Finding Ella Briggs with Despina Stratigakos and Elana Shapira

Today we're joined by Despina Stratigakos and Elana Shapira about their new book, Finding Ella Briggs: The Life and Work of an Unconventional Architect. Ella Briggs was a talented architect, designer, and writer whose influence was felt on both sides of the Atlantic. She trained with the Viennese Secessionists and brought their radical ideas to Gilded Age New York. She designed modernist housing for the masses in Austria, was jailed as a suspected spy in Mussolini’s Italy, and thrived in Weimar Germany before suffering persecution under the Nazis. Fleeing to London, she contributed to England’s postwar reconstruction. Yet despite a long and prolific career, her name is largely forgotten today. Finding Ella Briggs restores Briggs to her rightful place in the history of modernist design. To purchase: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691263953/finding-ella-briggs?_gl=1*m5kt06*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTMxMTM1OTU5Ny4xNzQzMTczMTE1*_ga_N1W9JWKLY3*MTc0MzQyMzU2Mi41LjAuMTc0MzQyMzU2Mi4wLjAuMTc5NTE3MjM2MA..

Today, ahead of Maryland Emancipation Day on November 1, we're joined by Alex Green, president and chief interpreter at the Harriet Tubman Freedom Center in Cambridge, Maryland, as well as founder of Harriet Tubman Tours. Come along as Alex discusses his work in education and heritage tourism. 

Today we're talking with Dr. Vaughn Scribner about his book, Under Alien Skies: Environment, Suffering, and the Defeat of the British Military in Revolutionary America. Vaughn is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Central Arkansas. In addition to his latest book, he is also the author of Merpeople: A Human History (Reaktion Books, 2020), and Inn Civility: Urban Taverns and Early American Civil Society (NYU Press, 2019)—in addition to numerous articles, book chapters, and other publications. He is currently writing a biography of America’s original celebrity “influencer,” Lord Timothy Dexter of Newburyport, Massachusetts (1747-1806). https://uncpress.org/book/9781469680774/under-alien-skies This episode is sponsored by The Landmark Trust USA

Cory McCray is a journeyman electrician, father of four, and public servant who proudly represents East and Northeast Baltimore in the Maryland State Senate. As the only member of the Maryland General Assembly to have completed a registered apprenticeship, he brings an unwavering commitment to expanding access, uplifting working families, and removing barriers to opportunity. Raised in Baltimore City, Cory’s life was transformed through an apprenticeship with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 24. That experience not only gave him a career, but a calling—and led him to invest in real estate as a tool for stabilizing neighborhoods, win elected office, and pass over 100 pieces of legislation aimed at equity and economic mobility. His debut book, The Apprenticeship That Saved My Life, is a blueprint for those navigating the “earn-while-you-learn” path and a call to action for educators, policymakers, and mentors to see the potential in every young person. When he’s not in Annapolis or working in the community, you can find Cory cheering on his daughters at track meets / tennis matches or walking his sons into basketball practice—deeply grounded in family, faith, and the future of Baltimore. To purchase: https://www.amazon.com/Apprenticeship-that-Saved-Life-Earn-While-You-Learn/dp/1636986897 Thank you to this episode's sponsor, The Landmark Trust USA

Today's episode is a re-release of an episode that originally aired in 2020 with guest Tom Moriarity, a legendary preservationist who passed away in late September. Tom was a pioneer in historic preservation, co-founding the Main Street program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which has since revitalized over 2,000 towns and generated $115B in reinvestment.  In this revisited conversation we discuss why do we do what we do and why don’t others understand why it’s so important? Those are the driving questions that prompted Tom Moriarity to dive into a discourse on what preservation needs in the years ahead. It’s a big task – but one that we need to constantly revisit if we hope to save places that truly matter.  

Today we're joined by Kevin Miller, an architect who also serves as the President of the Board of Baltimore Architecture Foundation. Kevin and his team have been preparing for Doors Open Baltimore, an annual city-wide festival honoring Baltimore’s diverse cultural tapestry by highlighting its vibrant neighborhoods, captivating architecture, and distinctive spaces that contribute to the city’s exceptional charm. Kevin obtained a BS in Architecture and a Master of Architecture from Ball State University in May 2017 and has been working professionally as an architectural designer for the last five years. He is a digital artist, author, parametric designer, and thought leader with a strong interest in computational design, architectural interiors, design details at all scales, and visual representation. Kevin is always excited to learn new skills and connect with other people who share a passion for design

Today we're joined by Marden Fitzpatrick Nichols, who selected, translated, and introduced a collection of ancient Roman writings about home design and decoration in How to Make a Home: An Ancient Guide to Style and Comfort (Princeton, 2025). Nicholas is particularly interested in how debates about the significance of art and architecture shaped ancient Roman cultural and intellectual history. She has also written about the reception of classical art in the 19th and 20th centuries. https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691249124/how-to-make-a-home?srsltid=AfmBOooDqFMm2YMd3tql7jjGhL3nUUL_hbQ5FUq9mf-_iDgXZa15_L3P

Typically we're in studio 1:1 with our guests, but today's episode comes to you in different format. Join us on-site at the Maryland Association of Counties' annual conference where we pulled up a chair (and a mic) with policymakers, heritage area colleagues, Main Street advocates, county reps, elected officials, and fellow history lovers to swap stories about historic preservation, Maryland’s past, funding, and what's in store for the future.

As preservationists from across the country gather for the PastForward 2025 conference, we’re reminded that our work—protecting and activating historic places and the stories they hold—is more important than ever. On this special release episode of PreserveCast, we welcome Carol Quillen, President & CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, for a timely and thoughtful conversation about the challenges and opportunities facing our field. We discuss the importance of preservation not just as a way of protecting the past, but as an essential investment in our future. At a moment when federal programs, grant opportunities, and staffing that support preservation are at risk, we cover what we should expect from our leadership in this space and the work being done to save history.

Kate Livie is a Chesapeake educator, writer and social historian whose work explores the Chesapeake’s culture, history, traditions and environment. Formerly the director of education and associate curator at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, Livie serves as adjunct faculty in Chesapeake Studies at Washington College and as chairman of the maritime committee at the Maryland Center for History and Culture. Her 2015 book, Chesapeake Oysters: The Bay’s Foundation and Future, won the Maryland Historical Society’s Marion Brewington prize for Maritime History. Livie contributes regularly to regional publications like Chesapeake Bay Magazine, Baltimore Magazine, and Edible Delmarva, and has hosted programs on Bay culture and history for MPT, NPR and the History Channel. Livie regularly lectures on topics exploring the intersection of Chesapeake environment and tradition at cultural institutions, colleges and non-profits throughout the region.