Quinn Evans is hosting Kaijah Wilson, a recent graduate from Morgan State University’s School of Architecture & Planning, for the 2023 Preservation Digital Documentation Fellowship presented by the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s (NTHP) Hands-On Preservation Experience (HOPE) Crew in partnership with the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. The 6-month paid fellowship program is offered to students studying at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Nakita Reed, AIA, CPHC, LEED AP BD+C, NOMA, a senior associate at Quinn Evans, is mentoring Kaijah Wilson in the Baltimore, MD office. She is studying The Clifton House site, which is of African American historical importance in the Baltimore community. Kaijah works with stakeholders and professionals such as the Historic American Building Survey (HABS), a professional documentation company, and Clifton House leadership for a documentation project that tells the history of this site through architectural and historical methods. Additionally, they use point-cloud data to create drawings, 3D models, and site plans to craft a submission to the HABS Holland Prize Competition.
“My experience as one of few licensed Black female architects in the country that is a trained historic preservationist intersects with my passion to design with a focus on sustainability, diversity, and community equity,” says Reed. “I am excited to support the Preservation Digital Documentation Fellowship by sharing my wealth of knowledge to help pave a path for young people of color in the design profession.”
With guidance from the HOPE Crew team, mentor architects, trades experts, and faculty advisors, participants move through a project planning experience that includes historical research, project development opportunities, budget creation, leadership training, and other speaking and presentation assignments. The cohort of seven participants across five HBCUs will focus on an array of campus documentation, historically black burial ground preservation, or historic site and landscape engagement in their respective university’s community. This research and planning will inform an in-person project where the fellow will have an opportunity to lead their classmates or another participant group in learning a preservation skill.
