Job Listing
 🔗Preservation Consultant

  • Temporary
  • Providence, RI
  • $20,000/- USD / Year
  • Applications have closed
  • Job Summary: Providence Preservation Society is seeking a preservation consultant to contribute research related to LGBTQ+ history in Providence and the places associated with that history.
  • Job Qualifications:

    Consultants will be required to meet The Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards for History or Architectural History (see further information below) and to have experience conducting historical research, completing architectural surveys, and conducting National Register eligibility evaluations, preferably for properties associated with underrepresented communities. Special consideration will be given to consultants, or consultant teams, with experience conducting history related to LGBTQ+ communities.

    The Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards for History or Architectural History

    History

    The minimum professional qualifications in history are a graduate degree in history or closely related field; or a bachelor’s degree in history or closely related field plus one of the following:

    1. At least two years of full-time experience in research, writing, teaching, interpretation, or other demonstrable professional activity with an academic institution, historic organization or agency, museum, or other professional institution; or

    2. Substantial contribution through research and publication to the body of scholarly knowledge in the field of history.

    Architectural History

    The minimum professional qualifications in architectural history are a graduate degree in architectural history, art history, historic preservation, or closely related field with coursework in American architectural history or a bachelor’s degree in architectural history, art history, historic preservation or closely related field plus one of the following:

    1. At least two years of full-time experience in research, writing, or teaching in American architectural history or restoration architecture with an academic institution, historical organization or agency, museum, or other professional institution; or

    2. Substantial contribution through research and publication to the body of scholarly knowledge in the field of American architectural history.

  • How to Apply:

    The preservation consultant will submit a statement of interest, and a summary of their qualifications to perform the above services, sufficient to meet the requirements of “Professional Qualification Standards” for History or Architectural History, as outlined in 36 CFR 61 (above). The RIHPHC welcomes proposals from consultant firms as well as partnerships among consultants. Consultants with experience researching and documenting sites associated with the history of underrepresented communities are preferred.

    Proposals should include:

    ·       A narrative statement describing the consultant’s interest in the project and approach to it, including proposed changes to the project schedule or sequencing, if any (no more than one page)

    ·       A narrative statement of qualifications, including examples of recent, similar projects (narrative should be no more than one page; up to three similar projects can be included as appendices)

    ·       Resumes for key project personnel, including any subconsultants, and an explanation of roles on the project

    ·       A minimum of three references with contact information

    ·       A project schedule, including public meetings and project meetings with RIHPHC staff

    ·       A cost proposal, broken down by task and correlated to the project schedule, with a fee of no more than $20,000

    ·       A plan and budget for travel, if any travel is required, for costs up to $600

    The consultant will be selected based on related work experience, ability to produce the required work products according to the project schedule and within the project budget, and references.

    Submission Deadline: Proposals are due on March 20, 2026. Proposals should be emailed to Marisa Brown, Executive Director of PPS, at mbrown@ppsri.org as a single PDF. PPS reserves the right to reject any or all proposals.

    Questions related to this RFP may be submitted via email to Marisa Brown, Executive Director of PPS, at mbrown@ppsri.org. This job posting is also available online on PPS’s website at ppsri.org.

  • Contact Name: Marisa Brown
  • Application Email: mbrown@ppsri.org
  • Application URL: https://ppsri.org/about/jobs-and-internships/
  • Application Phone #: 401-831-7440
  • Application Address: 24 Meeting Street / Providence, RI 02906.
  • Providence, RI, USA

Website Providence Preservation Society

Providence Preservation Society (PPS) is one of the city’s legacy cultural and civic organizations. Founded in 1956 on College Hill, we work across the city’s 25 neighborhoods to preserve Providence’s architectural landmarks, promote sustainable building practices, and celebrate our unique history and heritage through research, education and advocacy.

Providence Preservation Society is seeking a preservation consultant to build on previous research and undertake new research to develop a more comprehensive understanding of LGBTQ+ history in Providence and the places associated with that history. The consultant will produce a Survey Report that includes a methodology statement, historical context statement, bibliography, and an annotated list of 30 to 50 sites associated with LGBTQ+ social and political history in Providence. Consultants need not reside in Providence, but should reside within commuting distance given the nature of the project, which will require on-site research.

This grant-funded project will commence in Spring 2026 and conclude in May 2027. The project fee is $20,000 and there is an additional travel budget of up to $600 if travel is necessary to complete this project. Proposals are due March 20, 2026.

The goal of this project is to honor, protect, and increase public awareness of historic resources associated with Providence, Rhode Island’s LGBTQ+ community. Despite a long and rich history of LGBTQ+ activism, social and cultural institution-building, and a vibrant LGBTQ+ arts scene, the history of Providence’s LGBTQ+ community is little understood and sites associated with this history are poorly documented. Until 2018, there was no centralized archival site for LGBTQ+ history and most documentation of LGBTQ+ life existed scattered across historical archives and mostly among medical or criminal historical records. This is not unique to Providence. As scholarship in the field of LGBTQ+ History has shown, because the lives and work of LGBTQ+ communities have until recently largely been considered culturally taboo, there has been slow growth in the establishment of LGBTQ+ historical resources that do not reproduce this taboo. Recent efforts such as the Providence Public Library’s RI LGBTQ+ Community Archives (https://www.provlib.org/research-collections/community-archives/lgbtq/) and the Queer StoRIes Project attempt to gather and present LGBTQ+ history from the perspectives of those who lived it. This application seeks to bolster and support these efforts, with a particular emphasis on the places associated with this history.

Project Overview and Work Products

The proposed project would build on previous research and undertake new research to develop a more comprehensive understanding of LGBTQ+ history in Providence. A focus of the work will be the identification of places associated with this history. Resource types may include buildings that housed social justice organizations, residences of LGBTQ+ civil rights leaders, churches, schools, social and cultural institutions, and workplaces, among others. The proposed project would produce a Survey Report that includes a methodology statement, historical context statement, bibliography, maps, and an annotated list of 30 to 50 sites associated with LGBTQ+ social and political history in Providence, with preliminary National Register eligibility evaluations.  By focusing on Providence – Rhode Island’s most populous city – the proposed project will provide a starting point for the creation of RIHPHC survey forms, which would describe each site and its historical significance in greater detail and a new or amended National Register of Historic Places nomination for one or more properties.  In addition, it would create the foundation for a statewide context, a statewide LGBTQ+ survey, and the nomination of sites outside the capital city.

Over 21,000 properties in Rhode Island are listed in the National Register of Historic Places, but, due to blind spots and biases, very few of these properties are significant to groups that have historically been marginalized by the dominant culture. Although some sites associated with Rhode Island’s LGBTQ+ history are listed in the National Register, not one is listed because of its LGBTQ+ significance. The proposed project is a critical first step in correcting this omission.

The City of Providence, Rhode Island has a long and vibrant LGBTQ+ history. However, due to cultural taboo and political oppression, this history has remained largely underground. This proposal seeks to complement and elaborate on recent efforts to honor and celebrate sites that have been central to histories of LGBTQ+ activism, social connection, visual and performance art, and cultural life. Due to the systemic underrepresentation of LGBTQ+ history in archives and public history sites, oral history will be an important method for researching the cultural significance and locations of the sites that will be included in this project.

Project Management and Methodology

The consultant’s research methodology will involve consulting existing collections, such as the Providence Public Library’s RI LGBTQ+ Community Archives and the Queer StoRIes Project, as well as conducting significant additional research, including with primary sources and community members. A public meeting will be held after the consultant has begun their research, so that they have familiarity with the history and resources but time to incorporate information from LGBTQ+ community members. Once research is complete, the consultant will develop the Survey Report, which includes the sections outlined already. The Survey Report will be reviewed by PPS and RIHPHC staff, as well as paid field experts, and edits/comments will be addressed by the consultant.

The consultant will meet with PPS and RIHPHC staff regularly, including at key project milestones, over the course of the project; some of these meetings may be held virtually. The consultant will also be required to submit bimonthly progress reports for the duration of the project.

Project Milestones and Phasing

April – August 2026 (Phase 1 of Research)
Consultation of existing research and resources and interviews with community members and community researchers, leading up to a public community meeting where the consultant will present preliminary findings for discussion with field and community experts. Consultant completes preliminary spreadsheet with sites under consideration, with links to existing narratives about these sites by June 15, 2026 for review by PPS and RIHPHC.

September – October 2026 (Phase 2 of Research)
Consultant completes research phase, incorporating insights and suggestions for further research from the public community meeting.

November 2026 – February 2027 (Draft Phase)
Draft of Survey Report completed and shared with PPS, RIHPHC and community readers by December 31, 2026. Feedback provided by February 10, 2027.

March 2027 – May 2027 (Project Completion)
Completion and Submission of Survey Report by May 31, 2027.

Project Fee: $20,000.