O'More students draw Woodbury Square designs

Students from the O'More College of Design in Franklin are busy drawing designs for the possible rehabilitation of several store fronts on Woodbury's Square.

Heading up the student group is Associate Professor Susan Besser.

O'More College got involved in the project at the request of the Tennessee Main Street program.

"Nancy Williams of the Tennessee Main Street contacted O'More College in the fall of 2016 asking if we wished to be involved in the Main Street program explaining that Main Street would benefit from the students' expertise in preparing drawings for proposed rehabilitation of facades, " Mrs. Besser said.

"Ms. Williams had heard about our work in Lexington, Tennessee and Livingston, Tennessee and other small towns through the years with our Studio on the Square Class. The Studio on the Square Class was initiated by Rebecca Andrews as an outreach program dedicated to assisting Main Street towns improve their storefronts and interior function," she explained.

The mission of the class is to assess the existing buildings and determine which are in most in need of rehabilitation and prepare elevations that are in keeping with the Secretary of the Interior's Guidelines.

"When historic photographs are available, the students will use that as their guide in preparing the drawing. If no photograph is available, students will prepare a drawing based on best practices." Mrs. Besser continued.

A formal presentation will be made at the end of the semester.

Associate Professor Besser's background includes being an alumni of O'More College of Design with an Interior Design degree and a Masters of History/Historic Preservation from MTSU. She has worked closely with the Tennessee State Historical Commission on National Register Nominations and Historic Tax Credit projects. She is currently the chairwoman of Franklin Historic Zoning Commission. Mrs. Besser has taught at O'More College of Design for 15 years.