One class during my time at SAIC changed my entire outlook on historic preservation: Better Homes and Gardens, taught by Annalise Flynn. Prior to this, I understood preservation only in its most traditional sense—saving fancy old buildings designed by architects with three initials.

My work now seeks to reexamine the field of historic preservation. By considering questions such as “What is deemed worthy of preservation?”, “Who makes these decisions, and why?”, we can begin to focus on uncovering and saving the people, places, sites, and structures not typically considered “historic,” yet are just as much a part of our shared past, culture, and built environment as formal architecture.

This is reflected in my choice of projects to-date: the preservation of kitschy honeymoon hotels in the Poconos, examining the material properties of Formica, saving roadside attractions, and adaptive reuse projects that envision historic buildings as indoor skate parks.