There's an exhibit in lower Manhattan of architectural remains which had 
been very fooged over much of the time but has now been fixed, so clearly 
it can be done relatively easily if the designer cares.

Nan Rothschild
  On Thu, 29 May 
2008, Carol McDavid wrote:

> The Franklin Court site in Philadelphia has transparent covers over 
> archaeological remains...I think they have had some issues with 
> humidity...maybe someone who's involved can write in about it...In the 
> Palacio National in Mexico City, they have a dig site open in the floor 
> exposing the archaeology below, but I gather that it's inside the Palace, so 
> humidity is controlled. I've also heard that the Desert Musuem in Tucson, 
> Ariz. has underground habitats that can be observed, but have also heard that 
> some of the prairie dogs find their way in and out, even with some below 
> ground walls installed.
>
> might be worth chatting with people at these sites...if you think they'd be 
> useful...
>
> carol
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bob Genheimer" 
> <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2008 8:24 AM
> Subject: Re: Urban Site Preservation
>
>
>> Jack
>> 
>> There are a few issues worth considering.  Where I have seen similar 
>> attempts to expose with a transparent cover, humidity is always the biggest 
>> problem.  Depending on your climate, at many times of the year the cover 
>> tends to fog up.  This can be ameliorated through venting, but you may want 
>> to consider a design that allows for easy access to remove condensation, 
>> and often atttendant mold growth.  Another issue is burrowing critters. 
>> They tend to find a way into the trench or pit, and then impact floors and 
>> baulks.  Anything you do will require maintenance.
>> 
>> Bob Genheimer
>> George Rieveschl Curator of Archaeology
>> Cincinnati Museum Center
>> 1301 Western Avenue
>> Cincinnati, Ohio 45203
>> 513-455-7161
>> 513-455-7169 fax
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of
>> [log in to unmask]
>> Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 2:44 PM
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Urban Site Preservation
>> 
>> 
>> Posted for Jack McIlroy.
>> 
>> We are planning to temporarily re-bury a recently excavated 1.4 metre deep
>> trench containing a cobbled stone floor and a solidly constructed dolerite
>> well in Fremantle, Western Australia. The trench will be about 3 metres
>> square amd 1.5 metres deep. Shoring the sides with treated wood and
>> burying with clean sand looks the best option to me but I'd like to hear
>> other suggestions.
>> 
>> Fremantle Council wants to re-open the site in a couple of years for
>> public display with a perspex or similar transparent cover over it with
>> interpretive signs and lighting. I have seen this approach work well in
>> several European cities and I've had input from several archaeologists in
>> Australia. I'd like to get some successful examples from urban America.
>> Fremantle is a seaport, the ca. 1840s site is in a park, it has been 
>> covered with
>> demolition debris and sand fill since about 1919. The dolerite stone floor
>> is about 1 metre above sea level. Siltation layers show the site was
>> occasionally subject to flooding.
>> 
>> I am looking for similar American examples of in situ preservation and 
>> display.
>> 
>> 
>> Jack Mc Ilroy
>> [log in to unmask]
>> 
>> 
>> BODIES DOUBLE FEATURE
>> 
>> BODIES...The Exhibition, the blockbuster people can't stop talking about. 
>> See it with the companion OMNIMAX film,
>> 
>> THE HUMAN BODY. You only have one body. Start taking better care of it, 
>> beginning with a visit to Cincinnati Museum Center.

Nan A. Rothschild
[log in to unmask]

Director of Museum Studies
Dept. of Anthropology
Columbia University
New York, NY 10027
212 854-4977

Research Professor
Dept. of Anthropology
Barnard College
New York, NY 10027
212 854-4315