Imagine ̽̽’s University Green without Old Mill, Waterman, or Billings Library; it would have a completely different feel. Old buildings like these are part of where we live and, thus, a part of our community—something we might not realize until they are gone.
For new Director of the Historic Preservation Graduate Program, Devin Colman, the goal of historic preservation is to protect the sense of place we get from old structures while adapting to changing times and needs. For example, an older building may not have an elevator, and so when a community needs one, the job of a historic preservationist is to figure out how that need can be met, while also maintaining the historical integrity of the buildings. Colman argues that the goal of historic preservation is not to stop change, as some might think, but to manage it and help adapt our built environment to that change.
Colman brings to his new role at ̽̽ deep experience managing these adaptations. He has spent the last 18 years working at the Vermont department for Historic Preservation, serving as a government consultant on numerous projects. One important example is his work on raising old, covered bridges to account for the new realities of Vermont flooding: taking an old structure and changing it to meet modern needs.
He regularly addresses this dynamic when it comes to sustainability. ̽̽’s campus is rapidly seeking to address the climate crisis through sustainable building maintenance and construction. Figuring out how to adapt older buildings, rather than building new ones, is always going to be more sustainable; adding features such as improved insulation or solar panels to existing buildings can help.
Colman emphasizes the necessary interaction between disciplines like Historic Preservation and Environmental Studies. He sees potential departmental collaborators in related fields such as art history, geography, and environmental disciplines, as historic preservation consultants seek to meet both environmental and human needs through their work.
Students pursuing a Master’s degree in historic preservation at ̽̽ take coursework to that effect. The curriculum is composed of broad requirements designed to ensure success in a multi-disciplinary field with three main elements. First, students need physical, hands-on knowledge such as wood identification, joinery, and restoration methods. Second, they need a philosophical perspective, learning about why we do preservation, and why we should care about our historic built environment. Thirdly, students need architectural history and knowledge of style and methods to complete projects on a diverse range of structures. Through ̽̽’s three-semester curriculum, students learn skills in all areas, and then get to put those skills to work in a summer internship with a local or national non-profit or government agency. There, Colman says, students can “home in on a specific aspect of preservation,” and figure out if that career is one they want to pursue.
Emphasizing the interdisciplinary nature of the field, in spring 2025, Devin Colman will offer a new course in the HP program, called “Intersections of Culture, Nature, and Community.” It investigates how and why natural resource conservation and historic preservation (which used to be practiced by the same people and with the same ends) diverged. The two fields both seek to preserve our environment, but one focuses on natural spaces, and the other on human-made spaces. Colman believes there is a lot more in common between the two than there are differences. Students will explore this through the lens of National Parks, for example, which boast spectacular natural elements but also many human-made structures like railroad lodges, and park infrastructure.
A study that combines many disciplines makes students more equipped to handle the ever-changing landscape around us. With modern times bringing modern issues, the goal of historic preservation at ̽̽ is to ensure that our history is not forgotten while adapting to meet the needs of the moment.