Department of Architecture and Historic Preservation

ARCHITECTURE AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION AT MONTPELIER

Public Engagement
Fieldwork
Research

The Architecture and Historic Preservation Department is responsible for the research, maintenance, and preservation of the built environment at Montpelier.  This includes over 130 historic buildings spanning three centuries, as well as the ongoing reconstruction of the buildings in the South Yard.

Architecture and Historic Preservation Projects and Resources

The Architecture and Historic Preservation Department at Montpelier is responsible for so much more than the upkeep of the main house.  Beginning in 2015, the department has actively been researching and reconstructing the South Yard, preserving various buildings across the site, and managing an architectural study collection of over 15,000 artifacts and documents.  To learn more about these projects and more, click an image to the right.

The South Yard Dwellings

The South Yard Dwellings

Montpelier Digital Restoration Project

Montpelier Digital Restoration Project

The Montpelier Home Farm Project

The Montpelier Home Farm Project

Montpelier Digital Collections Project

Montpelier Digital Collections Project

The Architectural Fragment Collections

The Architectural Fragment Collections

LEARN Log Cabin Workshop

LEARN Log Cabin Workshop

Digging Deeper Blog

Our blog is the place to learn about the day to day projects happening in the Architecture and Historic Preservation department.  No two days are the same at Montpelier, so our blog is a place to see what’s happening behind the scenes.

LEARN Log Building with Us!

Learn historic log building methods alongside preservation staff and historic craftsmen. No experience necessary!

The Team

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Tessa Honeycutt, B.A.

Architectural Technician

As an Architectural Technician in the Architecture and Historic Preservation Department, Tessa sorts and organizes architectural records relating to the restoration. She also aids in the management of the 3D model of the Madison house. Tessa graduated from the University of Mary Washington in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in Historic Preservation. As a historic preservationist, Tessa is passionate about documenting historic structures and the numerous stories they tell.

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Jennifer Wilkoski Glass, MA.

former Director of Architecture and Historic Preservation at Montpelier

Jennifer Wilkoski Glass began her career at Montpelier with the Department of Architectural Research, working closely with historians and craftspeople on the restoration of Montpelier. She holds a B.A. in Historic Preservation from the University of Mary Washington, and an M.A. in Historic Preservation from the Savannah College of Art and Design. After the completion of the restoration, Jennifer moved to Williamsburg and worked with Mesick Cohen Wilson Baker Architects. She returned to Montpelier in 2015 to lead the architectural reconstructions in the South Yard. Her research interests include 18th and early 19th-century Chesapeake architecture, traditional building practices, and historic preservation. Jennifer has since become a colleague at Colonial Williamsburg, accepting the title of Shirley and Richard Roberts Architectural Historian at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in 2020.