Press Release
June 25, 2024
Contact: Kristina Wyckoff
State Historic Preservation Office, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-521-6381
kristina.wyckoff@history.ok.gov
www.okhistory.org/shpo
State Historic Preservation Office Webinar to Feature Chief of Historic American Buildings Survey
OKLAHOMA CITY—On Thursday, July 11, at noon, the State Historic Preservation Office will host a free webinar with Catherine Lavoie, chief of the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) with the National Park Service (NPS). She will discuss the program, how and why it was started, its mission, and its value, with a focus on HABS’s work in Oklahoma.
HABS was established in 1933 as a unique public-private partnership between NPS, the Library of Congress (LOC), and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) aimed at creating an archive of America’s architectural heritage. Under NPS management, AIA “district officers” in various states across the nation heeded the call to action, selecting and recording sites they deemed worthy of recognition through measured drawings, historical reports, and photographs. The documentation was housed at the LOC and made available to the public. The standards developed by the HABS program continue to be used to systematically record historic architecture while field testing new technologies to determine best practices and training the next generation of preservationists. HABS documentation is extremely valuable for the rehabilitation and restoration of historic properties. The collection now spans about 45,000 sites and can be viewed online through the LOC website.
Catherine Lavoie has a master’s degree in American Studies from the University of Maryland with an emphasis in historic preservation and material culture. She worked briefly in state and local preservation before coming to HABS as a historian intern, rising to senior historian and finally chief in 2008. Most recently, she co-authored Buildings of Maryland, the latest in the Society of Architectural Historians Buildings of the United States series.
Registration for the webinar is required. For more information, contact Kristina Wyckoff, Section 106 coordinator and historic archaeologist, at 405-521-6381 or kristina.wyckoff@history.ok.gov.
The State Historic Preservation Office is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.
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