Celebrating Preservation Month 2022

By Melissa Butler, MHP | Architectural Historian / Preservation Specialist

The close of May marks the end of Preservation Month in Virginia and across the country, but every day is another opportunity for preservation at PMA. During Preservation Month, we take the opportunity to join with local, state, and national groups to celebrate the richness of the historic built environment, and the diverse communities and stories behind the places we love. At its best, preservation is about forging a connection between the past and present and about uplifting and celebrating the stories of those who came before us to inform where we are going. A people-first approach to preservation centers on those who interact with historic places and allows us to think creatively and critically about what is preserved, how the work is done, and why.

Fittingly, we’ve had a busy month in the historic preservation program at PMA Architecture! I like to think of our work with historic buildings in the way that a doctor may treat a patient. Buildings, like people, can have acute and chronic issues and benefit from preventative care. In our role as historic architects and architectural historians we work by treating acute and chronic issues - symptoms like moisture infiltration and wood rot. We also provide preventative measures by spotting potential issues before they become costly problems.

Early in May, we continued building on our program of work to provide conditions and maintenance reports for NRHP-listed residences in Maryland and Virginia. We visited a historic courthouse in North Carolina and a Virginia State park with early 20^th century cabins to tour the buildings and submit proposals for renovation work. In late May, As PMA Architecture's in-house Architectural Historian and Preservation Specialist, I attended the Keeping History Above Water conference in Norfolk hosted by the Norfolk Preservation Collective and the Newport Restoration Foundation at the Chrysler Museum of Art. And, just this week we welcomed our first Historic Preservation Intern, Rebecca Kellum. Rebecca comes to us as a fresh graduate of the Historic Preservation program at the University of Mary Washington. We are excited for her contributions to our team this summer!

If you’re feeling inspired by preservation month and would like to know more about our work with historic buildings, please get in touch and let us know how we can help.

Between site visits to historic properties as a part of my routine work with PMA, an historic preservation conference and simply enjoying some long runs in Hampton Roads on my time off, I've enjoyed visiting and learning about several historic places in our region during Preservation Month 2022. Pictured above, clockwise: The Pythian Castle in Portsmouth, the Basilica of St. Mary in Norfolk, and the Chrysler Museum of Art where the Keeping History Above Water conference was held.