New London — Kevin O'Connor of "This Old House" took the stage Saturday during a home show at Ocean Beach Park that drew enthusiasts of historic preservation and older homes.

"As you know, the star of the show is ... the house," the famous TV host of the PBS show told the audience, eliciting chuckles.

O'Connor's talk was one of several presentations at New London Landmarks' first "This Old Home Show," a daylong trade show.

During his talk, O'Connor showed photos of "the star" of recent episodes in the show's current season: a shingle-style 1895 Victorian house in Belmont, Mass.

He described the renovations to the home and called it a "museum" that shows the timeline of emerging technologies over the years, starting with fixtures for gas lighting.

The home, featuring details from parquet floors and wainscoting on the walls, also had "surprises" — such as a typewriter found behind a wall.

The audience laughed as O'Connor said he envisions a teenager long ago hiding the typewriter to have an excuse for why: "I can't write my history paper."

The Victorian home is typical of the show's approach to restoring a historic home so homeowners can live there with modern-day standards.

But O'Connor then showed the audience another home, an example of a "pre-engineered classic," which he said represents an entirely different approach for the show.

The approach calls for building a new home as a historic replica. 

The components of the pre-engineered homes are built by special craftsman at a center in Vermont, called Connor Homes, an enterprise founded by Michael Connor. 

The "pre-cut" components are then shipped out to be assembled on vacant land. 

"It looks like an old house, but now it can perform like a new one," said O'Connor, as he showed photos of a home on the North Shore of Massachusetts and explained that it can include features like geothermal heating and cooling.

During the question-and-answer session, Tony Silvestri, the project manager of New London Harbour Towers, proposed an idea.

"What do you think: We get the whole community to try to convince him to get involved with a City Flats house?" he asked, and the audience applauded.

While O'Connor did not commit on the spot to the impromptu offer, he praised City Flats. 

His visit to New London included a tour of City Flats, a project that remodels buildings behind New London Harbor Towers to be sold as condominium units.

The buildings are remodeled according to historic-specification standards.

"It's a fascinating project he's working on," O'Connor said. "If you don't know about it, you should check it out, and he's making good strides with it, too. I learned about it this morning, and I'm going to go back for more."

The daylong home show also featured presentations on historical preservation tax credits, windows, paint, reusing old materials, lead abatement and energy efficiency.

Attendees milled around the room, lined with windows overlooking the beach on the rainy day, and visited vendors and booths. 

Maurene Kennedy, a Waterford resident, said she came to the show, because she watches "This Old House" and supports the work Constance Kristofik, the executive director of New London Landmarks, is doing in New London.

The nonprofit organization focuses on historical preservation and development in New London.

Kennedy said by attending the show, she finally figured out a solution for the loose glass doorknobs in her 1946 home. A representative from one of the vendors, DAY + AGE, helped her.

"I've been in my house for 18 years, could never get it right, and I talked to him, and in five minutes, he told me exactly what was going on," she said.

By around 2 p.m., approximately 175 people had attended the event, which went until 6 p.m.

Kristofik, of New London Landmarks, said that while she wished attendance could have been higher, she was absolutely thrilled with how everything else turned out at the first event, from the variety of vendors to the venue to the sponsors and volunteers.

k.drelich@theday.com