Historic Preservation at Pratt
Pratt’s Master of Science program in Historic Preservation provides an excellent foundation in preservation strategies, practices, history, and theory, along with experiential learning opportunities. Our program offers interactive conservation projects, place-based and archival research, and class sessions at museums and studios where you’ll learn directly from the field’s most innovative professionals.
You’ll develop the necessary knowledge, skills and experience to collaborate with community members in protecting valued cultural and historic sites at the local, national, and international levels while tackling complex issues such as gentrification, displacement, racial injustice, social inequity, and climate change.
We also offer a 10-credit Advanced Certificate in Historic Preservation. For information on both the MS program and Advanced Certificate, contact: Vicki Weiner, Academic Director, MS in Historic Preservation, vweiner@pratt.edu.
Student Work
These examples of work by recent Historic Preservation graduates represent the kinds of projects you’ll be engaged in as a Pratt HP student.
The Experience
Immersed in Brooklyn’s vibrant community and landscape, Pratt Historic Preservation students and faculty are both thinkers and doers. Our faculty scholars and practitioners bring their experience and connections to the classroom. Students come from a variety of disciplines, including architecture, design, fine art, history, the humanities, and the social sciences.
Multidisciplinary
A multidisciplinary approach promotes collaboration. Our partnerships within the Institute enable students to explore coursework in multiple disciplines and pursue their interests in climate-adaptive design solutions, preserving affordable housing, community storytelling through public art, cultural heritage studies, archival management, and more. This interdisciplinary education fosters learning and prepares future professionals to solve problems together.
Experiential Learning
Real-world projects turn students into professionals. You’ll prepare for the professional world by working directly with community partners as clients, tapping a neighborhood’s history, cultural heritage, and architectural assets to empower residents to manage and direct change, with a focus on equity and social justice. You’ll propose preservation strategies for real places. Recent studios have provided plans for interpretive community gardens in the South Bronx, green adaptive reuse in central Brooklyn, and preservation policies to save affordable Manhattan tenement apartments.
Internships & Fellowships
Our network opens doors locally, nationally, and internationally. Pratt’s Preservation program connects students to paid internships and fellowships with some of the most prominent preservation organizations, conservation studios, and architecture firms in New York and beyond. We partner frequently with New York-based institutions such as the Brooklyn Historical Society, the Brooklyn Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, Green-Wood Cemetery, The Municipal Art Society of New York, The World Monuments Fund, and many others.
Study Abroad
Immersing yourself in another culture is an incredible experience that enhances social justice-oriented heritage preservation studies. Together with our partners in the Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment we offer several internationally-focused courses each year, and Pratt’s School of Architecture has deep connections with university partners around the world. Recent study abroad opportunities have engaged students in travel to Havana, Rio de Janeiro,Tokyo, Rome, Venice, and Amsterdam to name a few. Community and university partnerships in these cities have ensured our work supports efforts to preserve sites and neighborhoods of cultural, historical and architectural value to local stakeholders.
Our Faculty
Pratt Historic Preservation’s distinguished faculty of outstanding heritage professionals and scholars value collaborative learning and strive to create a classroom environment in which each student’s lived experience is respected and valued. They generously share their knowledge, experience, and professional networks to ensure student success throughout the program and beyond.
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Vicki Weiner
Academic Director of Historic Preservation; Adjunct Associate Professor
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Harriet Harriss
Professor
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Theodore Prudon
Adjunct Professor
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Debora Barros
Visiting Assistant Professor
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Ward Dennis
Visiting Assistant Professor
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Rebecca Krucoff
Visiting Assistant Professor
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Lisa Ackerman
Visiting Assistant Professor
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Sophonie Joseph
Adjunct Associate Professor
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Maria Munoz Martinez
Visiting Assistant Professor
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Christopher Cirillo
Visiting Assistant Professor
Our Alumni
Our alumni are leading preservation advocates, architects, policymakers, researchers and innovators who are deeply connected to preservation and many allied fields. Their commitment to our program is unwavering. Under the auspices of the Pratt Historic Preservation Alumni Association, they generously donate their time and expertise to support students and graduates as they embark on preservation careers.
They hold impressive positions, such as:
- Executive Director, Maine Preservation
- Chief Projects Officer, History Colorado/Colorado State Historic Preservation Office
- Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, World Monuments Fund
- Architectural Project Manager, RAND Engineering
- Principal, Phillips Preiss Grygiel Leheny Hughes Planning & Real Estate Consultants
- Program Director, World Heritage Monuments Toolkit Initiative
- Associate, Stern & Bucek Architects
- Deputy Director, New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
- Project Manager, PRESERV Building Restoration Management Inc.
- Executive Director, Docomomo U.S.
- Architectural Historian, Dewberry
- Project Manager, AYON Studio Architecture and Preservation
- Regional Planner, East Alabama Regional Planning & Development Commission
- Development Director, Pan Am Museum Foundation
- Founder & Executive Director, Community Alliance for Heritage and Preservation
Success Stories
Illuminating a History of Action
Prattfolio Story
Studio: Collaborative Futures at Lefferts Historic House
Prattfolio Story
Scenes from Trips Abroad
Article
A Future for Little Caribbean
Article
Take 5 with Jessica Baldwin
Ready for More?
HERE’S HOW TO APPLY | OUR CAMPUS & BEYOND |
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Join us at Pratt. Learn more about admissions requirements, plan your visit, talk to a counselor, and start your application. Take the next step. | You’ll find yourself at home at Pratt. Learn more about our residence halls, student organizations, athletics, gallery exhibitions, events, the amazing City of New York and our Brooklyn neighborhood communities. Check us out. |
Upcoming Information Sessions
All times ET
GCPE Advanced Certificate Info Session
Tuesday, September 10, 2024 4:30pm -5:30pm (virtual)
GCPE MS Graduate Admissions Info Session
Thursday, September 12, 2024 10am -12pm (virtual)
Thursday, October 10, 2024 3 – 5pm (In Person + Campus Tour + Studio Visit)
Tuesday, November 12, 2024 10am – 12pm
Thursday, November 21, 2024 10am-12pm (Virtual 1:1’s)
Thursday, February 18, 2025 9:30am – 10:30am (Virtual)