Kate Wagner, The Nation’s architectural critic, recently wrote in an issue on the nation’s 250th anniversary, that the “most urgent question in architecture today” is “what do we do with the things that have already been built, the materials that have already been industrialized, the things we have already used? These are not just matters of conservation, preservation, or environmentalism, but a reckoning with the past. That past includes not only modernism but the mindset of disposability that has become untenable in a warming world.”

In line with Wagner’s thesis, this module will introduce students to the history and theory of historic preservation broadly understood — the confrontation of past architecture with present design, the role of preservation in confronting the climate crisis, how the preservation and interpretation of “difficult places” is important in confront the nation’s shared past, and how preservation has been, and might be, a part of shared economic prosperity.

The module will challenge received wisdom about preservation the past by exploring the largely untold history of the historic preservation movement in this country, and how laws, public policies and cultural attitudes shape how we preserve or do not preserve the built environment. The module will give students a grounding in the history, theory and practice of historic preservation, but is not an applied, technical course. Our work together will involve readings, short writing assignments, and site visits in the Boston area.