Meet Anna Veilleux MSHP'26

Name: Anna Veilleux
Hometown: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Program: Historic Preservation with a concentration in Architectural Conservation

What is your best Weitzman memory? OR why did you choose Weitzman?
My best Weitzman memory has to be working on the abandoned Lynnewood Hall in my Conservation of Finishes seminar. Lynnewood Hall was one of the largest Gilded Era homes in America and we got the exceptional opportunity to do some paint analysis on some of the bedrooms. I got assigned to work on the bedroom of George Widener who passed away on the RMS titanic! I remember walking into the main hall of the mansion and being absolutely blown away by the detail of the architecture. Every room of the mansion was just so beautiful, and I could not believe that I got the opportunity to study such an amazing building. It was truly one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I chose UPenn because I felt that I would experience amazing once in a lifetime opportunities, and I definitely have not been disappointed!

One tip to help make the transition into grad school?
I would say the biggest tip I have for transitioning into grad school would be to make a schedule very early in the school year. Grad school can be very busy, and it is very easy to be overwhelmed and forget some assignments. I have found that my saving grace has been my calendar! I am able to plan out my full week so that I don’t forget any assignments and that I ensure that I am giving ample time for all of my homework! Planning out your week can really relieve a lot of unnecessary stress and can allow you to make the most of your time at Penn!

Share your favorite project from Weitzman.
I would say that my favorite project that I have completed this year has been a draft nomination of 4028 Locust Street to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places within my HSPV 6000 documentation class taught by Aaron Wunsch, Francesca Ammon, and Kecia Fong. Though the project was challenging, I feel like it was one of the most rewarding assignments I have ever done. The project was to research, document, and nominate an assigned building in University City in West Philadelphia. The building that I was assigned was a small Italianate semi-detached residential building that is nestled within a network of larger developments. The building is considered to be quite drab compared to the neighboring buildings, but its history completely took me and my classmates by surprise. Through doing deed research, sifting through census data, researching the history of the surrounding community, and through physical examination, I was able to find out that my building is one of the only remaining examples of the original lower-income (servant, washerwomen, factory worker, etc.) housing that existed on Locust Street in the 1860s. My building also housed numerous families that took part in the Second Great Migration! The stories of these individuals are rarely told through the existing architecture of University City but are essential to tell the true history of the community. Through completing the research on this building, I was able to recognize how important this hidden treasure is on Locust Walk. I was able to complete the nomination in class and I am looking to take the project one step further to try and get the building recognized. I believe that UPenn’s preservation program does an amazing job of connecting the classroom to real life experience, and this project is a perfect example of that.