Link to graduate thesis: Amanda Molson MAHP thesis

Link to Powerpoint presentation: Preservation NC Annual Conference (2026) ~ Coming soon!

My personal preservation interest lies with “functional” buildings and sites, particularly those that are traditionally underappreciated and/or challenging to adapt for a new use. Examples include historic correctional institutions, mental institutions, campuses, airplane hangars, transportation depots, warehouses and factories, armories and stadiums. I am particularly intrigued by the influence of broad sociological context and individual psychology on the resulting built environment and its future interpretation.

I hold a Master of Arts in Historic Preservation (2010) and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Wake Forest University (1999). I spent nearly six years working for the D.C. Historic Preservation Office (HPO). While employed at HPO, I reviewed thousands of projects at the staff level that affected buildings or other protected sites located in historic districts or individually designated as historic landmarks. I have experience in the review of demolitions, new construction, major alterations, and historic landscape changes in building typologies including residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional design.

I presented over 150 large-scale and/or contested cases to the D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board at public hearings. These projects involved extensive consultation with property owners, neighbors, architects and developers, fellow city government agencies, local Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, affected neighborhood preservation organizations, and other interested parties. In a professional capacity, I have spoken at numerous public meetings and have addressed events at the Washington Design Center and the D.C. Preservation League.

Additionally, I have experience with preparing landmark nominations, drafting design guidelines and coordinating reviews with the National Park Service and easement-holding organizations. I served on the Board of Directors for the preservation organization tasked with protecting Washington’s largest historic district. During graduate school, I completed internships with the National Park Service (landscape history) and the National Trust for Historic Preservation (public policy). Prior to attending graduate school, I was a Congressional staffer for eight years.