Michael R. Allen / Architectural Historian and Director
Contact: michael@preservationresearch.com
Architectural historian Michael Allen founded Preservation Research Office in August 2009 after having worked professionally in historic preservation for nearly five years. The Preservation Research Office synthesizes Allen’s professional expertise and practice in public architectural history, started in 2003 when he began writing the well-read website (and now blog) Ecology of Absence. From 2005 through 2009, Michael worked at Landmarks Association of St. Louis, where he served as Assistant Director from 2007 through 2009. In recent years, Michael has lectured on architectural history, preservation and public history at Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis University, Fontbonne University, the St. Louis Artists’ Guild and other institutions. Allen is regular contributor to the NewsLetter of the Society of Architectural Historians, Missouri Valley Chapter, a regional journal of original research.
Michael has written on architectural and urban history, historic preservation and development for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis Beacon, The Vital Voice and St. Louis American and is a guest commentator for St. Louis Public Radio. Additionally, Michael serves on the Community Advisory Board to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Michael is President of Modern STL and also serves on the boards of the North Newstead Association and the St. Louis Building Arts Foundation. He serves as regional adviser for Metro East issues for Landmarks Illinois. In 2010, the national magazine Next American City named Michael Allen to its annual Next American Vanguard of young leaders working on shaping urban policy.
Some of Michael’s special interests include the evolution of early 20th century American commercial architecture, modernism in American architecture, public housing, 19th and 20th century hospital architecture, development of preservation strategies for at-risk distressed neighborhoods, the cultural landscapes created by abandonment and early Cold War-era military architecture. Michael has written (as sole or joint author) 34 National Register nominations. Michael has been listed as a qualified historic preservation consultant by the state of Missouri since 2006, Illinois since 2009 and Oklahoma since 2010. Michael holds a bachelor’s degree from Union Institute and University.
Lynn M. Josse / Architectural Historian
Contact: lynn@preservationresearch.com
Lynn Josse has conducted historic resource surveys and written National Register nominations professionally since 1994. As author of more than 30 successful nominations, Lynn is thoroughly familiar with National Register survey and nomination procedures. Lynn is St. Louis’ leading practitioner of neighborhood historic district surveys and nominations. She has led 15 major surveys in both St. Louis and Oregon and has also worked on a survey in North Dakota. Some of Lynn’s recent projects include the Oak Hill Historic District, Liggett and Myers Historic District and the St. Cecelia Historic District in St. Louis. Currently, Lynn teaches American Architectural History at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and serves as Acting Director of the Chatillon-DeMenil House Foundation .
Lynn is the co-author of the most recent architectural guide to St. Louis, St. Louis Landmarks and Historic Districts (with Carolyn Hewes Toft, 2002) and writer of the award-winning documentary University City: The First Century (2006). In 2004, Lynn was a Public Policy Research Center Fellow at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Prior to that, Lynn was Assistant Director of Landmarks Association of St. Louis, where she was employed from 1996 until 2003. Lynn has served on the boards of DeSales Community Housing Corporation and the Chatillon-DeMenil House Foundation and currently serves on the boards of Modern STL and the St. Louis Building Arts Foundation.
Additionally, Lynn has wide experience in public programming and has developed and utilized a variety of databases in Microsoft Access for both preservation and non-preservation clients. Lynn has been listed as a qualified historic preservation consultant by Missouri since 1996. Lynn has a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and a master’s degree in historic preservation from the University of Oregon.
Lindsey Derrington / Architectural Historian
Contact: lindsey@preservationresearch.com
Lindsey Derrington has worked professionally in cultural resource management since 2007. Lindsey is the sole author of six single-site National Register nominations and co-author of one more, all located in St. Louis or St. Louis County. One of these is a pro bono nomination for the Chuck Berry House in the Greater Ville. She is co-author of two historic district nominations and has been a team member on four architectural surveys in St. Louis. Lindsey is a member of the Board of Directors of Modern STL.
Additionally, during an internship in 2010, Lindsey represented the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans in Section 106 proceedings for endangered historic resources in New Orleans. Lindsey has been listed as a qualified historic preservation consultant by Louisiana and Missouri since 2010. Lindsey has a bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis and a master’s degree in historic preservation from Tulane University.
