Professor of Historic Preservation Michael Spencer was quoted in Daily Kos in an article titled “Move over, France: Trump wants his own Arc de Triomphe.” The piece explores reports that the  President is considering a large-scale commemorative structure in Washington, D.C., raising questions about preservation and planning.

Spencer noted the tension between preservation principles and political ambitions: “We’re oftentimes viewed as getting in the way of progress, and I would say in this particular instance, you’ve got a lot of strong personalities and they’re under no obligation to really follow best practices as preservation puts forth.” Read the full article from Daily Kos.

Professor of Historic Preservation Michael Spencer was quoted by residents at an October Fredericksburg City Council meeting regarding the suburban College Heights area and its uniqueness for lessons in historic preservation. The article, titled “College Heights residents lobby for creation of conservation district,” which ran in the Fredericksburg Free Press, highlights Spencer’s remarks regarding the creation of a conservation district for the area. Read the article.

Michael Spencer, Associate Professor in the University of Mary Washington Department of Historic Preservation, is completing measured drawings and a conditions report as the first step in the process. Read more.

J.J. Ballentine was the first president of the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc. and according to a 2016 article about him by Michael Spencer, an associate professor of Historic Preservation at the University of Mary Washington, he worked to preserve the City’s historic buildings by “implementing a revolving fund program that purchased properties beginning with the 500 block of Caroline Street with the intent to preserve them.” Read more.

Associate Professor of Historic Preservation Michael Spencer was highlighted by SmithMountainLake.com in a piece called “Restoration Efforts Begin on Park’s Oldest Structure.” The article referenced Spencer’s visit last year to Booker T. Washington National Monument and his inspection of the tobacco barn that is the site’s oldest structure. “He … spent several days doing a detailed inspection of the barn to see what needed to be replaced,” the article said. “He was able to find out which logs were damaged due to rot or other factors and what varieties of trees were used to construct the barn.” Read more.

Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Historic Preservation Michael Spencer joined Historic Fredericksburg Foundation President David James on “Town Talk with Ted Schubel” to talk about some of the issues being debated in the city over preserving history. Listen here.