Hilary Stevens

Old House School, an antique home lecture series, will return to the Westport Historical Society for a second year, according to its creator, Hilary Stevens, a Realtor with William Raveis Real Estate & Home Services’ Westport office.

Many of the 2004 speakers are returning, including all the representatives of the renovation trades, Stevens said.

“2004 was a tremendous success, but this coming year will be even better,” she said. “I’ve added some new topics while continuing to provide the valuable information and resources antique homeowners seek.”

New topics in the 2005 program include: “Identifying Period Styles” by Christopher Wigren, deputy director of the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation; “Period Furniture from Colonial to Colonial Revival” by Judith Gura, professor at the New York School of Interior Design; “Assessing Your Home’s History and Structure” by Bob Weingarten of the Westport Historical Society and James Sexton; of the “Design Approaches to the Renovation of an Antique” by David Preusch, a Westport architect; and “Antique Real Estate: A Specialty” by Stevens.

In addition to the changes in the speaker lineup, a format change has also been made. In 2004, the lectures began in January and ended in May.

“Many attendees couldn’t make the spring dates, so we’ve condensed the series to three winter Saturdays,” Stevens said. “The lectures will run for an hour-and-a-half and begin at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. each day.”

The first date, Jan. 29, opens with real estate, inspection and insurance. Historic assessment and designations will follow. The day closes with design approaches to renovation. Feb. 12 is the second date and features subcontractors speaking on their specialties: exteriors, mechanicals and interiors. The final lectures on March 12 will focus on period building styles, furniture and landscapes. For further information, Stevens can be reached at (203) 221-2009.