New director researching nomination of island to World Heritage List
June 23, 2009
This summer, the University of Florida Preservation Institute: Nantucket (PI:N) will begin a new mission with its new director, interior design assistant professor Morris “Marty” Hylton III.
Each year, PI:N exposes participants to the theories and methodologies of cultural heritage conservation and the research, documentation and management of historic sites. For more than 35 years, Nantucket has served as a learning laboratory for PI:N students, who have worked with local partners to document and preserve the island’s built environment.
Now, under the direction of Hylton, PI:N will further its work on the island by exploring the potential nomination of the cultural and natural resources of Nantucket to the prestigious World Heritage List, compiled by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Hylton has experience in supporting World Heritage sites. Prior to his appointment at UF, he was the initiatives manager for the World Monuments Fund (WMF), the leading private organization dedicated to saving the world’s most treasured places, including many named to the World Heritage list. With the WMF, he developed programs that address different global issues impacting cultural heritage preservation, such as the Modernism at Risk program aimed at conserving modern architecture.
In his first acts as PI:N director, Hylton developed a World Heritage research and stewardship course that introduces students to international cultural heritage conservation through the lens of the World Heritage nomination process and the long-term conservation and interpretation of listed sites.
“The World Heritage goal will help focus our efforts over the next five to 10 years, as students and faculty conduct research that contributes to conservation management plans, cultural heritage tourism plans, emergency and disaster preparedness plans, and more,” Hylton said.
Before working with the WMF, Hylton practiced architecture and interior design with a preservation focus in New York City and served as an adjunct professor in the interior design department of the School of Visual Arts, where he taught service-based design studio. He has a master’s degree in historic preservation from Columbia University and bachelor’s degrees in architecture and art history from the University of Kentucky.
“The college is extremely lucky to have Marty’s talents, motivation and organizational skills,” said Roy Eugene Graham, FAIA, director of the college’s Historic Preservation Program. “He is well informed about historic preservation practice and theory both in this country and abroad.”
Hylton takes over the directorship from Pete Prugh, who retired last year after more than a decade running the program. During his time with PI:N, Prugh helped educate and train specialists focused on stewarding cultural heritage in communities around the world.
“It was truly hard to replace Pete, whose hard work and dedication held the entire UF preservation program together for many years with PI:N as its anchor, and we will also miss Holly Prugh, who has worked tirelessly on the program’s behalf,” Graham said.
“Under Marty’s leadership, PI:N now will begin preparing a new generation of historic preservation experts ready to address current and future challenges impacting the world’s cultural resources, starting with Nantucket.”
About PI:N
PI:N is an interdisciplinary program in DCP’s Center for World Heritage Research and Stewardship. Over the last three decades, about 500 students representing more than 100 academic institutions around the world have participated in the program.
The island of Nantucket has a great architectural history, with more than 800 structures predating the American Civil War era. Islanders created one of the first historic districts in the United States, which now provides national landmark status for the entire island.
