Artisans discuss forming builders' guild

Oct. 9, 2006
By JOSEPH M. DELEON News-Post Staff
jdeleon@fredericknewspost.com

  FREDERICK — When Frederick residents want to renovate historic homes, some turn to architectural woodworker Charles Poteat.
     He repairs, replaces and sometimes creates molding, doors, windows, mantels, cabinets and stairs to preserve the character of older homes in Frederick — something he's done for more than 20 years.
     “In my work, I try to architecturally responsibly adapt older homes to modern lifestyles as well as restore them to their historically correct appearance,” he wrote in an e-mail interview Thursday.
     Mr. Poteat is one of about 10 artisans, including metalworkers, carpenters and a blacksmith, who are considering the merits of starting a builders' guild in Frederick.
     A guild is an group of people with a similar trade organized to protect mutual interests, share expenses, train apprentices and maintain commercial standards, according to Renaissance Magazine. Such organizations were common from the 14th to 17th centuries, and are considered the precursors of today's labor unions.
     A guild could help Frederick craftsmen network, coordinate projects, share costs, train the next generation of workers and supply Frederick with a pool of highly skilled laborers, potential members believe.
     “My observation from working in the Frederick area for about 20 years is that the pool of skilled, quality conscious crafts/trades people is becoming less and less,” Mr. Poteat wrote. “There will be a lot of opportunities in the future for a higher level of skilled trades person who can effectively work on the Frederick areas existing older housing stock.”
     Architect Alan Feinberg of FeinDesign Group LLC said a guild could affect future generations of workers while elevating the standards of the those in the group.
     “You can always make money on the bottom line, but you have to have principles above that too,” he said. “What about capturing the imagination of younger people and how do you carry those skills over to the next generation?”
     To help answer those questions, Carol Eaton, president of Frederick Community College, was invited to speak with the group Oct. 18.
     Many workers are not given an opportunity to develop into artisans because of low pay and difficult working conditions, Mr. Feinberg said. He believes a guild would lead to a happier, more creative labor pool.
     “You can make $18 an hour banging hammers all day and being treated poorly, or you can have cooperative individualism” he said. “We need to get back to guilds and see the quality of workmanship rise.”
     A group will meet to discuss the formation of the guild 6 p.m. Oct. 18 at Tauraso's Restaurant, 6 East St.