Hi! I'm applying for an internship at an architectural history company with little no to experience (I'm a college student). They've asked if I've had any experience within the field and also want to know what I'm interested in doing as an intern. Does anyone who has an expertise in the area know what they are looking for/what I could expect as an intern? Let me know thanks!
awaiting_deletion
Mar 27, 15 8:39 pm
what does an "architectural history company" do?
citizen
Mar 27, 15 10:03 pm
Probably historic preservation.
awaiting_deletion
Mar 28, 15 9:26 am
recommendation to OP. Be honest and ask them what they would like you to know before you start?
For instance if you were in NYC, you could look-up various Landmark Preservation Committee sponsored or published books, some technical, some historical, check them out at the library or buy a few copies and become familiar presumably with 'preservation' techniques from detailing to municipal laws...
archhopeful
Mar 28, 15 11:39 am
My junior year of college I interned with a historic preservation non profit. When asked similar questions, I shared the few art history courses I had taken so far as well as my passion for architecture. I mostly just had to demonstrate that I could research and write before being hired as an intern (the art history courses I had taken had nothing to do with the era/style of architecture I would be working with). During that internship I condicted a research project to update the organizations records of all relevant buildings within the national historic register. This involved researching previous records of each building and visiting each structure to photograph and write up descriptions of the state of significant architectural elements. The research was used to create a publicly accessible database and for an exhibit the organization put together the next year.
Lissie9824
Mar 30, 15 8:48 pm
Thanks for the info! And yes, an architectural history company works mainly with historic preservation. There's certain laws in place (at least in California) that require a historic analysis of the area before any new development projects from a company like the one I mentioned, e.g. making sure an area where they want to build apartments has no historically significant buildings that shouldn't be torn down.
Lian Chikako Chang
Mar 31, 15 10:58 am
See if your school's career office can help you craft your response. You want to sell yourself well, but without lying. And be ambitious in telling them what you want to do, but also flexible (are you willing to clean the fridge and answer phones if you also get to do some research and draft some memos?)
They'll probably want someone who is good at research (framing questions and finding answers to them--this doesn't have to imply a fancy methodology), writing, and taking care of details. That might get you in even without specific experience in this kind of firm or context.
Hi! I'm applying for an internship at an architectural history company with little no to experience (I'm a college student). They've asked if I've had any experience within the field and also want to know what I'm interested in doing as an intern. Does anyone who has an expertise in the area know what they are looking for/what I could expect as an intern? Let me know thanks!
what does an "architectural history company" do?
Probably historic preservation.
recommendation to OP. Be honest and ask them what they would like you to know before you start?
For instance if you were in NYC, you could look-up various Landmark Preservation Committee sponsored or published books, some technical, some historical, check them out at the library or buy a few copies and become familiar presumably with 'preservation' techniques from detailing to municipal laws...
My junior year of college I interned with a historic preservation non profit. When asked similar questions, I shared the few art history courses I had taken so far as well as my passion for architecture. I mostly just had to demonstrate that I could research and write before being hired as an intern (the art history courses I had taken had nothing to do with the era/style of architecture I would be working with). During that internship I condicted a research project to update the organizations records of all relevant buildings within the national historic register. This involved researching previous records of each building and visiting each structure to photograph and write up descriptions of the state of significant architectural elements. The research was used to create a publicly accessible database and for an exhibit the organization put together the next year.
Thanks for the info! And yes, an architectural history company works mainly with historic preservation. There's certain laws in place (at least in California) that require a historic analysis of the area before any new development projects from a company like the one I mentioned, e.g. making sure an area where they want to build apartments has no historically significant buildings that shouldn't be torn down.
See if your school's career office can help you craft your response. You want to sell yourself well, but without lying. And be ambitious in telling them what you want to do, but also flexible (are you willing to clean the fridge and answer phones if you also get to do some research and draft some memos?)
They'll probably want someone who is good at research (framing questions and finding answers to them--this doesn't have to imply a fancy methodology), writing, and taking care of details. That might get you in even without specific experience in this kind of firm or context.