Continuing Education in Historic Preservation
There is no better place to learn the processes and techniques of historic preservation than the living laboratory of Camden and nearby Philadelphia. Historic Preservation Continuing Education Program at Rutgers–Camden promotes the importance of historic preservation in communities by bringing together students and active professionals in the field. It supports and encourages participants to become knowledgeable and active constituents in historic preservation. Participants learn from professionals working in the field to gain a realistic perspective on how the tangible remains of our past can be integrated within current environments.
The program is open to anyone interested in historic preservation: members of historic preservation commissions, town planners, historic site administrators and volunteers, museum staff and volunteers, owners of old or historic buildings, architects, engineers, attorneys, students, and anyone else with an interest in preserving cultural heritage.
The certificate program is not a degree program, but it can be used to supplement a participant’s work in an allied field, such as history, architecture, public history, or planning. Participation in the certificate program does not require matriculation (or enrollment) in a Rutgers degree program. Participants may take classes in any sequence and complete the program at their own pace. Enrollment in the certificate program is not required to take a class or workshop.
Spring 2025 Course Registration Now Open!
Building a Strong Foundation: Planning Documents for Historic Preservation
Tuesday, February 4, 2025 – Tuesday, March 4, 2025 at 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
5-week class | credit/no credit | 1 CEU
Online via Zoom and Canvas (Rutgers course management system)
This course is an introduction to planning documents that are most commonly used for the preservation of historic sites and landscapes. Students will learn how these documents and reports are created, what information they contain, why they are important to the preservation and interpretation of a site, and strategies to develop and utilize them effectively and efficiently. The course will cover foundational documents like the Historic Structure Report, specific studies like materials and building systems analyses, and reports to plan for maintenance of and disaster preparation for a historic site.
At the end of this course, you should be able to:
- Understand how the planning reports and documents are created
- Understand what each planning document and report is used for
- Identify which planning report and document to use at a given time
- Develop the planning documents that are needed to preserve and interpret a historic site efficiently and effectively
This course does not cover all planning documents and reports that may be used for the preservation of historic sites.
About the instructor:
Shannon Bremer is a Historic Preservation Specialist for the New Jersey Historic Trust. She has overseen numerous grant-funded, preservation projects ranging from preservation plans and construction documents to ADA accessibility and capital improvement projects since she began working for the Trust in 2022. Ms. Bremer also provides technical assistance to grantees and the public at large as well as assists with the Trust’s Emergency Intervention Fund. Ms. Bremer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Historic Preservation from the University of Mary Washington (Fredericksburg, VA) and a Master of Arts in American Studies from the College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, VA). She also holds a certificate in Material Culture and Public History from the National Institute of American History and Democracy at the College of William & Mary.
SOLD OUT! American Architectural History
Monday, February 10, 2025 – Monday, April 7, 2025 and April 21, 2025 at 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. There will be no class on Monday, April 14, 2025. Field trip will take place on either Saturday, March 8 or Saturday, March 15.
10-week class | credit/no credit | 2 CEUs
Hybrid (online class via Zoom and Canvas (Rutgers course management system) and in-person field trips)
This course is required to complete the certificate program
Our built environment, including landscapes, buildings, and other features, is shaped by ecological, cultural, technological, political, and economic forces, to name just a few.
In this course we will explore how these different forces have impacted the built environment in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States from the Native American period to around 50 years ago. We’ll also examine relevant examples of the built environment from other parts of the world to place the development of our local architecture in context.
Within each period, we will discuss examples of urban and rural landscapes, a wide variety of building types, and significant engineering and industrial structures. The goal will be to understand the diversity of the built environment and the people who lived there during each period, so we can appreciate why it looked the way it did, what has been lost, and what has survived to the present day.
Each week, you will be required to complete assignments that will help you develop a critical eye for the built environment that you experience every day. You will also develop a final project narrative that focuses on a site of your choice and will include a description of the site; changes over time; and impacts of the significant forces that have shaped your site.
At the end of this course, you should be able to:
- Understand the relevance of the built environment in your day-to-day life for the purposes of interpretation, research, and advocacy in the field of historic preservation
- Identify key moments, styles and trends in the history of the American built environment, with a focus on the Mid-Atlantic region
- Analyze the built environment for clues about the date of construction and changes over time
- Articulate why components of our built environment look the way they do
Students in this course will have the opportunity to join an in-person field trip in Camden, NJ, for a tour and conversation with Dolly Marshall, Historic Preservation Specialist for the City of Camden. Ms. Marshall has won multiple awards for her advocacy and preservation work and was recently recognized as an Emerging Leader by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. There may also be potential opportunities for students to engage with Ms. Marshall at the Mount Peace Cemetery Association in Lawnside, NJ, which is currently celebrating its 125th anniversary. We are excited to offer this collaboration between Rutgers and the City of Camden.
This course will be conducted online via a blend of asynchronous lectures, at-home assignments, synchronous online instruction and discussion, in-person field trips, and a final assignment. The synchronous discussion will take place during posted class times. Students will be required to sign in to both Zoom and Miro’s whiteboard app in order to participate. The synchronous session will build on that week’s assignment, so you must complete them before the start of class.
About the instructor: Lori Aument has 25 years of experience as a building conservator and is currently a Senior Associate at WJE in Philadelphia. Her expertise is in the history of architecture and the practical methods needed to protect and repair historic sites. She holds a BS in Art History and a MS in Historic Preservation. In 2019, Lori launched the Philadelphia history podcast, Found in Philadelphia, to engage listeners with stories from the past that still impact our lives today. She is also adjunct faculty in the Historic Preservation department at Thomas Jefferson University.
Introduction to Cultural Heritage Tourism
Thursday, March 6, 2025 – Thursday, March 27, 2025 at 6:30 – 8:30 p.m and Saturday, April 12, 2025 at 9:00 am – 1:00 pm. Breakfast and lunch provided for the last class.
5-week class | credit/no credit | 1.5 CEU
Hybrid (Online via Zoom and Canvas (Rutgers course management system) on Thursday evenings and in-person for final class on Saturday, April 12)
Do you want to enhance your visitors’ engagement with history at your site or in your municipality but need a jump start on inspiration or project planning? Would you like a chance to consider how your historic site fits within the broader landscape of the region’s heritage tourism so you can identify prospective collaborators and funding sources? Then join us for a course on Cultural Heritage Tourism lead by Dorothy Guzzo, Executive Director of the New Jersey Historic Trust. Cultural heritage tourism, defined by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as “traveling to experience the places, artifacts, and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present,” encompasses a range of activities central to our work in historic preservation, broadly defined. Whether you work at a historic site or within the hospitality industry, this course is designed to provide a basic understanding of why visitors seek historic experiences and how to enhance tourism potential. If you are planning on developing or enhancing anything from a placed-based walking tour to an interpretive sign to an evening lecture featuring local cuisine, this course will help you identify the tools you need to enhance your site’s cultural heritage tourism profile.
This course may be of particular interest to historic site personnel, board members, and volunteers; individuals in the hospitality industry; chamber of commerce members and staff; local government or historic review board representatives; and anyone who wants to support heritage tourism and historic preservation in their communities.
About the instructor:
Dorothy P. Guzzo served as executive director of the New Jersey Historic Trust from 2008-2024. From 1995 to 2008, as the deputy state historic preservation officer for New Jersey, she oversaw the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places, project certification to qualify for Investment Tax Credits, certifying local governments for implementing programs on the municipal level, historic and archaeological resource inventory and resource protection through state and federal regulations. She has held elected office and served on her municipal planning board and local historic preservation commission. Ms. Guzzo served on the New Jersey Heritage Tourism Task Force and was charged with creating a Heritage Tourism Master Plan for the state of New Jersey.
Monuments to Memory: The National Park Service and the Making of America’s Historic Landmarks
Wednesday, March 26, 2025 – Wednesday, April 23, 2025 at 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
5-week class | credit/no credit | 1 CEU
Online via Zoom and Canvas (Rutgers course management system)
This course introduces students to the history of the National Park Service, its mission, and the establishment of historic sites. Students will learn about the tumultuous history of putting together the first National Park and the political ramifications of starting the National Park Service. The course also covers the environmental problems faced by park service employees, as well as regular citizens, in the preservation of historic areas. Students will learn how to navigate the forms necessary for sites to be declared historical and federally protected. This course will serve as a foundation for understanding the National Park Service, its environmental history, problems that arose in its 100+ history that are still relevant today, and the process of establishing historic sites.
At the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Explain the history of the National Park Service
- Identify key problems facing historic sites, both environmental and political
- Understand how historic sites are identified
- Assess a National Park Service site or other historic sites’ historical interpretation
- Find and Identify an historic sites’ enabling legislation and use that document to assess that sites’ historical interpretation
Igniting the Spark: Initiating the Downtown Revitalization Process
Wednesday, April 30, 2025 – Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
5-week class | credit/no credit | 1 CEU
Hybrid (online class via Zoom and Canvas and in-person site visit)
Description: Have you ever walked through a dreary downtown or stared at a dilapidated building or an empty lot and wondered what could be? This class is geared toward professionals new to, or interested in, the placemaking field, and those who have a vested interest in how communities can be revitalized while retaining their unique, historic character. The intent of the course is to help students understand the factors that negatively impacted downtowns and how to correct or replace these factors to move toward a more inviting, safe and genuine sense of place. The course combines online learning, discussion, and short in-field exercises.
By the end of the course, students should understand the fundamentals of neighborhood revitalization to better engage in the process and have completed the following:
- Gain a general understanding of how traditional commercial districts lost their vitality and learn the basic components for revitalization
- Complete a reconnaissance assessment of existing physical conditions of a neighborhood of their choice
- Learn to identify historic characteristics of the neighborhood of their choice and other neighborhoods
- Propose general uses/improvements for an opportunity site that can later be included in a revitalization plan
The proposed course format is structured to inform and give hands-on experience to those interested in elevating their knowledge of neighborhood revitalization. This is not an architectural history or urban planning course but some understanding of buildings and urban design is helpful.