The Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (Columbia GSAPP) announced today that it will be launching a new Ph.D. Program in Historic Preservation—the first of its kind in the U.S. GSAPP has been a leader in the field of preservation education since it established the first Master in Historic Preservation program back in 1964. The introduction of the new program will set the standard for doctoral level education, provide intellectual leadership by training future generations of preservation scholars, and expand the discipline’s range.

"The Ph.D. in Historic Preservation recognizes the fact that the profession has matured into a vibrant discipline, with a specific body of theoretical and practical knowledge on how to learn from and intervene in historic buildings, cities and landscapes, such that they not only retain their values as historical documents but also serve as resources for designing the future" the school said in their announcement. "It is a given that the future will contain the past, not replace it, and this new doctoral program will promote scholarly work on how to incorporate the existing built environment into planning for a better future."

The effort has been led by Professor Jorge Otero-Pailos, Director of the Historic Preservation Program, along with the help of Dean Amale Andraos and Dean Emeritus Mark Wigley; It has been made possible by a leadership gift of $675,000 from José Roberto Marinho, who has endowed the first fellowship in his name.