Creating and Updating Historic Design Guidelines

Abigail Christman is a Principal City Planner in Landmark Preservation at the City and County of Denver. Abigail has a varied background having previously worked for consulting firms, Colorado Preservation, Inc., and the University of Colorado Denver. Her experience includes Section 106n consultation, reconnaissance and intensive-level surveys, National Register nominations, HABS/HAER/HALS documentation, neighborhood pattern books, preservation tax credit certification, interpretation, public outreach, and serving on the Denver Landmark Commission. Abigail also teaches a graduate course for CU Denver titled Historic Buildings in Context. Abigail holds a B.A. in History from the University of South, a M.A. in Public History/Historic Preservation from Middle Tennessee State University, and a M.A. in Histories and Theories of Architecture from the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, England.

Douglas has 25 years of planning and historic preservation experience with an emphasis on local government. He has served as both city planner and preservation planner for several Illinois municipalities and has been a Senior Associate with the Lakota Group since 2019. He has worked on preservation projects for communities across the country providing services including historic resource surveys, preservation plans, design guidelines, and COA design review. Douglas holds a MS in Historic Preservation from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, a MCP from the University of Cincinnati, and a BS from Central Michigan University.

Hannah Ratzlaff is the Planning Manager for the City of Little Rock, where she oversees the development and implementation of long-range plans, land use policies, code revisions, and the management of the City’s historic preservation program. In her previous role as the Urban Designer for the City of Little Rock she served as the City’s Preservation Officer and staff liaison to the Historic District Commission. In this role she secured over $500,000 in state and federal grants for local preservation projects, including the comprehensive update of the MacArthur Park Historic District Design Guidelines. Before that, she served as Program Manager and Architectural Designer at Main Street Arkansas under the Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism, where she advised over 40 communities statewide on historic rehabilitation, downtown planning, and facade improvements.

Hannah holds a Postgraduate Diploma with Distinction in Urban Strategies and Design from the University of Edinburgh (UK), where she focused on the intersection of urban history, political economy, and social sustainability. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in History, magna cum laude, from John Brown University, with a minor in English Literature and additional study at the University of Oxford (UK). Her contributions to Arkansas’s historic preservation landscape have been recognized with two Preserve Arkansas Awards.

Rob Skalecki (he/him) is a Senior City Planner in the Historic Preservation section of the City of Minneapolis' Planning Division. He holds degrees from Iowa State University in History (B.A.) and Sociology (B.A.), with a Master’s in Heritage Studies & Public History (MHSPH) from the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities. He joined the Minneapolis Historic Preservation team in 2019.

From 2023 to 2024, Rob was the project manager to develop design guidelines for the locally designated Dinkytown Commercial Historic District. He had also previously worked with his team to update the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission’s Design Guidelines for On-premise Signs and Awnings, and design guidelines for the Washburn-Fair Oaks Historic District. He currently manages Minneapolis’ initiative to comprehensively update the city’s heritage preservation ordinance. His institutional knowledge and familiarity with local preservation processes create a strong foundation for his work in Minneapolis.

Rob’s recent speaking sessions included the following at the 2024 APA National Planning Conference: Streamline to Skyway - Exploring Modernism in Minneapolis; Nashe Micto (Our City): Ukrainian influences on Minneapolis; and Exploring Recent Minneapolis Examples in Historic Church Reuse. In October 2024, Rob was a panelist for APA Minnesota’s Historic Preservation and the Black Community webinar based in his role as project support for the Minneapolis African American Historic and Cultural Context Study project and Minneapolis African American Heritage Work Group. Rob’s work illustrates his depth of local history knowledge and drive to showcase the diverse historic and cultural fabric of Minneapolis.

Richard Sucre is the Deputy Director of Current Planning Division for the San Francisco Planning Department and serves as the lead for historic preservation team, which has a staff of approximately 22 preservation planners. Rich has a background in architecture and architectural history having received an architectural degree from the University of Michigan and his Masters in Architectural History from the University of Virginia. Between 2003 and 2010, Rich worked as an architectural historian with a historic preservation architecture and planning firm. Mr. Sucré served as project manager and lead historian on numerous projects in California and the Western U.S., including the San Francisco Mission and SOMA Area Plan Historic Resource Surveys, the NASA Ames Research Center Space Shuttle Assessment, and the Historic Structure Report for Lookout Studio in the Grand Canyon. His resume includes work on several historic context statements for the City of Arroyo Grande, City of San Francisco (Market & Octavia, Mission, and SoMA Area Plans), and City of Fresno. Since 2010, Rich has worked for the San Francisco Planning Department and has had several roles including Preservation Technical Specialist/Senior Planner and recently as a Principal Planner for the Southeast Quadrant. His past work at SF Planning has included numerous historic preservation projects, but also planning entitlements and long-range planning efforts at Pier 70 and within the Mission neighborhood. Recently, Rich has lead process improvement in permitting and also manages the Planning Information Counter and Intake teams.

Chris Wand is a licensed architect in 12 states; is NCARB Certified; and a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design or LEED Accredited Professional. He has been working in the field of architecture since graduating from Iowa State University in 1991 and has served as Project Manager on such projects as Eleanor Roosevelt Middle School and the Port of Dubuque Public Parking Structure in Dubuque, and the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, the Kirkwood Continuing Education and Training Center, and Crystal Group in Cedar Rapids. He resides in Cedar Rapids and works for FEH Design, a collaborative design firm that creates vibrant communities through architecture, structural engineering, and interior design. Chris serves on the Linn County Historical Society and Dubuque Main Street Boards. He is a former member of the boards of SaveCRHeritage, the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions (NAPC), the Dubuque Museum of Art, Czech Village-New Bohemia Main Street and the Dubuque Historic Preservation Commission.