Historic Annapolis is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2021 Historic Annapolis Preservation Award. HA's Preservation Award honors those who have connected the history and culture of our city through historic preservation and education. Over the next few weeks, we will be highlighting this year's awardees and celebrating their dedication to historic preservation as advocates, educators, and stewards.
2021 Preservation Award – Grant Dehart, Lifetime Achievement in Preservation
Historic Annapolis is pleased to present a 2021 Preservation Award to Grant Dehart in the category of “Lifetime Achievement in Preservation.” Grant Dehart is a leader in the preservation field—locally and nationally -- so much so that he also holds the prestigious position as a Trust Advisor to the National Trust for Historic Preservation for the state of Maryland. As a new preservationist, it was a delight to be able to speak with such an admirable leader whose passion for preservation is contagious.
“I’ve had a lot of favorite jobs,” Mr. Dehart laughs as he recounts his accomplished career in historic preservation. Throughout his 40+ years in the field, his career has taken him from Nebraska to London to San Francisco, eventually bringing him back to Annapolis, where he has been a resident of Murray Hill for over 30 years. After an impressive career, we spoke with Mr. Dehart about what he has found to be some of the highlights.
A graduate from the Architecture School at the University of Nebraska, Mr. Dehart began his career working for an architect in London. He fondly remembers travelling around the European countryside with his new wife, Linda. Following his time in London, he returned to the United States and after working in Annapolis and Boston for a few years, he earned Graduate degrees in Architecture and City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Dehart includes his tenure as the Pacific Regional Manager of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Coastal Zone Management as a highlight in his career. From 1976 to 1981, he travelled along the Pacific Coast administering annual grants to five states and three territories. In this position he helped formulate protection policies and legislation for the agency’s most advanced state coastal protection plan.
Following his position with NOAA, Mr. Dehart served as the Executive Director for the Foundation for San Francisco’s Architectural Heritage for close to five years. This organization, much like Historic Annapolis, is known for preservation advocacy, education, rehabilitation, and stewardship services, as well as managing 46 easements. The Foundation’s downtown preservation strategy and historic building survey helped local government officials incorporate preservation policies to protect hundreds of buildings—this included the establishment of new height, bulk, and design controls, the creation of six conservation districts, and a process to transfer development rights.
Mr. Dehart returned to Annapolis in 1986 and then served as the Director of the Maryland Environmental Trust where he was responsible for protecting 30,000 acres of private property through conservation easements on forests, farmlands, wetlands, historic estates, scenic open spaces, and shorelines. He continued working for the state for eight years as the Director of Maryland’s Program Open Space. This program uses easement acquisition and local grants for the protection of natural, recreational, wildlife, forestry, and historic resources. During Mr. Dehart’s tenure as Director, the program protected 138,000 acres of open space in Maryland.
Now a permanent resident of Annapolis, evidence of his preservation work can be seen from coast to coast. When asked about advice for new preservationists, Mr. Dehart noted that preservation “starts with the importance of the resources themselves: how significant they are and how loved they are by the community.” He advises preservation-minded individuals to be willing to take on the fight and use the local community interest along with tried-and-true preservation techniques such as overlay zoning and historic review processes. “One of the most important tools we can use for preservation is the creation of height and bulk restrictions.” To that point, he has been influential in advocating for 11 Most Endangered Site designations by the National Trust.
It is through the dedicated work of Preservationists such as Grant Dehart that we can enjoy our historic cities, parks, and open spaces. HA is honored to recognize his hard work and contributions to the field of Historic Preservation with a 2021 Preservation Award. I am grateful for what he has taught me.
by Carolyn Currin
#history #preservation #preservationaward #historicannapolis #historicpreservation #lifetimeachievement #award
