MA in Preservation Studies students complete as part of their program requirements a capstone that is the culmination of their work at Boston University. The capstone projects are independent research projects, and listed below a selection of topics.

  • Rachel Burdette: “Preserving the Narrative: A Critical Analysis of Interpretation and Preservation at Boston National Historical Park and Minuteman National Historical Park”
  • Meghan Keefe: “Saving Sayward-Wheeler: The Preservation of Coastal Properties in the Face of the Climate Crisis”
  • Hailey Stebner: “Climate Change Adaptation Planning in Coastal Communities: The Future of Historic Preservation Using Souther Tide Mill as a Case Study”
  • Victoria Hatchell: “Kents Hill School Site History, Maine”
  • Gaby Amore:  “A Framework for a Preservation Plan for the City of Boston”
  • Kristen Dahlmann:  “Preservation Today: Upholding the Unique Cultural and Social Fabric of Boston Neighborhoods”
  • David Lewis:  “National Register of Historic Places Registration Form for Haverhill Powder House, Massachusetts”
  • Esther Yang:  “The Preservation of Shikumen Architectural Style in Shanghai: The Case Studies of Xintiandi and Tianzifang”
  • Emily Pate:  “Using Photography for Preservation at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum”
  • Rebecca Green: “Preserving Diversity: How House Museums Approach Their Contentious History in the United States of America”
  • Carmela Farago: “Concord’s Forgotten Neoclassical Period: The Untold Story of Minute Man National Historical Park”
  • Akil Sokoli: “The Church-Mosque building in Rozafa Castle, Shkoder, Albania: Statement of significance and legal feasibility for its conversion into a Religious Museum” 
  • Joseph Kennedy van den Berg: “Imagination Preservation: An exploration of Colonial Williamsburg, Disneyland, and their Preservation Principles”
  • Evan O’Connor: “Home at the Old Manse, Concord, Massachusetts: The Old Manse Historic Survey”
  • Mengxi Qian: “The Dilemma between Landscape Preservation and Economic Development: The Pagoda of Fogong Temple, Shuozhou, China”
  • Hannah Nozer: “Allston, Massachusetts: A Community Preservation Act Assessment”
  • Eunjeong Kim: “History and Identities: Seoul Country Club and Grand Children Park in Seoul, South Korea”
  • Gülnur Cengiz: “The Advent of Preservation in Turkey: How Preservation Changed and Shaped the City of Istanbul”
  • Rebecca Moroski: “The Valuable Role of Archaeology in Historic Preservation Practices”
  • Ian Kerr Murdoch Stewart: “The Birth of an American Form: Anglo-Dutch Houses of Columbia County, NY, 1790-1830”
  • Elaine Sullivan: “William H. Monroe and the Changing Landscape of Brighton’s Aberdeen Neighborhood”
  • Patrick Powers: “The Eblana Brewery, Boston, Massachusetts: Maintaining Historical Significance in Cultural Adaptive Re-Use”
  • Nathan Curwen: “Bethlehem’s Steel Industry, Pennsylvania: An Examination of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation Through Practices of Preservation and Revitalization”
  • Carmen De Lucia: “Boston’s Brewery Landscape: Making Beer Before Prohibition”
  • Sean Maher: “Investigation of a Local House Type Illustrating Adaptive and Transitional Framing Practices in Southern Essex County, Massachusetts”
  • Dayl Cohen: “The Vilna Shul on Beacon Hill, Boston: Adorning an American Immigrant Synagogue”
  • Casey Horna Pecoraro: “Heritage and Community Identity: Suburban Development in Williamsburg, Virginia”
  • Elizabeth Sims (JD/MA): “Community Benefits Agreements: Potential for Better Brownfields Redevelopment”
  • Elizabeth Ware: “The Preservation of America’s Lighthouses: A Review of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000”
  • Alyson Mamourian (JD/MA): “Designation and Regulation of Historic Religious Properties: Applying the Free Exercise Clause under RLUIPA [Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000]”
  • Eileen Wilde: “Crafting a Commercial Aesthetic on the Outer Cape: Tourism and Car Culture on Cape Cod, Massachusetts”