Summer Architect Intern(s) / Historic Preservation Technician(s) (PLC) - ONSITE - Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) of the Heritage Documentation Programs (HABS/HAER/HALS) NPS

Start/End Dates: May 20th, 2024 – August 9th, 2024 (11 weeks)

Compensation: $640 per week

Application Due: February 5, 2024

2 Positions

The Latino Heritage Internship Program (LHIP) seeks to engage Latino undergraduates and recent graduates ages 18 - 30, and up to 35 for veterans, for this unmatched leadership training program that is focused in the cultural and natural resource management. You must be (additional requirement):

• a U.S. citizen or legal resident.

* No, a personal vehicle is NOT required for this position. 

Position Description: 

THE PROJECT

The Summer 2024 project consists of producing Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) measured and interpretative drawings of the Alazan-Apache Courts Leasing and Community Center Building and select historic structures associated with this endangered public housing complex in San Antonio, Texas. The interns will also write a short-form HABS historical report on the structures drawn under the guidance of a HABS Historian or others familiar with the site. There will be a 5-day trip to the site to undertake field measurements by hand and with a laser scanner. Travel expenses will be reimbursed by HABS/HAER/HALS. 

The internship will provide the students with marketable skills that will further their professional career in architecture, historic preservation, and the use of new technologies. The position requires ability in hand-sketching and hand-measuring in the field, the production of detailed, as-built, measured drawings of the Alazan-Apache Courts in AutoCAD. The selected intern(s) will learn about various documentation methods such as photogrammetry and terrestrial laser scanning, including being introduced to several new software programs. The HABS team will produce standard two-dimensional architectural drawings (site plans, floor plans, elevations, sections, and architectural details, etc.) to the standards of the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS). There is potential for some drawing in 3D and 3D modeling. The interns will also write a short-form HABS historical report on the buildings being recorded under the guidance of a HABS historian and/or others knowledgeable in the history of “Los Courts”. Upon completion, the documentation produced will be transmitted to the HABS/HAER/HALS Collection in The Library of Congress where it will be permanently archived and made available to a world-wide audience online. The internship position is supervised by a permanent architect of the Heritage Documentation Programs (HABS/HAER/HALS) staff.

THE SITE

Opened in 1940-41, the Alazan-Apache Courts—aka Los Courts—is the oldest and largest extant public housing complex in San Antonio. Located in the city’s predominately Mexican American Westside, and conceived at a time when housing, schools, and public facilities were legally segregated, Los Courts have provided affordable housing for San Antonio’s working poor, in an area where historically families have struggled with poverty, lack of municipal services, severe flood conditions, and high death rates. The Alazan-Apache Courts not only introduced critical infrastructure to the Westside, but for nearly 80 years have provided a critical safety net for thousands of people who have contributed to the growth of the city, a city that is currently experiencing a growing affordable housing crisis.

Los Courts appeared on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s "America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places" in 2020 hoping to raise awareness of this threatened and endangered site. Although the courts provide the San Antonio community with affordable housing and represent a part of Mexican-American history, the San Antonio Housing Authority is planning to demolish some of these historic structures.

Responsibilities:

• Producing Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) measured and interpretative drawings of historic structures
• Learn about various documentation methods such as photogrammetry and terrestrial laser scanning
• Write a short-form HABS historical report on the buildings being recorded under the guidance of a HABS historian and/or others knowledgeable in the history of Los Courts

Qualifications:

• Applicants should have completed at least three years in an accredited program of architecture or be pursuing a degree / certificate in historic preservation.
• Course work in an accredited design major or technical/computer-aided drafting is strongly recommended (for example: architecture, architectural history, computer aided design and drafting, historic preservation, etc.).
• Applicants should possess the following three skills: legible hand lettering, freehand sketching, and precision computer-aided drafting.
• Experience in producing field measurements and measured drawing is recommended, but not required.
• Proficiency in the use of AutoCAD or other computer aided drafting (CAD) software is strongly recommended. 
• Work samples will be requested prior to placement (examples such as: freehand pencil sketches, architectural lettering, field notes with annotations and measurements, traditional architectural drawings produced in a recent version of AutoCAD, etc.).
• Basic knowledge of laser scanning technology and photogrammetry is helpful but not required.
  
  

Public Land Corps Non-Competitive Hiring Authority (PLC)
The Public Land Corps Non-Competitive Hiring Authority is a special hiring authority available to qualifying interns. The intern must be between the ages of 18 and 30 years old, inclusive, or a veteran up to age 35 and complete 640 hours of work on an appropriate conservation project to be eligible for this hiring authority. Upon successful completion of the PLC project(s), the intern is eligible for two years to be hired non-competitively into a federal seasonal, term, or permanent position. The applicant must apply to a PLC-eligible position advertised on USAJobs.gov and selected off a non-competitive certificate of eligibility. For more information, see DOI Personnel Bulletins 11-02 , 12-13, and 17-03.

EEO Statement

Environment for the Americas provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.