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.
PAST FELLOWS
Past Fellows have worked with measured drawings teams in the field and have produced historical reports on varied sites for HABS, such as Rancho Santa Fe in California (1991), Lowell Observatory in Arizona (1994), Graeme Park in Pennsylvania (2000), and the William Allen White House in Kansas (2002). Fellows have written HABS histories on War Department-era structures (including the Lodge House, Rostrum, and Observation Tower) at Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg, MD (2009), music industry-related sites in Nashville, TN (2012, including RCA Studio B and United Record Pressing Plant), the former Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Washington Chapel (2015), LGBTQ nightlife-related sites in Washington, DC (2016), the Marion DuPont racing barn complex at Montpelier (2019), and Mount Vernon Baptist Church (formerly Bethel AME of Germantown) in Philadelphia (2021).
Applicants should be pursuing graduate studies in U.S. architectural history or a related field, and be a U.S. citizen.
Please submit the following in a single pdf by December 31, 2021 (email receipt):
- Cover letter including current mailing address, school affiliation, email, and phone.
- Resume/CV.
- College transcript (unofficial transcripts are acceptable).
- Writing sample: an unpublished paper, not to exceed 40 pages, demonstrating primary research and a command of secondary sources, in architectural history or an aspect of the built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.
- 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_SKT2022.pdf. Submit it via email to:
Catherine Lavoie, Coordinator
Sally Kress Tompkins Fellowship
Heritage Documentation Programs
National Park Service
Email: catherine_lavoie@nps.gov
NOTE: Applicants are encouraged to submit a separate application for summer historian positions with HABS/HAER/HALS.