John Whitaker brings to QEA expertise in historic architecture, preservation technology and historic building documentation. On a personal level, he has a deep interest in WPA-era National Park Service structures. “Many of our nation’s parks are all about natural landscapes,” he notes, “but a surprising number focus on built structures commemorating some event in America’s history.”
John's first project at the firm’s Washington, DC office involved the Peabody Conservatory, and it still stands out for him as one of the most memorable. “It combines a new addition with a historic structure, using modern materials (aluminum, cast stone, glass) with a historic aesthetic. The atrium’s new cascading stair was constructed in 2003, but looks like it could have been there since the 1920s.”
