Design alum builds career at intersection of preservation, community impact

When Rebecca Fenwick looks at a building, she sees more than brick and mortar. She sees the people, stories and sense of place that give it meaning, along with the possibilities it can still hold for a community. 

That perspective has guided Fenwick into a career that connects preservation, entrepreneurship and community impact. Through her firm, Ethos Preservation, the University of Kentucky historic preservation alum helps communities protect the places that define them while planning for what comes next. 

Fenwick’s path into historic preservation started early, shaped in part by parents whose careers and hobbies reflected a shared interest in history and place. During her undergraduate studies at the University of Mary Washington, she was introduced to preservation as a field wide enough to include archaeology, museums, architecture and community history. By the time she graduated, Fenwick knew she wanted to focus on the built environment for her preservation career. 

“I was always interested in buildings, and it was evident to me that our surroundings influence so much of our lives,” Fenwick said. “The things that make a place unique and authentic — its sense of place, its walkability, its character — are often tied to historic preservation. People do not always see the policy work behind it, but that is what helps make sure those buildings are still standing and contributing to the community.” 

During her time in the UK College of Design, Fenwick began turning that perspective into practice. Her graduate research focused on former mill houses in North Carolina and how they could be reused for affordable housing, linking historic preservation to the everyday needs of communities. The work helped her see preservation not only as a way to protect buildings, but also as a tool for keeping places meaningful, useful and connected to the people who live there. 

She found that same lesson outside the classroom. As part of a student group, Fenwick helped organize a professional-scale symposium on adaptive reuse, bringing national speakers to campus and helping manage the details. The experience showed her how preservation work depends on collaboration, communication and a willingness to bring people together around what places can become.  

“That was real-world experience,” she said. “It showed us what we were capable of beyond the classroom.”  

After graduating in 2011, Fenwick began working in municipal preservation, then moved into private practice in Savannah, Georgia. Over time, she saw both the opportunities and the challenges of preserving historic places at different scales, from citywide planning to individual buildings. 

In 2019, she took a leap. Fenwick and her business partner launched Ethos Preservation, a small firm with a clear mission: help people navigate preservation and use it as a tool for community growth. 

Seven years later, the firm has grown into a team supporting projects across multiple levels. 

“We try to meet people where they are,” Fenwick said. “It can seem complex, but we help connect the dots and make it accessible.” 

That approach drives a wide range of work. On a large scale, Ethos partners with cities and nonprofits to create historic districts, write design guidelines and support long-term planning. On a smaller scale, the firm works directly with property owners, helping them apply for tax credits or navigate local regulations. In every case, the goal is the same: empower communities and individuals to understand and invest in their own history. 

One recent project highlights that impact. Ethos is leading the interior restoration of Savannah City Hall, guiding decisions about design, materials and function. In a field where preservation is often treated as secondary, Fenwick’s team is helping lead the process as the firm of record for the project. 

“To have preservation guide the project from the start, that’s important,” she said. “It means those historic elements are central, not an afterthought.”  

The firm’s work also reaches beyond individual buildings. Another project “Georgia’s Full Story,” a statewide planning document focused on Black history in Georgia, shows how preservation can operate at a broader scale. Rather than guiding the future of one site, the project helps communities think more deeply about which histories are recognized, which places are protected and how preservation can bring more stories into public view. 

For Fenwick, that kind of work reflects the larger purpose of preservation. It is not only about saving buildings. It is also about helping communities understand the people, events and places that shaped them. Whether she is working with a city government or a homeowner, she sees preservation as a way to build stronger communities. 

“It’s relationship-driven,” she said. “We don’t just hand over a plan. We stay involved and help people move forward.”  

That mindset has shaped both her career and her business. It has also reinforced a lesson she first developed at UK: the built environment is never just about buildings. It is about the stories they hold and the future they help create. 

This story originally ran in UKNow here.