Architectural historian Dr. Jean Follett has been writing National Register nominations and will continue as part of our team.

Jean Ames Follett is an architectural historian who has worked in the field of historic preservation for nearly 30 years. Her work includes advocacy, administration, landmark nominations and helping communities plan for a future that will respect the past.

In addition to her private consulting work, Ms. Follett has worked in staff and administrative positions at preservation organizations of every size and character. Here in Illinois she was responsible for the extensive easement program at the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois before serving as Acting Executive Director for 12 months. While there she worked on the design review oversight for the redevelopment of the National Historic Landmark district at Fort Sheridan, organized the annual Statewide Preservation Conference, wrote grants and newsletter articles, produced the Annual Report and worked with communities throughout the state on a wide variety of preservation issues. The breadth of her experience in the field of historic preservation has made Ms. Follett an especially effective community advocate.

Ms. Follett spent twenty years in New England where she did private consulting that included landmark nominations, surveys and lecturing. She also worked at various preservation organizations in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. She was a Research Associate at the John Nicholas Brown Center for the Study of American Civilization and served as Executive Director of The Heritage Foundation of Rhode Island (now Preserve! Rhode Island). She also did a graduate internship at The Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, one of the most important historic house museum organizations in the country.

Ms. Follett is considered to be one of the country's leading experts on the subject of teardowns and has lectured widely on this topic. She was part of the editorial team for the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Protecting America's Historic Neighborhoods: Taming the Teardown Trend.

Ms. Follett is currently Chair of the Hinsdale Historic Preservation Commission. As part of the Hinsdale Historic Preservation Task Force she assisted in the passage and implementation of Hinsdale's current historic preservation ordinance. She is a past board member of the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois.

Ms. Follett holds a B.A. cum laude from Brown University and a Ph.D. in American & New England Studies from Boston Univeristy. She has published numerous articles on topics related to architecture and the architectural profession in the 19th and early 20th century.