Historic Preservation - Influential People

Influential People

• Ann Pamela Cunningham (1816–1875): influential in saving Mount Vernon (plantation) from demolition and founding the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, one of the first preservation organizations in the United States (est. 1854).
• James Marston Fitch: educator, author, critic and design practitioner made a major contribution to the philosophical basis of the modern preservation movement and trained and inspired generations of preservationists.
• Carolyn Kent (1935-2009): Spearheaded the designation of the Hamilton Heights/Sugar Hill Historic District in Harlem, New York, and co-founded the Morningside Heights Historic District Committee.
• William Morris: founded the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings.
• W. Brown Morton: author of "The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Illustrated Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings".
• William J. Murtagh: first Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places in the United States and significant contributor to the literature of the discipline.
• Lee H. Nelson: worked for Charles E. Peterson at the National Park Service's Historic American Buildings Survey and helped to formulate national policies on historic preservation.
• Charles E. Peterson: considered to be the "founding father" of historic preservation in the United States.
• John Ruskin: established the basic theory of preservation (retention of status quo).
• Eugène Viollet-le-Duc: well known French architect who restored Gothic buildings; believed that restoration could improve on the past—especially with the introduction of modern technology.
• Walter Muir Whitehill: Chair of the Whitehill Report in the late 1960s, which established the first guidelines for higher-ed historic preservation programs.