Building Tradition Episode 27: Interview with Carl Lounsbury

Host Peter H. Miller, Hon AIA interviews Carl R. Lounsbury, professor of History at the College of William and Mary, who served as the Senior Architectural Historian for Colonial Williamsburg for over twenty-five years. Listen in as professor Lounsbury discusses his research and his discoveries of American life in the 18th century. 

During his tenure, Mr. Lounsbury conducted research, excavated archeological sites and used both traditional crafts and new technologies to better understand and report on the political, cultural, social and architectural history of Colonial Williamsburg Virginia and the U. S.

"Early on the research at Williamsburg was about how the buildings looked, so that we could restore or replicate them, Mr. Lounsbury explains." "During my tenure, our research was more focused on how these buildings were used, how the people living in the village interacted. This provides us with a more authentic narrative."

Mr. Lounsbury chronicles this architectural history in his book RESTORING WILLIAMSBURG, his second on the topic. And he will be the keynote speaker at the upcoming Traditional Building Conference in Williamsburg June 10-11, 2025.