Career Discovery in Historic Preservation, Fall 2021

Join us in a lively conversation about Preservation and Professionalism. Penn Preservation alumni representing various facets of preservation practice will discuss the dimensions and scope of the profession as well as the responsibilities, authority, and ethics of the preservation professional. Our panelists will address the topic from their respective domains of expertise including policy and governance, design, conservation, public history, and education. The discussion will provide an overview of the role of preservation in relation to its allied disciplines and the relevance of historic preservation to contemporary social and environmental issues. The conversation will be moderated by Frank Matero, chair of the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation. Please consider attending our Weitzman School fall 2021 Open House, which includes the Career Discovery in Historic Preservation panel.

Moderator:

Frank Matero serves as chair of the graduate program in historic preservation and as professor of architecture. Professor Matero is founder and director of the Architectural Conservation Laboratory and is Editor-in-Chief of Change Over Time journal. His teaching and research are focused on historic building technology and the conservation of building materials, with an emphasis on masonry and earthen construction, the conservation of archaeological sites, and issues related to preservation and appropriate technology for traditional societies and places. He has consulted on a wide range of conservation projects including the fortifications of Cairo and San Juan (Puerto Rico), Drayton Hall, the Guggenheim Museum and Trinity Church (New York), the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, Ellis Island, and the missions of California and Texas. His archaeological site work includes Mesa Verde, Casa Grande, Bandelier, Fort Union and Fort Davis, El Morro, and Indian Key in the United States, Gordion and Catal hoyuk in Turkey, and Chiripa in Bolivia.

He is a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works and former Co-chair of the Research and Technical Studies Group and on the editorial boards of Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites, the Journal of Architectural Conservation, and Cultural Resource Management. He has served on numerous professional boards including US/ICOMOS, Heritage Preservation, the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, the AIA Historic Resources Committee, and the Fairmount Park Historic Preservation Trust, and The Woodlands.

Panelists:

Josh Bevan (MSHP '16, AICP) is a cultural resources planner and Project Manager at Page & Turnbull, an architectural firm with architecture, cultural resources, and preservation technology studios across three offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Sacramento. Bevan typically serves as a project manager for the Cultural Resource Studio's historic resource evaluations, historic surveys, design consultation, and project review efforts for clients in residential, commercial, and government sectors throughout the West Coast. 

Joan M. Brierton (MSHP’92) is a senior historic preservation specialist with the U.S. General Services Administration's (GSA) Center for Historic Buildings. As a recognized compliance expert, she is responsible for oversight of Section 106 regulatory review for GSA restoration, redevelopment and new construction projects. In 1999, Brierton was detailed by GSA to the White House Millennium Council where she managed the federal Save America's Treasures program. In 2014, Brierton served as producer for the documentary film Victor Lundy: Sculptor of Space which chronicled the life and career of modern era master architect, Victor A. Lundy. In 2006, in her capacity as a trustee for the D.C., Preservation League, Brierton chaired ‘DC Modern: Inventory, Issues and Impact,’ Washington’s first symposium to comprehensively address mid-century modern architecture in the Nation’s Capital. Brierton published her first book, American Restoration Style: Victorian in 1998 and most recently contributed to the 2018 Princeton Architectural Press publication Victor Lundy, Artist Architect.

Anthony Hita (MSHP’18) joined LimeWorks.us in 2018 as an architectural conservator overseeing the day-to-day operations of the company’s laboratory. Hita is responsible for laboratory analysis, technical documentation, sample preparation, report writing, product development, and client consultations. He specializes in masonry conservation and is an associate member of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC). In addition to his role in the laboratory, Hita also teaches conservation and preservation theory and practice during classes at the Craftwork Training Center. Hita has published several papers on architectural history and has been invited to speak nationally internationally on the topic of vernacular architecture several times. During his time with the company, Hita has participated in dozens of projects, helped develop six commercial restoration products, and conducted or overseen nearly 100 mortar analyses.

Prior to joining the firm, Hita was a student at the University of Pennsylvania where he wrote his thesis on the architectural history of the Brinton 1704 House in West Chester, PA. Other relevant projects completed by Hita at Penn include an archaeological survey of the water system of Fort Union, NM; a survey of the masonry of the North Tower of Powderham Castle, Devon, England; and a historic resource survey of the First Baptist Church (Polite Temple) of Germantown. Hita also holds a Masters of Divinity with a focus on Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology and ancient languages. Prior to returning to school, he participated in digs and taught programs on ANE archaeology.

Katie Levesque (MCP‘19, MSHP‘19) is a research associate for PennPraxis, the center for applied research, outreach, and practice at the Weitzman School, where she contributes to a diversity of planning and preservation-based projects. Her interests lie at the intersection of these two fields and how they can be reimagined to support a more sustainable, equitable future. Levesque’s portfolio includes projects that touch on research, documentation, survey, community engagement, and storytelling.

Betty Prime (MArch’11, MSHP’11), AIA is a preservation architect and conservator at Meadors, Inc., an architecture, preservation, planning, and construction firm in Charleston, SC. She is the founder of the Meadors Conservation and Preservation Planning Workshop; one of six workshop divisions of Meadors, Inc. In 2012, Prime established Meadors Architectural Conservation Laboratory which analyzes historic materials from structures nationwide. She specializes in the analysis of architectural finishes.

Elizabeth Rairigh (MSHP’05, MCP’05) is the Preservation Services Division Chief at the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office. In her role at the SHPO, she serves as both the National Register and Certified Local Government coordinator. Prior to joining the SHPO, she served as Historic Preservation Planner for a regional planning agency in Massachusetts, and a consultant with KSK Architects Planners Historians, Inc., in Philadelphia. Rairigh has an undergraduate degree in anthropology from the College of William and Mary in Virginia, and a Masters of City Planning and an MS in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania. 

Contact Kali Meeks, Associate Director for Professional Development and Leadership, for Zoom link.

If you require any accessibility accommodation, such as live captioning, audio description, or a sign language interpreter, please email news@design.upenn.edu to let us know what you need. Please note, we require at least 48 hours’ notice. If you register within 48 hours of this event, we won’t be able to secure the appropriate accommodations.