Building Tradition Episode 26: Interview with Kathryn Brown

Host Peter H. Miller, Hon AIA interviews Kathryn Brown of Building Conservation Associates. They discuss her work on the U S Capital, the Jefferson Memorial and Harper’s Ferry, collaborating with the National Park Service and the stone masons, engineers, and architects who preserve our architectural history.

Jefferson Memorial

Credit: Building Conservation Associates, Inc.

Host Peter H. Miller, Hon AIA interviews Kathryn Brown of Building Conservation Associates. They discuss her work on the U S Capital, the Jefferson Memorial and Harper's Ferry, collaborating with the National Park Service and the stone masons, engineers, and architects who preserve our architectural history.

Erin Ingraffia Photography

Like the stone, brick, and marble materials she analyzes on historic buildings, Kathryn Brown's career experience in construction has made her resilient. And the unpredictability of historic preservation, like peeling away failed material to discover a "surprise" has made her adaptive.

"You are never sure of what you're going to find when working in historic preservation, Ms. Brown explains, that's what makes our work so interesting." As a senior architectural conservator for Building Conservation Associates, "Katie" is responsible for preservation project management, including construction administration services and assessment of architectural materials. "I spent three years working on the masonry restoration at Longwood Gardens, where I learned a lot from the masons."

Her construction experience "made me a better designer," Katie tells us. "Preservation design is about knowing how materials interact with each other and solving the problems of material failure."