HISTORIC PRESERVATION: HISTORY & THEORY

ARC 342R / ARC 388R.17 / CRP 392C 
Thurs 2:00 – 5:00pm, SUT 3.112 
Open to all UTSOA grad students and advanced undergraduates 
Michael Holleran: holleran@utexas.edu 

History of the historic preservation movement and the preservation professions, and the principles by which they operate. Evolution of preservation standard approaches, critiques and alternatives, and problems within the field. The first section of the course explores the history of preservation, and of preservation ideas, in Europe and the United States. The second part frames the philosophical questions of preservation: the ways different actors ascribe significance to artifacts, symbols, and forms in the environment; different ways of balancing significance with natural decay, organic evolution and demands for change. 

The class is taught as a seminar, which relies for its success on a variety of backgrounds and viewpoints, so all are emphatically welcome. 

A brick corner with two street signs: one reads OLD BUILDINGS and the other reads NEW SQUARE. There is a metal fence and greenery visible on the right side.

PROGRAM(S)

Architecture
Architectural History
Community and Regional Planning
Historic Preservation
Sustainable Design

SEMESTER(S)

Fall 2026
Fall 2023
Fall 2025