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Carolyn Peterson is Vice-President, Director of Historic Preservation, and Director of Design at Ford, Powell & Carson. She joined Ford, Powell & Carson in 1964 and became a partner in 1979.

She has spent most of her career giving old, historic buildings a new lease on life. She has designed many contemporary buildings and residences, but the primary focus of her work has always been historic preservation and adaptive reuse.

Since 1966, Peterson has been been involved in the ongoing restoration and stabilization of the Spanish missions in San Antonio. This work has encompassed leaking roofs, stone erosion, water damage, and stucco repair. She also has done extensive preservation work on the Alamo, beginning with the development of a Preservation Master Plan in 1979 as well as subsequent preservation and stabilization work on the historic shrine. It is because of efforts such as hers that thousands of visitors are able to view these landmarks as they were more than 200 years ago. In the 1970s, Peterson was the restoration architect for the San Fernando Cathedral, which is at the historical center of downtown San Antonio. She also restored the facade of the adjacent Bexar County Courthouse in 1988.

From 1988 to 1995, Peterson led the restoration effort for the Texas State Capitol restoration and expansion project -- one of the most important and ambitious capitol restoration projects ever undertaken in this country. Peterson served as Restoration Architect for Ford, Powell & Carson in a joint venture team assembled for the project.

Her most recent focus has been the restoration of several of Texas' historic courthouses such as the Hays County Courthouse in San Marcos and the magnificent Caldwell County Courthouse in Lockhart. In addition to public landmarks, Peterson has also been involved in the restoration of historic commercial buildings. In 1981 she oversaw the $15 million renovation of the Crockett Hotel, which was completed in just one year. In Galveston, Peterson has served as restoration architect on several projects in the Strand Historical District, including the Berlocher Building, the Sealy Building, the Washington Hotel Building, the Armour-Butterowe Building and the Hotel Galvez. Educated at the University of Texas at Austin, Peterson is a Fellow in the College of the American Institute of Architects. Her work in restoration architecture has earned her several citations and awards, including the Texas Historical Commission Award for Preservation of Historic Architecture and the Fundadores de Misiones medal by the Archdiocese of San Antonio. In 1990-91, she was inducted into the San Antonio Women's Hall of Fame in the category of Science and Technology.

Full Resume

E-Mail: cpeterson@fpcarch.com