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Rachel Barnhart

Lecturer

Contact

Bio

RACHEL BARNHART (she/her/hers) is a historic preservation specialist with seven years of experience working in the private and public sectors. She currently works for the Federal Emergency Management Agency reviewing disaster recovery grants for legal compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act and the National Environmental Policy Act and conducting research and writing for Section 106 consultation. From 2016 to 2021, Ms. Barnhart worked as a National Register specialist for historic preservation tax credit consultation firms in Kansas City, Missouri, and Chicago. During this time, she completed multiple National Register nominations, Part 1 historic tax credit applications, and local landmark designation reports. She also conducted several architectural and historic resource surveys. Ms. Barnhart entered the historic preservation field as a National Register and Survey Specialist at the Missouri State Historic Preservation Office. In addition to reviewing and editing submitted surveys and National Register nominations, her responsibilities included researching and evaluating historic resources for National Register eligibility. While in this position she conducted a reconnaissance survey of historic commercial resources in downtown Macon, Missouri, and completed the National Register nomination for the Ilasco Historic District in Hannibal, Missouri, listed for significance in Ethnic Heritage.

Ms. Barnhart holds a BA in Journalism and an MHP in Historic Preservation from Georgia State University in Atlanta.

Courses

Title Department Catalog Term

Description

This lecture/discussion course examines the research, documentation, and analysis of historic structures through the lens of the National Register of Historic Places nomination process.The course will explore the various research methods and resources currently available and commonly used by historic preservation professionals, and students will have the opportunity to visit several Chicago research repositories to conduct research first-hand. Students will learn a common standard for written architectural descriptions, as well as criteria for evaluating historic significance. The course will also explore several essential aspects of the National Register process, including the development of historic contexts and evaluation of historic integrity.

Readings will include: ?Your House Has a History,? published by the Department of Planning and Development, City of Chicago; National Register Bulletin 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria; National Register Bulletin 16A: How to Complete the National Register Registration Form; as well as a wide variety of National Register Nominations and Chicago Landmark Designation Reports.

Students will develop research, analytic, and writing skills that are fundamental to historic preservation work through the completion of a National Register nomination for an assigned historic building, as well as through several small research and writing assignments. Several guest lectures given throughout the semester will provide students with insight into how research and architectural writing is used in various professional contexts, and students will present their National Register nominations at the end of the semester to a panel of historic preservation professionals.

Class Number

2170

Credits

3