Historic Preservation Institutes at the University of Florida Records

The Preservation Institute Nantucket (PI:N) is one of the nation’s oldest, continually operating field schools for historic preservation. It was officially established in 1972 by Walter Beinecke, President of the Nantucket Historical Trust (NHT) and Blair Reeves, supervising architect for the 1969-1971 Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) field office and a partnership with the University of Florida’s Department of Architecture and historic preservation program. The program was established the same year the World Heritage List and Program were created and just six years after the passing of the 1966 U.S. National Preservation Act. The program was designed to prepare the next generation of heritage specialists as part of applied research and learning to help document, conserve, and manage the island’s historical, architectural, and cultural resources. Participants come from institutions across the country and abroad every summer.

The Preservation Institute Caribbean (PI:C) was dedicated to conserving the ecological and cultural heritage of the Greater Caribbean Basin through education, research and service projects. The principle aim of the PI:C program was to study the influence of geography, culture and climate on place making in tropical and subtropical landscapes such as Florida, Mexico and the Caribbean. The program is no longer currently active.

Preservation Institute St. Augustine (PISA) was also founded on the Preservation Institute Nantucket model and was created to offer specialized training in the documentation of historic buildings and laboratory analysis and conservation of architectural materials and finishes. The work of PISA informs ongoing efforts to preserve America’s oldest city.

Sources:

UF College of Design, Construction and Planning, Historic Preservation. 2021. [online] Available at: https://dcp.ufl.edu/historic-preservation/ [Accessed 02 March 2021].