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Preservation Education
by Loretta Hall
One historic preservationist is preparing an application for listing a property on the National Register of Historic Places. Another is repointing a 19th-century brick wall with period lime mortar. Do both need the same educational background?
To one person, a historic preservation career means working as a Section 106 consultant, assessing the impacts proposed federal projects would have on historic properties. To another, it means repairing structural or ornamental components of deteriorating buildings.
However, while the field may be diverse, it is not one with clear distinctions. Some administrators like to be involved with devising repairs. Some craftspeople enjoy discovering and documenting the history of the building they are restoring. Preservation careers form a continuous spectrum from the paramount paper-pusher to the ultimate tradesperson.
So, what kind of education will best prepare someone for a career in historic preservation? “I think it’s all in how you see yourself processing preservation, which has become a really diverse field,” says Judy Hayward, director of the Preservation Education Institute in Windsor, Vt.
