Charles E. Peterson

For the American football and basketball coach and college dean, see Charles E. Peterson (coach).

Charles Emil Peterson (1906 – 2004) is an American preserver. He is known for professionalizing historic preservation in the United States. He is referred to as the "founding father" of the professional advocation of historic preservation,[1] the "godfather of preservation,"[2] and an "extraordinary preservationist"[3] who made important contributions to the knowledge of early American building practices, helped create the profession of the preservation architect, and passionately advocated for the retention and restoration of the American built heritage. According to Jacques Dalibard, a professor at McGill University School of Architecture, "with James Marston Fitch,[4] I cannot think of two people who had more influence on historic preservation in North America."[5]

During his long career, Peterson received numerous awards for his service including the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Louise du Pont Crowninshield Award (1966) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) medal for "vision and determination" (1979) and the Presidential Citation (1990). The AIA inducted him into the College of Fellows in 1962.[6][7]

  1. ^ Ferrick, Tom Jr. (8 September 2004). "He Gave New Life to What Was Old". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  2. ^ "Charles E. Peterson, FAIA, Godfather of Historic Preservation". AIArchitect. 27 August 2004.
  3. ^ Waite, Diana S. (2006). "In Memory of Charles E. Peterson, 1906-2004". APT Bulletin. 37 (1): 2–6. JSTOR 40004675.
  4. ^ James Marston Fitch created the historic preservation program at Columbia University in the 1960s.
  5. ^ Dalibard, Jacques (2006). "In Memory of Charles E. Peterson, 1906-2004". APT Bulletin. 37 (1): 3.
  6. ^ Sims, Ronan Gayle (20 August 2004). "Charles E. Peterson, 97, Preservationist". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  7. ^ "Charles E. Peterson, FAPT, FAIA, FSAH (1906-2004)". Communiqué. 33 (3). Association for Preservation Technology International. 2004.