Sally Kress Tompkins Fellowship

The Sally Kress Tompkins Fellowship, a joint program of the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) and the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), permits a graduate student in architectural history or a related field to work on a 12-week HABS history project during the summer. The Fellow will conduct research on a nationally significant U.S. building or site, and will prepare a written history to become part of the permanent HABS collection. The Fellow's research interests and goals will inform the building or site selected by HABS staff. The Fellow is usually stationed in the HABS Washington, DC, office. Recipients are also required to upload a minimum of 50 images to SAH's SAHARA image database.

Award Stipend

The award consists of a $12,000 stipend. The successful applicant will be notified in late January and will be recognized during the SAH's 77th Annual Meeting held in April in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The award includes travel, hotel accommodation, and registration for the SAH Annual Meeting up to $1,000.

Eligibility

Applicants should be pursuing graduate studies in U.S. architectural history or a related field, and be a U.S. citizen.

How to Apply

Please submit the following in a single pdf by December 31, 2023 (email receipt):

  1. Cover letter including current mailing address, school affiliation, email, and phone
  2. Resume/CV
  3. College transcript (unofficial transcripts are acceptable)
  4. Writing sample: an unpublished paper, not to exceed 40 pages, demonstrating primary research and a command of secondary sources, in architectural history or an aspect of the built environment
  5. Letter of recommendation from a faculty member or recent employer (can be submitted separately or with application pdf)

Name the application pdf as follows: YourLastName_SKT2024.pdf. Submit it via email to:

Chad Randl, Coordinator
Sally Kress Tompkins Fellowship
Heritage Documentation Programs
National Park Service
Email: e-mail us

Note: Applicants are encouraged to submit a separate application for summer historian positions with HDP.

Past Fellows

2023 - Calvin Nguyen (University of Pennsylvania)

  • Project: Central Plaza (HALS CA-174)
  • Location: Los Angeles, California

2022 - Kennedy Younger Dold (University of Edinburgh, Scotland)

  • Project: Lawrence City Library (HABS KS-85)
  • Location: Lawrence, Kansas

2021 - Charlette Caldwell (Columbia University)

  • Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church - Germantown (HABS PA-6811)
  • Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

2020 - Travis Olson (University of Wisconsin, Madison)

  • Project: City of Philadelphia Recreation Centers (HABS PA-6803 through HABS PA-6810, and HABS PA-6816)
  • Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

2019 - Mary Fesak (University of Delaware)

  • Project: Montpelier Thoroughbred Racing Complex (HABS VA-1214 series)
  • Location: Montpelier Station, Virginia

2018 - Vyta Baselice (George Washington University)

  • Project: Burroughs Wellcome Headquarters (HABS NC-418)
  • Location: Durham, North Carolina

2017 - V. Camille Westmont (University of Maryland)

  • Project: Worker Housing in Eckley Miners' Village (HABS PA-6799 series)
  • Location: Eckley, Pennsylvania

2016 - Amber Bailey (Loyola University Chicago)

2015 - Samuel Palfreyman (Boston University)

  • Project: Washington Chapel, Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (HABS DC-539)
  • Location: Washington, DC

2014 - Rebecca Summer (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

  • Project: Hecht's Company Warehouse (HABS DC-862)
  • Location: Washington, DC

2013 - Kate Reggev (Columbia University)

2012 - Rachel Hopkin (Western Kentucky University)

2011 - Kathryn Lasdow (University of Virginia)

  • Project: Decatur House (HABS DC-16)
  • Location: Washington, DC

2010 - Kate M. Kocyba (University of Missouri)

  • Project: George Washington Masonic National Memorial (HABS VA-1431)
  • Location: Alexandria, Virginia

2009 - Susan Hall (University of California, Riverside)

  • Project: War Department-Era Structures at Antietam National Battlefield and Antietam National Cemetery (various HABS numbers)
  • Location: Sharpsburg, Maryland

2008 - No award

2007 - Lisa J. Mroszczyk (Columbia University)

  • Project: Barns of Mid-Maryland (HABS MD-1275)
  • Location: Frederick, Carroll, and Washington Counties, Maryland

2006 - David Amott (University of Delaware)

2005 - LaDale C. Winling (University of Michigan)

  • Project: Springhill Lake Apartments (HABS MD-1216)
  • Location: Greenbelt, Maryland

2004 - Francesca Russello Ammon (Yale University)

  • Project: Southwest Washington, Urban Renewal Area (HABS DC-856)
  • Location: Washington, DC

2003 - Margaret Tulloch (University of Virginia)

  • Project: U.S. Naval Asylum, Biddle Hall (HABS PA-1622-A)
  • Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

2002 - Rachel Leibowitz (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

2001 - Kathryn Wollan (University of California - Santa Barbara)

  • Project: Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Carriage Roads (HAER VT-27)
  • Location: Woodstock, Vermont

2000 - Jon Lamar Wilson (University of Mississippi)

  • Project: Graeme Park (HABS PA-579)
  • Location: Horsham vicinity, Pennsylvania

1999 - No award

1998 - Katherine M. Larson (University of Vermont)

  • Project: Study of Rowhousing in Washington, DC

1997 - Christopher P. VerPlanck (University of Virginia)

  • Project: Southern Textile Mill Workers' Housing Typology

1996 - Jean Louise Guarino

  • Project: Church of St. James the Less (HABS PA-1725)
  • Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

1995 - Sheila R. Crane

1994 - Rebecca A. Jacobsen

1993 - Keith L. Eggener

  • Project: William Enston House (HABS SC-686)
  • Location: Charleston, South Carolina

1992 - Dena Sanford (University of Oregon)

1991 - Lauren Farber (University of Delaware)

Last updated: November 8, 2023

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