Claudia Brown has been a champion of historic preservation in North Carolina for 38 years, 30 of those with the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office. In the service of her fellow North Carolinians, she has spent her entire professional life identifying, evaluating, and preserving historic resources. As of November 30, 2018, Ms. Brown retired as the Survey and National Register Branch Supervisor for the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office. She was awarded the prestigious Order of the Longleaf Pine by the Governor of North Carolina, an award bestowed on persons who have made significant contributions to the state and their communities through exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments.
A native of eastern Long Island, Claudia Brown has been on the staff of the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office since 1988. In 1978, Ms. Brown began a preservation consulting career that took her across North Carolina conducting architectural surveys in places as diverse as rural Hyde County, the city of Durham, and the mountain resort of Linville. As a consultant, she wrote or co-wrote seven architectural survey publications and prepared dozens of National Register nominations. After serving as National Register Coordinator for the Kentucky Heritage Council, Ms. Brown returned to North Carolina in 1988 and became National Register Coordinator for the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office. In 1992, she became the Supervisor of the Survey and National Register Branch; and, from 2006 to 2018, assumed dual responsibility as Architectural Survey Coordinator. During her thirty years of service to the State of North Carolina, the office has successfully listed nearly 1500 properties on the National Register of Historic Places – more than half of the total listings for the state. Most recently, Claudia oversaw the five-year, multi-phase Wake County Survey Update of historic resources, so that Capital Area, Preservation, Inc. (CAP) and the Wake County Historic Preservation Commission can appropriately identify the historic resources throughout the County.
Claudia’s leadership as a spokesperson for historic preservation is without peer. Over the years, she has served as organizer, speaker, and panelist at numerous state and national preservation conferences and meetings. This includes presentations on architectural and preservation topics to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers, the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions, the Society of Architectural Historians, and the Pioneer America Society. Ms. Brown served as co-chair of the 2016 Vernacular Architecture Forum. She served as principal organizer of the National Trust’s 2015 Rosenwald Schools conference in Durham; and, in cooperation with the Rosenwald Schools Community Project, oversaw the statewide survey of Rosenwald schools.
In her off-duty hours Ms. Brown also works diligently in preservation advocacy, serving on several boards and commissions, including a long tenure on the board of the Joel Lane Museum House, Raleigh, for which she recently served as president. North Carolina prides itself on being a national leader in historic preservation and Claudia’s imprint is found everywhere in that legacy: in her own field work and writing, in the many survey publications and National Register nominations that she has guided to successful completion, in her masterful management of a complex public history program, and in her leadership in preservation advocacy and education. Her legacy of public service has benefited historic preservation in North Carolina for nearly four decades. Behind her soft-spoken and courteous manner, lies a deep commitment to professionalism and excellence in public service. While Claudia has provided extraordinary service with the highest standards, her leadership has brought out the best in many who have worked with her, as well.
CAP joins preservationists across our state in being forever indebted to Claudia for her tireless work on behalf of Wake County, as well as for the entire State of North Carolina.
The Board of Directors of Capital Area Preservation, Inc. is pleased to present a 2019 Anthemion Award to Claudia Roberts Brown for Lifetime Achievement in Historic Preservation.