In the spring of 2011, EPNIA began a partnership with Robert Morris University that continues to expand. Under the instruction of Dan Savery, students in the Computer Assisted Drafting (CAD) program were able to complete their intership by working with the EPNIA. Students took the previous study done in 1997 by Fever River Research and updated it to create maps of the neighborhood showing historical and architecturally significant properties. This information will be used as part of an application to have the neighborhood recognized as a National Historic District. The current CAD class is working with The Lakota Group to document design standards for both renovation and new construction and create sample floor plans and facades.
A Facilities Management class helped create a database of all properties owned by Enos Park Development. Students also created a Dropbox account to be used to organize deeds, title work, and legal documents related to each of the properties. Another class researched architectural salvage stores in other communities and created a business plan for Enos Park. The students designed a logo and marketing plan for what has come to be known as Prairie Glass & Architectural Salvage.
In addition, EPNIA worked with a group of marketing students under the direction of Michael Harden. His class created a Facebook and Twitter account to help EPNIA use social media to better publicize our efforts and will also work with us on other promotional materials. The students made YouTube videos describing the history and architecture of significant properties in the neighborhood, and these were used to create several different routes for walking tours. Each property is assigned a QR code which can be scanned to access additional information about the historic homes.
Currently, a group of RMU interns are working with the City of Springfield’s Building & Zoning department to do a survey of properties in the neighborhood. They are taking a picture of every structure and documenting basic information about the property. This will allow the Building & Zoning department to check for code compliance and also lay the groundwork for future rezoning efforts, as recommended by the Enos Park Master Plan.
We are excited about the many opportunities to work with Robert Morris University and hope to be able to expand into other programs and disciplines down the road.
