Historic preservation is a field comprised of a variety of disciplines. Practitioners come from a number of academic and professional backgrounds, which is partly evidenced in the list of online employment resources posted in last month's Techniques and Technology article.

Preservation planning is a significant aspect of historic preservation. A number of schools in the United States offer graduate or professional degrees and certificates in preservation planning as a specialization within the fields of architecture or urban planning.

The University of Washington's College of Architecture and Urban Planning (CAUP) is one such school. Students studying preservation can pursue a curriculum that emphasizes planning or design in addition to their core graduate studies. Most students studying preservation planning at UW are also pursuing graduate degrees in architecture, landscape architecture or urban planning.

Several people who hold degrees from the CAUP work locally in historic preservation and preservation planning. This month we are profiling two UW graduates to provide insight into professional development and roles in historic preservation.

I recently sat down for coffee with Eugenia Woo and Jennifer Meisner to discuss their respective backgrounds, experiences and wisdom gained from working in the preservation field. Eugenia and Jennifer both work for Seattle's Historic Preservation Office, and both completed the CAUP Preservation Planning Certificate program.

Eugenia Woo

Eugenia, who received her Master of Urban Planning (MUP) degree from UW in 1995, is the Coordinator for the International Special Review District and the Columbia City Landmark District.

Eugenia is originally from Los Angeles, and studied Political Science as an undergraduate at UC Berkeley before enrolling in law school. Studying law didn't agree with her however, and she left after finishing the first year.

Historic preservation entered her sights at this point, and she landed an internship with the Office of Urban Conservation with the City of Pasadena. "I had always been interested in architecture, history and in cities, but when you're young you don't think of planning as a career choice," she recalls. "A friend of my brother's was a planner."

As a result, Eugenia began looking into planning graduate programs, and in the meantime received another internship with the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, DC, in which she further developed her professional interests. Incidentally, it was here that she first met her future coworker, Jennifer Meisner, who was interning at the National Park Service.

Following her stint at the National Trust, Eugenia chose to enroll in the planning program at the University of Washington because of her familiarity with the work of Dr. Gail Dubrow, who had completed her doctoral studies at UCLA. "I was interested in Gail's studies of people and vernacular architecture."

Eugenia wrote her thesis on preservation planning and earthquake preparedness for King County, which proved to be a major issue following the 2001 Nisqually Earthquake. However, when she graduated in 1995, there were "no jobs in planning and I was totally pigeonholed as a preservationist."

She accepted a job at the well-known California firm, Historic Resources Group (HRG), and returned to Los Angeles. There, Eugenia worked as a preservation planner on tax-credit rehabilitation projects, planning and project review. "I wanted to come back to Seattle, though," she says, and returned near the end of 1998 to work for the City of Seattle.

When asked if she has any advice for aspiring preservationists, Eugenia stresses getting involved. Volunteering and gaining work experience are essential to developing important professional contacts, and Eugenia did both during her studies. She held internships at both Seattle's Office of Housing and at Historic Seattle.

Throughout her career, she has also maintained connections through her volunteer activities, including a position on the board of the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation. She is also a founding member of DoCoMoMo.WeWa (Documentation and Conservation of the Modern Movement, Western Washington), a volunteer organization dedicated to the preservation of architecture of the recent past.

"I tell students that it can be easier to get on the Supreme Court than to get preservation work. The jobs aren't increasing in number, so they open up only when someone moves on." However, it is not impossible. "It is hard getting that first real job, but once you get that one it is easier," she says.

Currently, Eugenia spends about three quarters of her time in the International District, where there has been a lot of new construction over the past few years. Columbia City has also been a dynamic place to work. "Columbia City has really changed since I've been here. There have been a couple of rehabs that have really changed it," reflects Eugenia. "It's an amazing neighborhood, with the Beatwalk, Columbia City Farmer's Market, and the Columbia City Revitalization Committee. But a lot of people don't know its there, which affects its business climate."

Jennifer Meisner

Jennifer Meisner, who received her graduate degree in architecture from UW in 1994, is the Coordinator of the Pioneer Square Preservation Board.

A native of the Pacific Northwest, Jennifer grew up in what she refers to as the "one of the best cities in the world." Although Seattle is, at least, a close second, the city she's talking about is Portland.

As an art history major at Portland State University, Jennifer studied architectural history as a part of the curriculum. "I have always been interested in architecture and historic buildings," she says. Following her degree, she knew that she wanted to return to school for a graduate degree in architecture.

Jennifer chose the University of Washington for several reasons. Owing to her interest in historic buildings, she limited her choices to departments that offered historic preservation programs. In addition, UW offers an M.Arch degree for students who have undergraduate degrees in disciplines other than architecture, and offers a popular exchange program for architectural studies in Rome. "I wanted to stay in the Pacific Northwest, and I was also interested in the Rome program."

During her studies at the UW, Jennifer was able to develop close working relationships with faculty through multiple teaching and research assistantships, including Gail Dubrow and Jeffrey Ochnser. "I want to acknowledge both of them. They were really key for me, steering me in the right direction," recalls Jennifer.

She also worked for various organizations and agencies, including the drafting of design guidelines for the historic Washington towns of Roslyn and Ellensburg. Roslyn was featured prominently as the setting for the fictitious town of Cicely, Alaska, in the popular TV series, Northern Exposure.

Jennifer's thesis, completed in 1994, was a complete preservation plan for Roslyn. Her thesis dealt with the protection of the small town's defining historic vernacular architecture, a subject that has been receiving increased attention from scholars over the past decade. After finishing her thesis, Jennifer was offered the opportunity to teach the seminar course, Implementation of Preservation Planning (listed as URBDP 587 in the UW Course Catalog).

Like Eugenia, Jennifer stresses the need for students to get involved and build connections through volunteer work, memberships and meeting people in the preservation community. Jennifer found her job with the City of Seattle through involvement, perseverance, and good timing.

"I was in St. Louis at the National Trust conference, and there I met Karen Gordon, Seattle's Historic Preservation Officer," explains Jennifer. "I set up an informational interview with her, and then I heard someone was leaving, so it worked out." She has been with the city now for 7 years.

In her role staffing the Pioneer Square preservation board, Jennifer is able to apply her strengths and interests in planning, preservation and design review. "There's a lot going on in Pioneer Square," Jennifer notes.

According to Jennifer, in the past, Pioneer Square had problems with the building maintenance. Although there was a recent wave of rehabilitation projects, the downturn in the economy has prevented many of these newly renovated spaces from being fully occupied, and the business profile has become less diverse.

Other issues that Pioneer Square is currently addressing include the loss of artist-studio space (although the recently approved Tashiro-Kaplan rehabilitation project will provide 50 units of affordable artist-live-work space), the conflicts between the nightlife and other users of the area, and impacts from the two stadiums. "The vocabulary is changing in the southern portion of the district, and sometimes we have to remind developers that their project it is still in the district so it needs to be compatible with adjacent historic buildings" she explains.

The Role of the Preservation Planner

Both Jennifer and Eugenia, as coordinators for the city's Historic Preservation Office, wear many hats. Technically holding the title of community development specialist, they view themselves as preservation planners who fulfill technical, informational, educational, coordinating, and enforcement roles as aspects of their jobs. Jennifer and Eugenia work on behalf of preservation with the public and also within the city government.

Referring to their role as providers of information and technical assistance, Jennifer explains, "We spend a lot of time working with architects, developers and business owners, or property owners who may not be aware of or fully understand the regulations." This includes guiding people through the design review process and helping them understand the informational and permitting requirements. "We also help coordinate with DCLU [Department of Design, Construction and Land Use, which handles Seattle's land use and construction permitting]."

Jennifer and Eugenia also serve as points of contact for property owners and developers in Seattle's historic neighborhoods. "Often, people contact us first because they know us," says Eugenia.

Jennifer agrees, "For instance, a utilities project may not have given adequate notice, so an owner calls us up and says, 'What's going on?'". "We often serve as a liaison between the city and property owners."

Preservation coordinators help the public understand not only how preservation regulations work, but also explain the spirit of the law, or why the regulations are the way they are. "We try to help new owners of historic properties connect with services and professionals who know the preservation guidelines," explains Eugenia.

Both are in agreement that there is also a political aspect to their work. As Jennifer put it, "We aren't voting members, but it is our job to review these projects before they get to the board."

Eugenia adds, "We help advise them (property owners and their consultants) on what will or won't fly with the review board."

As the coordinator who staffs the Pioneer Square Preservation Board, Jennifer also has the important role of keeping the board informed and ensuring that they know the guidelines as well. Because it is a regulatory board, "it is important to maintain the appearance of fairness, and to avoid decisions that look arbitrary and capricious," notes Jennifer. Although each board decision made is on a case-by-case basis, keeping the board informed includes tracking past board actions and decisions.

Lastly, there is the enforcement aspect of a preservation coordinator's job. Although just the first step in the process, it is the role of the preservation coordinator to contact owners of property in violation, and to forward the case to the DCLU if need be.

"It can be a cumbersome, tiresome process," says Jennifer. "We are the front line. Our violations, like closed drapes blocking visibility into street level spaces or non-approved signs, can fall to the back of the line at the DCLU. It is frustrating, especially for property owners who do comply with the rules. They complain to us and say, 'Why should I comply, then?'"

Although always busy and often difficult, both of them agree that it is worth it. "Job satisfaction is very high," claims Jennifer.

Advice for Future Preservationists

When asked what qualities a "dream graduate" might possess, both of them stressed the basics: good written and verbal communication skills, good research skills and self-motivation. While lots of technical knowledge is always beneficial, for a newly degreed job seeker, it is also important to have good grounding in the small things.

An education "serves as your foundation," Jennifer explains. "But a lot of the technical skills you can learn on the job with experience. Of course, you need to be able to read plans, do preliminary assessments, so attention to detail is important. But writing ability is very important."

The ability to independently do research, both in archives, offices, and online, is also a necessity. A significant amount of employee time is spent doing records research to support the function of the Historic Preservation Office. "We get calls all the time from students doing research who want us to find their information for them, because they can't find it online. But it is available, just not on the Internet," says Eugenia.

Lastly, for prospective preservationists, self-motivation and follow through is very important. Starting what you finish is one aspect of it, but there is also the often-heard phrase: preservation is a job for those who love it and who are willing to stick with it.

For More Information

Seattle's Historic Preservation Office can be contacted at (206) 684-0464, or (206) 733-9595 TDD.

View last month's Young Voices article

Back to Top