University of Vermont Historic Preservation Faculty Thomas Visser

Thomas D. Visser, Associate Professor of Historic Preservation, serves as the director of the graduate program in historic preservation at the University of Vermont. He teaches courses in researching historic buildings, architectural conservation, building technology, and other preservation topics. Prof. Visser has taught courses in the Historic Preservation Program and has completed nearly two hundred funded research projects while directing the program's Architectural Conservation and Education Service since 1985.

Visser currently serves on the board of directors of the National Council for Preservation Education and on the board of advisers for The Preservation Education Institute. He has also served as a board member of Preservation Action and the Ruggles Foundation and has been accepted as a Professional Associate by the American Institute of Conservation (AIC). Locally, he has also served as the chair of the Burlington Design Review Board and the Burlington Historic Preservation Review Committee and as a member of the Vermont District 4 Environmental (Act 250) Commission. At the University of Vermont, he has served as chair of the Faculty Senate Financial and Physical Planning Committee and as a member of the Faculty Senate Executive Council, the Campus Master Planning Committee and the Ad-hoc Campus Sculpture Committee.

As a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant award, Thomas Visser's scholarly research has focused on the preservation of rural vernacular architecture. His award-winning Field Guide to New England Barns and Farm Buildings was published by the University Press of New England. In addition to numerous professional reports and nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, Visser's articles and works are published in such journals as the Bulletin of the Association for Preservation Technology, Vermont History and New England Quarterly. He speaks regularly to preservation organizations and historical societies on a variety of preservation research topics, including historic barns, building preservation technology, and the history of porches.

Email address and link: Thomas.Visser@uvm.edu