Iowa State University to offer state’s first historic preservation certificate, degree

Iowa boasts about 10,000 properties either individually or as part of districts on the National Register of Historic Places, and an Iowa State University professor says those just scratch the state's vintage surface.

Iowa - like much of the country - is rich in unique architecture, historic structures, archaeological sites, and the opportunities they provide, and that - in part - is why the university is creating a new multidisciplinary program in historic preservation, according to Ted Grevstad-Nordbrock, ISU assistant professor of community and regional planning.

The proposed program, pending Board of Regents approval, initially will offer undergraduate and graduate certificates and possibly a master's degree in the future. It will be the first historic preservation certificate or degree program in Iowa, and one of just a handful in the Midwest, according to the National Council for Preservation Education.

'When I talk with developers, local preservation committees or community leaders … everyone sees a need for this program in Iowa,” said Grevstad-Nordbrock, who came to Iowa State in January after spending 12 years as historic preservation specialist for the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office.

'And this will be a first,” he said. 'There is no other like this in the state.”

Grevstad-Nordbrock this summer is drafting a vision for the program, which he hopes will become available in fall 2016. The aim is to provide students a 'strong theoretical foundation in historic preservation” while also stressing applied experience through field schools, internships, and other outreach projects.

In short, he said, students will 'get out there and knock on buildings and explore.”

'It's critical for historic preservation students to work with private developers and government agencies and property owners on projects and to get their hands a bit dirty,” Grevstad-Nordbrock said. 'It's fun, to be sure, but it's also how they learn.”

The program will impart skills in preserving structures and places, obtaining historic registration status, securing funding for landmarks, and more - depending on a student's area of interest, according to Grevstad-Nordbrock. Architecture and interior design students, for example, might specialize in historic rehabilitation and building materials conservation, while planning students might focus on the regulatory, administrative, and legal frameworks for historic preservation.

'Historic preservation is a tremendously broad and diverse field,” he said.

The state and nation are rife with job opportunities in the field, as the conversation around historic preservation has shifted from 'Why should we save that building?” to 'Why shouldn't we save it?” according to Grevstad-Nordbrock.

'Historic preservation has evolved into an accepted tool among community planners, transportation planners, and so on,” he said. 'Long gone are the days of clear-cut urban renewal when entire neighborhoods were wiped clean and along with them irreplaceable historic buildings.”

The most consistent employers of historic preservation students are real estate developers, architectural firms, engineering companies, preservation consultants, non-profit organizations, and government entities.

'In the short time I've been here at ISU, I've already seen several of my students graduate and move into positions with architecture firms that engage in just this type of work,” he said.

In addition to Iowa's 10,000 properties on the national register, another 80 are being processed, according to Jeff Morgan, spokesman for the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. So far this year, 15 Iowa properties have been placed on the register, and Morgan said the department is pleased about the proposed ISU program.

'Interest in historic preservation as a way to maintain Iowa's unique sense of place has increased significantly during the past decade,” he said. 'The new program provides community leaders, historians, and professionals from real estate, design, and construction-related fields the opportunity to expand their knowledge about this growing field.”

Historic preservation can benefit communities economically and culturally through federal grants and promotion, according to Grevstad-Nordbrock. By using historic resources to generate tourism and revenue, for example, they stake a claim on what is special about their area.

'In a world where places increasingly compete for residents and capital reinvestment, it really becomes important to be able to understand, promote and highlight the things that make your individual place - be it a town, region, or state - unique,” he said.

An example of this can be found in Eastern Iowa's Amana Colonies or the Lincoln Highway Bridge in Tama. Cities can also use historic preservation to revitalize a community or neighborhood - like the Czech Village and New Bohemian Commercial Historic District in Cedar Rapids.

'Think about many of the new, mixed-used developments in Des Moines and elsewhere,” Grevstad-Nordbrock said. 'They emulate some of the best characteristics of historic neighborhoods.”

Curriculum for the new ISU program is under development, but Grevstad-Nordbrock is planning courses in rehabilitation and building materials conservation, preservation planning and law, the economics of preservation, and history of built environment. They would encompass buildings, landscapes, and archaeological sites - like the beer caves discovered in Cedar Rapids.

'We tend to think of buildings when we think about preservation - not about archaeological sites and artifacts, or about designed landscapes for that matter,” he said. 'The program we're developing at ISU acknowledges the need to consider archaeology and landscapes and the full spectrum.”