Building Tradition Episode 6: Celebrating 50 Years of Old House Journal

Interviews with Patricia Poore Editor-In-Chief of Old House Journal and Clem Labine Founder, Editor Emeritus Traditional Building, Period Homes & Old House Journal

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In this episode we celebrate OLD HOUSE JOURNAL magazine's 50^th anniversary with the founder Clem Labine and long-time Editor Patty Poore.

Courtesy of Active Interest Media; Courtesy of Active Interest Media

Interviews with Patricia Poore Editor-In-Chief of Old House Journal and Clem Labine Founder, Editor Emeritus Traditional Building, Period Homes & Old House Journal.

In 1973 Clem quit his job at McGraw-Hill to launch what was then a hole-punched newsletter from the basement of his historic brownstone in Park Slope Brooklyn. His experience restoring his own 1880s Victorian left him wanting for more information about "how to put the house back to where it had been." Early issues of OHJ created a community of like-minded old house DIYers who enthusiastically "nurtured" their homes with period-sensitive improvements.

In 1976 Patty Poore was fixing up old houses too. She subscribed to OLD HOUSE JOURNAL, then applied for a job as Clem's chief Editor, a position she holds now almost 50 years later. Patty reminisces, "our readers wanted to know, what style is my house?" So, we researched old builder catalogs and created an old-house style vocabulary which included naming the ubiquitous craftsman "box," the American Four-Square."

Listen in and walk down OLD HOUSE JOURNAL's memory lane with the editors who launched it and have been its stewards for 50 years.