The mission of the AIA Historic Resources Committee (HRC) is to identify, understand, and preserve architectural heritage, both nationally and internationally. HRC is engaged in promoting the role of the historic architect within the profession through the development of information and knowledge among members, allied professional organizations, and the public.
Join the AIA Historic Resources Committee by updating your AIA member profile.
Contact | Advisory Group| National Subcommittees| State and Local Components | History
Highlights
Charles E. Peterson Prize Program
The Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) of the National Park Service, The Athenaeum of Philadelphia and The American Institute of Architects (AIA) coordinate the Charles E. Peterson Prize Program, which annually recognizes the best set of measured drawings prepared to HABS standards and donated to HABS by students. The 2009 winners were recognized in a ceremony held in Los Angeles on November 2, 2009.
Preservation as Provocation: Winners Announced
Administered by ACSA and sponsored by AIA/HRC, the program challenged students to envision the preservation of Louis H. Kahn’s Salk Institute while rethinking current conventions about composition, construction, and building performance. The goal was to envision a new type of facility that would be unimaginable without the existing structures. Learn more about the competition winners.
Preservation Architect
The AIA Historic Resources Committee official quarterly electronic newsletter is Preservation Architect. Read the current issue. Interested in contributing? See the Tips for Authors. You can also read the Letter from the 2009 Chair.
Allied Preservation Organization Resources
The AIA HRC maintains of allied preservation organizations as well as events and award, grant and fellowship programs.
Resources
Preservation Book List
The AIA HRC has compiled a book list based on the recommendations of members around the country. We hope to continuously expand the list with additional titles. If you know would like to suggest a book or write a review, please contact hrc@aia.org.
AIA/HRC Guide to Historic Preservation
This primer to preservation of historic properties covers accepted definitions in the field, how such properties are identified and treated, the architectural services provided in preservation projects, the phases of a project, the professionals needed on a preservation team, costs and benefits, and how to select a preservation architect.
The AIA Historical Directory of American Architects
A new online resource guide to finding information about U.S. architects who practiced from the 1800s to the 1970s, the AIA Historical Directory of American Architects helps you locate information in published, online, or archival resources from the AIA and elsewhere across the U.S. Learn more about what’s in the AIA Historical Directory, or how your regional biography project can be included.
Danish Modern Then and Now
This conference was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in September 2008, jointly sponsored by the AIA Committee on Design and the AIA Historic Resources Committee. Learn more on the AIA Committee on Design home page.
Architecture Knowledge Review Podcast Series
Architecture Knowledge Review is a podcast series for design professionals, featuring interviews, discussions, and best practices by architects and other design professionals who are at the forefront of the profession. Podcasts are available for download as XML, iTunes, and MP3 files. Some featured podcasts are:
- The Changing Face of the Architecture Profession
Wendy Ornelas talks about addressing the changing face of the architecture profession, and distinguishes the differences between the baby boomer generation of architects and the emerging X and Y generations that will lead to this changing direction in the profession, with Michael Crosbie. iTunes | MP3 - A Global History of Architecture
Listen in on a fascinating discussion with professor and author Francis D.K. Ching about his latest book, A Global History of Architecture—a work lauded as "unabashedly huge" in proportion and refreshingly unique in perspective. The work spans the globe from 3500 BCE to the present day, discussing certain styles and historical periods but dwelling primarily on specific architectural works. iTunes | MP3
Spiro Kostof Lectures Available Online
Spiro Kostof (1936-1991), widely recognized as one of the world's leading architectural historians, taught his last course in the Spring of 1991 in the Architecture Department of UC Berkeley's College of Environmental Design. The 26 lectures of his course "A Historical Survey of Architecture and Urbanism" covering the period from the Florentine Renaissance to the post-modernism of the late 20th century were video recorded and have recently been digitized and made available for public viewing. Kostof's lectures were heralded for situating the architectural monument in a framework of vernacular buildings that imbue it with meaning.
Speaker's Registry
Find knowledgeable, qualified speakers on topics ranging from land use, sustainability, and green architecture to affordable housing and public health. Or register as a speaker yourself.