Anne E. Nelson

Anne Nelson is a lawyer and preservationist. She lectures on Historic Preservation Law in the Department of Historic Preservation and has lectured at Goucher College. Anne is an Assistant General Counsel in the Office of General Counsel of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. In this role, she provides legal advice and counsel to the institution on a variety of corporate and transactional matters with a focus on real estate and facilities, collections management, estates and planned giving, and ethics.

Prior to joining the Smithsonian, she was an attorney for the National Trust for Historic Preservation for almost 10 years. At the National Trust, she provided a broad range of legal services to the organization, including both corporate legal services and advocating for the protection of historic resources at the federal, state, and local levels. Her corporate work focused on supporting the National Trust’s portfolio of historic site—particularly with advising sites on expanding their programs and community engagement through collaborations with artists and other innovative agreements and partnerships. Anne also led the National Trust’s efforts to protect the Ashley River Historic District—a 23,000-acre cultural landscape that is located in Charleston, SC and listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Using various legal and advocacy tools, the National Trust, along with a coalition of local preservation and conservation partners, sought additional protections for this iconic place. Anne regularly participated in Section 106 reviews under the National Historic Preservation Act and worked to defend and strengthen local ordinances. 

She also served as General Counsel of the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation where she provided legal advice to the nonprofit organization and its subsidiaries, including working on two federal historic tax credit transactions (one twinned with low income tax credits), providing legal services to the preservation easement program, and directly advocating at the local level for the preservation of historic properties. 

Anne holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Boston College and a juris doctor from Duquesne University School of Law. She is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia. She serves on the Board of Governors of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

Publications & Speaking Engagements

• Nelson, A., Hefferen, S., & Schindler, K., “PokéWHAT?! National Trust for Historic Preservation Staff Provide a Pokémon Go Primer,” American Association for State and Local History Blog (July 27, 2016)
• Nelson, A. & Villar, C., “Getting It in Writing: Negotiating Agreements with Artists at Historic Sites,” Preservation Leadership Forum Blog (May 25, 2016)
• Nelson, A., “Intervene Early, Intervene Often: Appealing a FERC Order to Preserve Pawtucket Dam,” Preservation Leadership Forum (March 24, 2016)
• Nelson, A. “Co-Stewardship at Historic Sites and the Path to Local Governance,” Preservation Leadership Forum Blog (February 13, 2015)
• Speaker, The Economic Impact of Tax Credits in PA: The Case for a State Companion, Preservation Pennsylvania’s Statewide Conference on Heritage, Byways to the Past XII, Harrisburg, PA (May 19, 2011)
• Speaker, Historic Preservation Tax Incentives for Real Estate, Legal Issues in Real Estate, Urban Land Institute Young Leaders Group, Pittsburgh, PA (October 1, 2009)