The 179-year-old mill building in Lawrence, Mass., had been an Industrial Revolution powerhouse. Today, it is a mixed-income residential complex with 86 apartments, thanks to the vision of WinnDevelopment and The Architectural Team Inc. The project—the first of its kind in Massachusetts—meets today’s most ambitious energy codes, as well as the National Park Service’s stringent historic preservation guidelines. The Passive House-influenced renovation resulted in a tight, all-electric building that beautifully showcases its original structural columns, beams, trusses and decking, as well as fieldstone façade. This is a project, created by “special People” who made it into a beautiful home others can enjoy for many decades to come.
Happy New Year and best wishes for a prosperous and healthy 2025!
