William Staffeld/AAP

Ana Huckfeldt, M.A. '16, researched and designed 10 exhibition panels for Historic Ithaca's 50th anniversary during a recent internship.

Historic preservation planning student Ana Huckfeldt, M.A. ’16, is helping to bring local history to life, with a project for Historic Ithaca (HI) to mark its 50th anniversary this year.

Huckfeldt’s role in the anniversary celebration started over the summer when AAP Connect in the College of Architecture, Art and Planning helped her secure an internship with the organization.

“I chose HI for an internship because I was interested in having real ties to the Ithaca community,” Huckfeldt says. “My historic preservation planning work focuses on community engagement in local preservation. I had been to some of HI’s programs, and this internship was a great way to learn about how preservation in Ithaca has worked.”

Her role at HI was to research the history of the organization and design display panels for an anniversary exhibition, illustrating milestones during HI’s half-century as well as the history of historic preservation in Ithaca.

Huckfeldt and HI preservation services coordinator Christine O’Malley spoke with people who were actively involved in the organization’s early years, and gathered and digitized photographs and other ephemera. These materials formed the heart of the exhibition, which includes 10 panels, each focused on a single topic.

The featured subjects are the Clinton House; the Boardman House; the DeWitt Park Historic District; the Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission; St. James AME Zion Church; the State Theatre; projects in rural areas of Tompkins County; HI’s founding and its Significant Elements architectural salvage outlet and Work Preserve program. Each panel includes information on the subject’s history and HI’s involvement, along with photos, news clippings and drawings.

“I have a fine arts background, so was happy to be able to produce these materials,” Huckfeldt says.

The materials gathered during her internship also are being shared with HI’s Facebook page for a “50 for 50th” series. Each week in 2016, HI posts an image and text about a place, person, event or program that was significant in the organization’s history.

Huckfeldt says the experience was all positive. “I learned about the importance of community engagement in local preservation work, and saw how this support makes the work of a nonprofit possible.”

Rebecca Bowes is assistant communications director in the College of Architecture, Art and Planning.