Founded in 1964 as the first Masters Program in Historic Preservation in the United States, the program embodies a pioneering spirit by continually questioning how the discipline actively responds to the changing social values and climate challenges associated with architectural and cultural heritage, so as to ensure that the historic built environment better serves present and future generations.
The program prepares its graduates in the theoretical and practical foundations of preservation so they can be agents of positive environmental, cultural, and social change. Students are drawn from multi-disciplinary backgrounds such as architecture, art history, history, urban planning, engineering, science, art, urban design, archeology, anthropology, sociology, philosophy and jurisprudence. Students bring to bear their respective interests on preservation. By focusing on historical, aesthetic, technological, environmental, social and political questions, the program cultivates deep engagement with the ideas and practices that constitute preservation, and the broad multi-disciplinary skill sets that it draws upon.
The program reflects a global outlook in its diverse faculty, alumni, visiting scholars, advanced researchers, as well as in the locales where students work. It emphasizes real-world engagement with buildings, sites and communities near campus and beyond. Through study and engaged research in New York and New Jersey, as well as countries such as Italy, Cuba, Ethiopia, France, Haiti, Mexico, Norway, and the United Kingdom students apply skills in the real world and co-create knowledge with multiple publics. Learning beyond the lab and classroom is likewise enhanced through faculty-led publications, studio reports, research, public lectures and events such as the annual Fitch Colloquium.
Jump to the sections below to learn more about the MSHP program:
The centerpiece of the curriculum is a three-semester studio sequence, supported by core coursework. These interdisciplinary and cross-cultural learning experiences encompass skill-building in historical, social, and technical research, data collection and visualization, community and stakeholder engagement, formal and material analyses, condition surveys, planning and policy development, interpretive and adaptive design, and the formulation of evidence-based proposals for action. Exploring questions of research and interpretation, cultural identity and values, justice and equity, sustainability and resilience, creative expression and process, these studios position the work in the field within broader societal and environmental contexts, and within broader realms of critical inquiry.
During the summer between the first and second year, the Historic Preservation Program strongly suggests the completion of one or more internships or work experiences as part of a student’s education and career development, and provides support in identifying opportunities in New York and elsewhere.
A capstone of the curriculum is a student thesis. As a critical piece of independent research, the thesis allows students to augment their course and fieldwork to further develop specialized knowledge in an aspect of the preservation enterprise. Students develop their thesis work with the support of faculty to forge new lines of inquiry and practice, as well as to engage with members of the discipline as they launch their careers.
For those students who would like to like to specialize further or expand their studies, GSAPP offers dual degrees, allowing Historic Preservation students to jointly study Architecture (MArch), Urban Planning, or Real Estate Development.
Course | Semester | Title | Student Work | Instructor | Syllabus | Requirements & Sequence | Location & Time | Session & Points | Call No. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A4080‑1 | Spring 2024 |
HP Elective Internship
|
Sarahgrace Godwin |
FULL SEMESTER
1.5 Points
|
11318 | ||||
A4334‑1 | Spring 2024 |
Modern American Architecture
|
Jorge Otero-Pailos |
WARE LOUNGE, 600 AVERY
M 11 AM - 1 PM
|
FULL SEMESTER
3 Points
|
11320 | |||
A4825‑1 | Spring 2024 |
Preservation and Sustainability
|
Erica Avrami |
200 BUELL
TU 11 AM - 1 PM
|
FULL SEMESTER
3 Points
|
14174 | |||
A4839‑1 | Spring 2024 |
Building Conditions Assessment
|
Kyle Normandin | HP Elective |
Preservation Technology LAB - 655 SCHERMERHORN
M 2 PM - 5 PM
|
SES A
1.5 Points
|
11701 | ||
A6712‑1 | Spring 2024 |
Conservation of Architectural Finishes
|
Mary Jablonski |
Preservation Technology LAB - 655 SCHERMERHORN
TU 9 AM - 11 AM
|
FULL SEMESTER
3 Points
|
11323 | |||
A6717‑1 | Spring 2024 |
Comparative Hertitage Management
|
Carolina Castellanos |
115 AVERY
M + W 9 AM - 11 AM
|
SES A
3 Points
|
14151 | |||
A6750‑1 | Spring 2024 |
HP Studio II
|
Erica Avrami, Tim Michiels |
301 FAYERWEATHER
TU + TH 2 PM - 6 PM
|
FULL SEMESTER
6 Points
|
11324 | |||
A6753‑1 | Spring 2024 |
Thesis II
|
Jorge Otero-Pailos |
FULL SEMESTER
4 Points
|
11325 | ||||
A6856‑1 | Spring 2024 |
Master Class
|
Aron Vinegar |
Preservation Technology LAB - 655 SCHERMERHORN
2/5: 6-8pm | 2/6: 6-8pm | 2/8: 9-11am | 2/12: 6-8pm | 2/13: 6-8pm | 2/15: 9-11am
|
SES A
1.5 Points
|
14175 | |||
A6959‑1 | Spring 2024 |
Historic House Museums for the 21st Century
|
Meredith Horsford |
SES B
1.5 Points
|
17185 | ||||
A4124‑1 | Spring 2024 |
Modern Building Technology
|
Theodore Prudon |
Preservation Technology Lab (655 Schermerhorn)
F 9 AM - 11 AM
|
FULL SEMESTER
3 Points
|
11319 | |||
A6702‑1 | Spring 2024 |
Investigative Techniques
|
Amanda Thomas Trienens |
Preservation Technology LAB - 655 SCHERMERHORN
W 1 PM - 3:30 PM
|
FULL SEMESTER
3 Points
|
11322 | |||
A6788‑1 | Spring 2024 |
Conservation of Concrete, Cast Stone & Mortar
|
Norman Weiss, Heather Hartshorn |
Preservation Technology LAB - 655 SCHERMERHORN
M 2 PM - 5 PM
|
SES B
1.5 Points
|
11702 | |||
A6414‑1 | Spring 2024 |
Digital Heritage Documentation
|
Bilge Kose |
Preservation Technology LAB - 655 SCHERMERHORN
W 5 PM - 7 PM
|
FULL SEMESTER
3 Points
|
11321 | |||
A4890‑1 | Spring 2024 |
Conflict Urbanism
|
Laura Kurgan |
300 BUELL SOUTH
M 11 AM - 1 PM
|
FULL SEMESTER
3 Points
|
11086 | |||
A6963‑1 | Spring 2024 |
Adv VI Clinic - Dis/Abling Architecture: States of Play
|
Irina Verona, Jennifer Carpenter |
412 AVERY (Mondays), 600 AVERY
M 1:30-3:30
|
FULL SEMESTER
3 Points
|
20549 | |||
A4411‑1 | Spring 2024 |
Climate, Technology, and Society
|
Reinhold Martin |
300 BUELL SOUTH
TU 11 AM - 1 PM
|
FULL SEMESTER
3 Points
|
11690 | |||
A4861‑1 | Spring 2024 |
Footprint: Carbon and Design
|
David Benjamin |
409 AVERY
TH 11 AM - 1 PM
|
FULL SEMESTER
3 Points
|
11075 | |||
A4063‑1 | Spring 2024 |
Spatial Data Narratives
|
Josh Begley |
300 BUELL SOUTH
F 9 AM - 11 AM
|
FULL SEMESTER
3 Points
|
14170 | |||
Pla6831‑1 | Spring 2024 |
Joint Studio / Clinic - OVERGROWN / undergrowth
|
Adam Lubinsky |
203 FAYERWEATHER
W 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM
|
FULL SEMESTER
3 Points
|
14048 | |||
A4047‑1 | Spring 2024 |
Immeasurable Sites
|
Emanuel Admassu |
409 AVERY
W 11 AM - 1 PM
|
FULL SEMESTER
3 Points
|
10980 | |||
A4407‑1 | Spring 2024 |
Methods in Spatial Research
|
Adam Vosburgh |
WARE LOUNGE, 600 AVERY
F 9 AM - 11 AM
|
SES A
1.5 Points
|
11700 | |||
PLA6036‑1 | Spring 2024 |
Urban Political Ecology and the Climate Crisis
|
Hugo Sarmiento |
412 AVERY
F 1 PM - 3 PM
|
FULL SEMESTER
3 Points
|
14163 |