I’ve always been curious about human interactions with the environment – how we define ourselves in relation to our surroundings and with each other. I am fascinated by the challenge of balancing economics, equity and the natural environment. My B.A. degree is in Environmental Studies and History from Bowdoin College; it was there that I realized humans and the environment cannot be separated; they inform each other and influence the course of history. I strongly believe that preservation is the most sustainable form of development. I love the combination of new green technology and the inherent sustainable features of old buildings. Preservation as an environmental practice has the potential to reduce global warming through natural resource conservation. After all, isn’t it all about, “REUSE, Reduce & Recycle”?

The bulk of my experience in preservation is volunteering for non-profits and advocating for reuse of existing buildings in Portland, Oregon. I began to alert people about impending demolitions through Facebook in 2014 after witnessing several demolitions of existing buildings, some of which were considered of historic significance by the City of Portland. I’m excited to learn about survey and inventory because it is such an important part of advocating for intelligent growth that respects the unique historic built environment.

Lastly, I am intrigued and inspired by new trends in historic preservation including changing demographics of preservation professionals and inclusion of diverse racial, class and ethnic groups. I also love good design and quality craftsmanship. The above picture of me was taken at one of my favorite places, The Mount, in Lenox, Massachusetts, which was designed by Edith Wharton. After visiting the amazing site in 2011 I realized I was passionate about preservation and decided to pursue graduate school.

My name is Brian Matuk and I am a first year Historic Preservation Masters candidate at the University of Oregon. I developed an interest in historic preservation when studying in New York City, where I witnessed the preservation battle and ultimate demolition of the last remaining federal style house in a vibrant Manhattan neighborhood. This experience led me to search for a position in historic preservation and test the waters for a potential new career path. I was granted the opportunity to work as Program Coordinator at an historic preservation non-profit in Napa County, California where I worked for two years, while also taking on an intern role in a county-wide Historic Resource Inventory. This field work solidified my desire for Historic Preservation, leading me to take the next step and enroll in graduate school. I am looking forward to a long and fulfilling career, and hope to apply my newfound skills and knowledge to consulting work in dense, urban areas.

My name is Savannah Herrell and I am a first year Historic Preservation Masters candidate at the University of Oregon. I have always been passionate about history, and knew that I wanted to interpret the lives of individuals who resided in the past.  I attended the University of California Santa Cruz to receive a Bachelors in Medieval European history and intended to pursue history in further education.  However, while in college I learned about another passion that turned a summer job into an unforgettable two year experience. I became enamored with my maintenance job, which when I started I would have never believed possible. This led me to think that I might enjoy physical work and perhaps, I did not want to work in the history field. Research led me to Historic Preservation, where I could indulge my love for history and go into a field job if I wished. Once the program began in September 2014, I was introduced to the wide variety of options in the preservation field, and found that I had many other interests that I would be glad to pursue in future employment.

Architecture and Historic Preservation was part of my nature from the time I was born. Looking at old buildings isn’t my first memory but playing with the scrap wood in my dad’s modest garage wood shop and the smell of sawdust gives me warm fuzzy feelings. Spending free time sketching floor plans of houses I wanted to live in until my first architecture / drafting class in 7th grade might have been an obsession and filling all of my electives in High School with Drafting and Architecture classes was a simple choice (along side orchestra). I nurtured my interest with volunteer picket painting projects for the Gaylor House in Corvallis, Oregon when I was in the 8th grade and thought I would be an architect right up until some professional architects came to my High School Career Day and told me I would make no money so I would really have to love it. I was too young to know what love was.

My first attempt at a college major ending up being pre-med with an interest in Physical Therapy. That attempt didn’t even last six months and I was quickly applying for Architecture School at the University of Oregon and then requesting to minor in Historic Preservation, a second major in Architectural History and another minor in Music Performance. I found love.

Graduation in 2001 was mired in empty job searches so I landed in computer support, the job I did while supporting my architecture habit (degree). My patience with computer support wore out within six months and I applied for the University of Oregon Master of Science in Historic Preservation. The idea was that it would help me get the real architecture and preservation jobs not just be told to “get in line, every architect wanted to work on those projects” and I didn’t have any experience. Telling a twenty-something that they don’t have the experience to do a job…. never ends well. I was no different in my 20’s.

I nurtured my way through graduate school and into the open job market. My experience is across the map from National Park Service Internships, to Oregon State Parks jobs, large architecture firm experience in Portland, and design build work in Eugene. I have been teaching or directing the Field School at least 40% time at the University of Oregon since 2008.

Historic Survey and Inventory is a class of high importance in the Historic Preservation Program. It is where I learned to play games with architectural styles while driving down country roads, impress my family with being able to guess a date of a building construction before we could see the date plate, and yes, I use it in my professional work doing historic neighborhood surveys, reading National Register nominations, or writing condition assessments and historic structures reports. I even use the skills from survey and inventory to look at a structure in its context, understand modifications, and material changes, and make judgements on a buildings integrity even if I am not surveying or nominating it to the National Register but rather providing architectural services.

Historic Preservation might have been something that was in my nature but nurturing the skills took effort and, sometimes, painful mistakes. This is only my second year teaching this course and I am excited to have spent some time this past summer learning about the process of learning and how to reach students in a more engaging way. This makes me feel old but a lot has changed in education since I finished my course work 11 years ago.  There are days that I don’t enjoy everything that I do in academia but there is never a dull day when working with students that want to learn and understand cultural resource management. I enjoy nurturing in others something that I love doing naturally.