In 1995 Goucher College founded the nation’s first distance learning graduate program in historic preservation. With an annual enrollment of 45 students, who are located across the country and abroad, and a nationally recognized faculty, the Master of Arts in Historic Preservation Program is considered by many to be one of the best in the country. Designed for mid-career preservation professionals seeking to increase their knowledge and skills in the field as well as adults wishing to move into preservation as profession, the program uses virtual classrooms, internet voice communications, and e-mail to maintain contact between faculty and students.
In just ten years, the MAHP Program has among its graduates the principal National Park Service architect assigned to preserve the White House, state transportation engineers in California and New Jersey, the Cultural Resource Manager for Department of Energy’s National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory in Idaho, three members of the board of Preservation Action, the national preservation lobbying organizational, and a board member of the Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy to name but a few. In Maryland, MAHP graduates work as preservation consultants, preservation landscape architects, historians, assistant directors of historic houses and other positions.
Since 1980, Goucher College has had an undergraduate minor in historic preservation that is housed within the Department of History and Historic Preservation. Some of its students have gone on to do graduate work in preservation, as well as architecture and planning focusing on historic preservation.
Proposed Program: As a primarily undergraduate college, Goucher does not provide financial support for its graduate students. Nor does it have funds specifically targeting undergraduate preservation minors. Over the next five years, the graduate program intends to maintain its position as one of the best preservation programs in the country by offering Assistantships and Fellowships to help recruit and retain graduate students, strengthen the depth of its faculty, as well as examine ways to integrate historic preservation and sustainability in its course offerings. Over the next five years, the undergraduate preservation minor plans to increase the number of students focusing on historic preservation as well as explore ways to increase the students’ interaction with Maryland preservation organizations, historic sites and museums, and historical societies.
Investments Toward IMPART: During 2008 the graduate preservation program will undergo a self study to establish its direction and goals for the next five years. Preliminary discussions with faculty indicate strong desire to explore how historic preservation and sustainability can be married in an academic curriculum as well as in practice. A number of projects are being discussed to that end, including a national forum to be held in March 2009 on the topic of Historic Preservation and Sustainability. In addition, faculty are exploring ways to bring in research grants focused on the nexuses between these two important goals.
Efforts are also continuing to make historic preservation learning opportunities available to minority students. For example two years ago the MAHP Program and the National Park Service competed an undergraduate curriculum guide in historic preservation specifically targeting minority serving institutions of higher education. It also encourages graduate students to examine diversity issues in papers through a cash prize funded by a former faculty member.
Historic Preservation Planning
Ms. Molson was tasked with launching the implementation of the Education and Outreach Plan for the Montgomery County Historic Preservation Office.
Historic Preservation Planning
- Partner: Goucher College
- Student: Amanda Molson
A previous intern developed an Education and Outreach Plan for the Montgomery County Historic Preservation Office, and Ms. Molson was tasked with launching the implementation of the plan. In addition to providing a summary of current outreach activities that should continue, the plan offered a stepped schedule of new tasks to be undertaken in the immediate future, during FY 2008, in the next two years (FY 2008-2009), and long-term.
The Historic Preservation Office, both on the phone and in print, drives constituents to their website for permit requests, grant applications, tax credit applications, and visitor information on sites owned by the County. However, the website was incomplete, outdated and difficult to navigate – even for staff. Staff members voiced frustration with locating information online and with the time commitment of responding to constituent inquiries that could be answered on the website.
Because website management skills can be difficult to find in or teach to staff and expensive to hire out in a contractor, it was decided it would best serve the office for Ms. Molson to utilize her previous experience by focusing on the overhaul of the Historic Preservation Office's website and the creation of website pages to house the Montgomery County Cemetery Inventory, a joint project of several county non-profits with financial support from a Montgomery County Historic Preservation Commission grant. The overhaul of the website would address tasks listed as “immediate” and “FY 2008,” and posting of the Montgomery County Cemetery Inventory would fulfill a component of the “long term” suggestions. She also assisted the Historic Preservation Education and Outreach Planner with miscellaneous tasks such as distributing vendor invitations for a fall heritage event, helping to create a banner for the Historic Preservation Office, and updating information on County-owned sites. The results can be viewed at: http://www.mc-mncppc.org/historic/index.shtm. The website update and expansion provides better education and outreach to citizens who have business before the Historic Preservation Commission or are interested in learning more about the history of Montgomery County. It also eases staff overload by providing more guidance and forms online.
The Montgomery County Cemetery Inventory was completed as a joint project of Peerless Rockville, Historic Takoma, and the Coalition to Protect Maryland Burial Sites. The inventory includes a survey form for each cemetery that was documented and policy recommendations for the future to assist in the preservation of these sacred spaces. A lengthy undertaking that commenced in 2004, the inventory was available only in paper form at the Peerless Rockville office and at the Montgomery County Historic Preservation Office in Silver Spring. Thus, constituents who lived elsewhere in the county or who were unable to visit these offices during business hours were limited in their ability to seek education on cemeteries in their own communities.
As part of the County's efforts to provide outreach and education on preservation, the Outreach Plan suggested that the entire inventory be placed online for better public access. Ms. Molson was able to upload the inventory to the Historic Preservation Office website, so that survey forms for over 250 cemeteries became available online, along with indexes, a summary of the project, and information on how to review additional paper files. The project can be viewed at: http://www.mc-mncppc.org/historic/education/cemeteries.shtm.
Transit-Oriented Development
The IMPART fellowship allowed Ms. Michailof to broaden the scope of her thesis research, completed for the Master of Arts Program in Historic Preservation at Goucher College.
Transit-Oriented Development
- Partner: Goucher College
- Student: Sarah Michailof
The IMPART fellowship allowed Ms. Michailof to broaden the scope of her thesis research, completed for the Master of Arts Program in Historic Preservation at Goucher College. Her thesis considered the amount of transit-oriented development (TOD) occurring in historic neighborhoods surrounding the District of Columbia's Metrorail stations and considered how stakeholders in the development decision-making process accommodate preservation goals. She felt that what she found in looking at development in District neighborhoods could also provide development guidance for Maryland's historic neighborhoods that are adjacent to transit stations. Maryland suburbs adjacent to the District of Columbia, in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties, contain several Metrorail stations. Similar pressures for high-density development to those experienced by District station areas affect many of these Metrorail station areas. In addition, new transit projects, including the Purple Line, proposed to be a light rail or bus rapid transit system, may affect historic or potentially historic post-World War II era neighborhoods. An analysis of how the District's experiences in implementing TOD in historic neighborhoods can benefit Maryland communities was summarized in an appendix of her thesis.
The work completed during the fellowship included research to pinpoint which communities were attracting or had potential to attract transit-oriented development, which in turn could affect historic structures or districts. Locations of existing historic structures and districts were identified through several sources including Geographic Information System (GIS) maps of Montgomery and Prince George's Counties (including historic property layers and Metro station locations). Each County has created preservation plans, transit area plans, and inventories of historic sites and districts. These resources were reviewed to determine County goals for incorporating transit and transit-oriented development and preservation goals for historic structures and districts. The review indicated that each County lacked specific goals for incorporating TOD in existing historic neighborhoods even though three Metro stations were located in rapidly developing historic communities, and new transit lines had potential to affect historic or potentially historic communities.
The thesis considered the effectiveness of stakeholder participation in affecting preservation outcomes. Many of the conclusions reached in the thesis can be applied by stakeholders in Maryland to encourage positive outcomes in the development process, including new development to enhance surrounding historic communities.
Preserving Baltimore County's African American Cultural Heritage
The work done during the Fellowship was to fulfill the requirements for Ms. Adams' Master of Arts degree in Historic Preservation for Goucher College by completing a thesis entitled, "Holding On To Heritage: Preserving Baltimore County's African American Cultural Heritage."
Preserving Baltimore County's African American Cultural Heritage
- Partner: Goucher College
- Student: Carolyn Adams
The work done during the Fellowship was to fulfill the requirements for Ms. Adams' Master of Arts degree in Historic Preservation for Goucher College by completing a thesis entitled, "Holding On To Heritage: Preserving Baltimore County's African American Cultural Heritage." Ms. Adams spent the majority of her time in conducting interviews. She interviewed many local African American residents and groups to learn their values and ideals about the value and meaning of their community and their ideas about its preservation. She also interviewed many preservation volunteers and professionals as well as many local government employees and officials and attended several Baltimore County Landmark Commission meetings.
The specific product of the Fellowship was her thesis, which examined the common history of selected African American communities in Baltimore County and the current status of their surviving resources. It described the county's recent documentation activities and future preservation plans. This history was examined to determine which kind of sites are the most important to local residents and other stakeholders. Through interviews and examination of the history of past activities, the thesis identified the community's attitudes towards its heritage and its preservation. The thesis also examined how private, community, and institutional stakeholders can assist and help guide community residents to accomplish these goals. Each year there is increasing loss of Maryland's African American heritage sites, particularly in areas experiencing substantial suburbanization such as Baltimore County. The thesis identified successful strategies to help prevent the loss of these important cultural landscapes through the preservation of the remaining buildings and structures as well as the preservation of the sense of community while accommodating change. If pursued, these strategies could allow Maryland to be a national leader in the preservation of African American communities.
Curatorial Assistant and Research Aid
Intern Telia Alilio of Goucher University assisted in the packing and removal of items from the collection at Hampton Mansion.
Curatorial Assistant and Research Aid
- Partner: Goucher University
- Student: Telia Alilio
The main focus of Ms. Alilio's Internship at Hampton Mansion was to assist in the packing and removal of items in the collection from the house. A secondary focus was to review research completed by Kent Lancaster pertaining to the former slaves of Hampton and to create a way of better organizing it.
Throughout the packing process she learned many valuable tools to help her as she pursues a career in Historic Preservation. She learned how important it is that each item be identified by its own cataloguing number and location before it is packed, including when it is packed and where it will be stored. Ms. Alilio also learned how to properly maintain the interior of Hampton.
The research she aided in organizing was compiled by Kent Lancaster, who worked at Hampton a few years prior. He reviewed diaries, sales receipts, newspaper clippings, letters, and wills and other types of documents to gather any information he could on the slaves of Hampton mansion. Hampton archives do contain records such as that of Captain Charles Ridgely reporting a runaway slave to the local paper. Runaway reports, sales receipts and inventories comprise most of the archival collection located in the Long House Granary at Hampton. In all there are about 15 paper documents regarding the slaves. A majority of documentation regarding the slaves of Hampton is housed in the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore. Ms. Alilio reviewed the files left by Mr. Lancaster and proposed methods of organization so that visitors, students, or staff may be able to know at a glance what type of information the files contain.
Hampton National Historic Site Parterre Garden Rehabilitation
The Assistantship involved Hampton National Historic Site in Towson, Maryland, and the proposed rehabilitation of the historic parterre gardens. One of the most important historic estates in Maryland, the grounds at Hampton were owned, landscaped, and cared for by the Ridgely family for over 150 years. Research complemented and extended from current and ongoing National Park Service research and findings and resulted in a report entitled “Hampton National Historic Site Parterre Garden Rehabilitation: Completing the Story”.
Hampton National Historic Site Parterre Garden Rehabilitation
- Partner: Goucher University
- Student: Fran Scully
The scope of the report included an examination of the factors involved in rehabilitating the formal parterre gardens at Hampton. Economic factors, installation and maintenance issues, staff, potential problems and solutions, and the importance of the gardens to the site were all examined.
The purpose of the report was to provide Hampton NHS with a lucid rationale for the rehabilitation in an effort to move the process forward. The overall goal of the rehabilitation was to present and interpret the gardens in such a way that reflected the importance of horticulture in the history of Hampton. A recurring theme throughout the property's history was that the gardens were seen as an extension of the Mansion. The Mansion has been restored and was preparing for the installation of a new HVAC system. The gardens had not been given the same attention as the house and, due to their ephemeral nature, continued to change and deteriorate on a daily basis. The rehabilitation's aim was to raise them to the same standard as the house in order to tell a more complete story. With a focus on utility and practicality, the materials in the report should be applicable both now and in the future.
The report includes the following: a statement of the significance of Hampton; a historical narrative of the site; existing conditions in the gardens including photographic documentation; an explanation and rationale for the treatment approach; a brief biography and explanation of the influence of Alden Hopkins, the landscape architect who was involved in an earlier restoration attempt; a list of current and potential problems and solutions, most notably insufficient labor and funds; problem and solution ideas from other historic landscapes; a chart for the proposed rehabilitation of Parterre One including plant names, quantities, sizes, costs, and sources; recommendations for further research and actions; and a chronology of the appearance of the gardens.
The Assistantship was mutually beneficial. The research and field work at Hampton provided Ms. Scully with an invaluable experience that led to a better understanding of the challenges of historic landscape preservation. It also provided time towards her degree and laid the groundwork for her thesis. The completed report, along with other research, aids Hampton as it continues to develop the rehabilitation plan for the gardens.
