Preserving the past, Shaping the future: Inside UK’s Historic Preservation program

At the University of Kentucky’s College of Design, the Master of Historic Preservation (MHP) program is more than a degree; it’s a launching pad for advocacy, storytelling and cultural stewardship. Small in size but broad in vision, the program attracts students from a wide range of backgrounds who share a common goal: to ensure that the stories embedded in the built environment don’t fade with time. 

For Erica Friis, a 2025 MHP graduate, that story began not in Lexington but in Oklahoma, where she grew up a self-described “history nerd.” While her home state has its own rich past, it was Lexington’s layered architectural and social history that captured her imagination when she began visiting family in Kentucky. That fascination led her to leave behind a 12-year teaching career and leap into a new field rooted in her longtime passions for storytelling and place. Friis’s thesis project epitomized the creative breadth the HP program encourages. While some students pursue architectural documentation or archival research, Friis chose to explore podcasting as a preservation tool.  

“A lot of people don’t realize what the National Register [of Historic Places] really is or how accessible preservation can be,” she said. “Podcasting has the power to demystify that.”  

Her thesis project focuses on the Warehouse Block, a once-overlooked industrial area of Lexington that has transformed into a hub for creative small businesses. Partnering with local developer Chad Walker, Friis has created a podcast series that delves into the area's overlooked history, interviews current business owners, and documents the process of listing key sites like Epping’s on Eastside on the National Register of Historic Places. But for Friis, preservation goes beyond bricks and mortar. She’s also working to document the history of Lexington’s LGBTQ+ community, particularly the legacy of The Bar Complex, a longstanding safe space for queer Kentuckians. In collaboration with the Faulkner Morgan Archive, she is building a comprehensive record of the club’s cultural importance.  

“Buildings are wonderful,” she said, “but I think people are even better. Their stories need to be told.” 

Friis isn’t alone in her creative approach. For Kopana Terry, a fellow 2025 MHP graduate, historic preservation is the creative convergence point of a richly varied career. Originally a professional touring musician, she transitioned into a role at UK Libraries after earning a BA in photography and a master’s in library and information science. Now curator of newspapers in UK’s Special Collections, her work in oral history and archives naturally led her to historic preservation, a field that, as she puts it, “pulls all [her] interests together.” 

Her thesis research explores the connection between place, identity and natural disasters, with a focus on how communities in Appalachia are impacted by the loss of built environments. The project was born from a deeply personal place: her hometown of West Liberty, Kentucky, which was devastated by an EF-3 tornado in 2012.  

“I needed to know, in part, why I was so troubled by the loss of a built environment that had influenced my life, and how many others felt the same way, how they dealt with the aftermath, and how we can prepare ourselves for future extreme weather,” Terry said. 

Terry's work is not just academic; it’s aspirational. With the support of her thesis committee and colleagues in Special Collections, she’s already exploring collaborations with Appalachian communities on disaster preparedness and climate resilience. She hopes her work will shift the field toward more intangible preservation, acknowledging not just the physical buildings lost in a disaster, but the cultural memory and identity they carry.  

“I've just completed my thesis, but this is just the beginning of my life's work. I've only just begun addressing the many unanswered questions that still exist around the subject,” Terry said. “When disaster strikes, we don't just lose buildings, we're given an opportunity to reimagine what comes next in their place. That can be critically important to the character and identity of a town and future generations.”  

Meanwhile, John Limbaugh, another 2025 MHP grad, has taken a more traditional but no less meaningful approach to preservation. After years as a high school history teacher, he sought a new career path that would still allow him to educate others. His journey led him toward becoming a National Park Service ranger and historic preservation student, where his passion for storytelling and historic places could thrive. 

Limbaugh’s research centers on St. Peter’s Catholic Church in downtown Lexington, which he is nominating for the National Register of Historic Places. His project focuses on the church’s architectural significance, highlighting its designer Edward J. Schulte, an innovative architect whose early work, including St. Peter’s, blends traditional and modernist elements.   

Working closely with the St. Peter’s parish and his faculty committee, Limbaugh ended the academic year by finalizing his nomination for submission to the Kentucky State Historic Preservation Office and the National Park Service. He hopes his research will not only help preserve the church but also elevate the profile of Schulte and encourage more preservation of religious structures.  

“The most rewarding part of the research process has been getting to discover the history of the parish and to help the parish community to better understand it's story,” Limbaugh said. 

Like his classmates above, Limbaugh sees historic preservation as a way to connect people to their histories, especially outside the traditional classroom setting.  

“In our world where people are forgetting history, it is now more important than ever that we have stop gaps like the NPS system and other preservation organizations to educate people,” Limbaugh said.   

He plans to continue working for the National Park Service, using his skills to improve and interpret historic buildings in parks and heritage sites. 

Together, these three students exemplify the diverse directions professionals can take within historic preservation. Whether through digital archives, oral histories, architectural surveys, or formal nominations, their work illustrates how this field embraces multiple disciplines. It is, as Terry describes, “a discipline where anthropology, sociology, engineering, psychology, and geography all have a seat at the table.” 

“That’s what’s so special about this program,” Friis said. “We all came to it for different reasons, and we’ve all been encouraged to pursue the work that matters most to us.” 

That multidisciplinary spirit is what makes the MHP program at UK so impactful.; it allows students not only to preserve history, but to use it to inform recovery, enhance identity, inspire education and build stronger communities for the future. 

Learn more about UK's Department of Historic Preservation at https://design.uky.edu/academics/department-historic-preservation.