Preservation Destination

This week I interview preservationist and public historian Jessica Reeves. Jessica works as a Preservationist 1 for the Nashville Metropolitan Historical Commission. The MHC is currently developing a website called “Nashville Sites” which will be an interactive website of free scholarly self-guided tours of Nashville.

This week I interview historic property specialist and luxury real estate agent Peter Patout. Peter combines a lifetime of knowledge about antiques, art and architecture into his services. In this episode Peter and I discuss the processes of buying and selling historic properties.

This week I interview Nina Scall, the Director of Programs for the Tennessee Wars Commission. Nina began her career in history as an archaeologist and transitioned into historic preservation. In this episode we talk about the connections between the two fields and how Nina brings her experience to the TN Wars Commission.

This week I interview Historic Preservation Specialist Katie Totman. Katie works for the Office of Historic Preservation in the city of San Antonio. For Katie, the road to preservation took several twists. Eventually, over the course of several jobs and internships, Katie discovered her love of hands-on preservation and her passion for teaching others.

This week’s episode is part two of my two-part series with guest Anna Marcum; we continue our discussion on the importance of preserving modern residential architecture. Anna has spent a great deal of time researching cultural bias in architecture as it relates to women and people of color. In this episode we discuss her research, her work for the city of Hammond Louisiana, and her exciting new position at the AIA Center for Architecture in New York.

This week’s episode is part one of my two-part series with guest Anna Marcum. Anna is an architectural historian and preservationist with an art history background. In this episode Anna and I discuss her graduate research regarding infusing contemporary art with historic places to encourage the upkeep of the space. Additionally, Anna advocates for the preservation of modern residential structures through both her work in California and at Historic New England.

This week I interview historic preservation consultant Erika Gates of Gates Preservation. Erika specializes in regulatory compliance and permitting in historic districts. In this episode we discuss her previous work as a building inspector and how the permitting and regulation process works in historic districts, specifically the French Quarter.

This week, I talk to Cynthia Ammerman, the principal, historian and preservation strategist at Polis: Cultural Planning. She places emphasis on active placemaking, rather than traditional planning, and involving people in the heritage of a place. She is also the Executive Director and co-founder of the Kansas City Latin Jazz Orchestra and is heavily involved with preserving the musical history of Kansas City.

Cynthia drives to move the future away from more traditional planning and into harmonious “Polis" planning, which is a Greek word that refers to a sacred place that cannot exist without its people.

This week, I interview Megan Lord, a preservationist and designer from Alexandria, LA, that helped rebuild and restore historic New Orleans after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. After her work in New Orleans, Megan returned to Alexandria and found a unique way to combine both preservation and design, to bring modern life into her clients’ homes while maintaining their historic integrity.

In this week’s episode I interview Russell Archer, the Historic Preservation Planner for the city of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Working closely with the Historic Conservation Commission, Russell helps manage the city’s five local historic districts. Russell is an advocate against demolitions and believes strongly in saving as many buildings as possible. He also works closely with the Mississippi Heritage Trust who provide support for preservation projects throughout the state. In a previous position at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Russell worked on the Mississippi Landmark Program listing publicly owned buildings as landmarks.