Ms. Jo Ramsay Leimenstoll, AIA

Professor
Director of Graduate Studies

Department of Interior Architecture
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Office: 315 B Petty Building
Telephone: 336/256-0303
Email: jrleimen@uncg.edu

• Education
International Centre for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments, Rome, Italy, 1981.
Participant in the Architectural Conservation International Course
North Carolina State University School of Design, 1973-76 Degree: Master of Architecture
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1969-73 Degree: Bachelor of Fine Arts in
Studio Art with a minor in Art History

• Recent Professional Experience
Professor and Director of Graduate Study, Department of Interior Architecture, University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Teaches advanced interior architecture studios as well as courses in preservation theory and architectural conservation and a summer preservation technology field school. Promoted in July 2000. Graduate Program Director since 1994. Associate Professor with Tenure, 1988-2000. Assistant Professor, 1983-1988.

Principal and Owner, Ramsay Leimenstoll, Architect. Concurrent with teaching since 1983, maintains a small architectural practice specializing in the restoration and rehabilitation of historic buildings. Also consults on design guidelines for historic districts and preservation-related planning issues.

Architect for the North Carolina Main Street Program. Prepared designs for the historically appropriate rehabilitation of numerous storefronts in 15 North Carolina towns, 1981-83.

Durham Neighborhood Housing Services, Assistant Director, 1980
NC Division of Archives and History, Consulting Architect 1978-1980
NC Division of Archives and History, Restoration Specialist, 1977-1978

• Professional Affiliations and Service
Preservation North Carolina, Board of Directors, 2003 to present, Chair of Board of
Advisors, Chair of PNC 2004 Honor Awards Committee
Preservation Greensboro Inc., Board of Directors, 1995 to present, Board President 2002-04
Preservation North Carolina, Board of Advisors, 1993-2003
NC State Historic Preservation Office Master Plan Public Advisory Committee, since 1992
North Carolina National Register Advisory Committee, 1996-2002
Greensboro Historic Preservation Commission, 1987-1994, Chairperson 1988-1994
American Institute of Architects, member since 1982
National Trust for Historic Preservation, Forum member

• Professional Registration
Registered architect in the State of North Carolina since 1982

• Publications
Design Guidelines for Thomasville Historic Districts. Prepared for the City of Thomasville Historic Preservation Commission and the Thomasville Planning Department, June 2004

Design Guidelines for the Chapel Hill Historic Districts. Published by the Chapel Hill Preservation Commission and the Chapel Hill Planning Department, 2002

Forsyth County Design Guidelines for Local Historic Landmarks, Prepared for the Forsyth County Joint Historic Properties Commission, adopted in 2002

Highland Park Neighborhood Design Guidelines for Single Family Housing. Prepared for the City of Los Angeles Planning Department and the Community Partners Program, National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2001

Design Guidelines for Raleigh Historic Districts. Published by the City of Raleigh, NC, 2001

Hillsborough Historic District Design Guidelines. Published by the Town of Hillsborough, NC 2000

Statesville Design Guidelines. Published by the Statesville Historic Preservation Commission, 2000

Morganton Design Guidelines. Published by the City of Morganton, 1999.

River Bend Neighborhood Design Guidelines for Affordable Housing. Published by the City of Des Moines, Iowa, and the Community Partners Program, National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1998

“Assessing the Impact of Local Historic Districts on Property Values in Greensboro, North Carolina,” #14 in the Dollars and Sense of Historic Preservation Series, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Washington, DC, 1998

Martin Luther King, Jr., Landmark District Design Guidelines for Affordable Housing. Published by the Atlanta Urban Design Commission and Community Partners Program, National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1998

South Greensboro Historic District Design Guidelines. Published by the City of Greensboro and the Community Partners Program, National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1998

Wake County Design Guidelines (for local historic landmarks). Published by Wake County, 1996

Design Principles & Guidelines. Published by the Town of Aberdeen, NC, 1996

City of Salisbury: Historic District Design Guidelines. Published by the City of Salisbury, NC, 1993.

“Assessing the Impact of Replacement/Substitute Materials on Historic Interiors,” in The Interiors Handbook for Historic Buildings II. Washington, DC: Historic Preservation Education Foundation, 1993. Pp. 33-37.

“The Evolving Process of Design Review in Historic Districts,” in The Role of the Architect in Historic Preservation: Past, Present, and Future. Washington, DC: AIA Press. 1990. Pp. 210-217.

“Design Review Begets Quality Environments of Greater Value,: in Preservation Forum, Vol. 4, No. 1, Spring ’90. Pp. 13.

“Suiting Yourself,” design project published in North Carolina Architecture. Nov/Dec 1989 issue. Pp. 8-9.

Historic Preservation in Other Countries: Volume IV, Turkey, Series editor: Robert Stipe. Washington, DC: US/ICOMOS, 1989.

“An Interior Perspective on Design Review,” in The Interiors Handbook for Historic Buildings. Washington, DC: Historic Preservation Education Foundation, 1988. Pp. 13-16.

• National and Regional Presentations
“Restoring the History of Thomas Day: the Union Tavern, a National Historic Landmark,” (invited presentation) Crafting Freedom Workshop, Milton, NC, July 17, 2004

“The Americans with Disabilities Act, Historic Buildings, and You: Preservation and Remediation,” (invited presentation) Historic Jonesborough, Tennessee, May 2001.

“National Historic Landmarks: Working Together!” (invited presentation on the Thomas Day House/Union Tavern Restoration) National Preservation Conference, Washington, DC, October 20, 1999.

“The Design Process,” (invited presentation) Your Town: Designing Its Future Workshop, Kanuga, NC, May 6, 1999.

“The Thomas Day House/Union Tavern Restoration Project,” the Partnership Demonstration Projects Workshop, (invited participant, one of six national landmark projects presented) Sponsored by the National Park Service and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Atlanta, GA, April 12, 1999.

“Neighborhood Design Guidelines for Affordable Housing in Historic Districts: Two Prototypes,” (Invited presentation as part of a panel on historic preservation and affordable housing), National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers Board of Directors Meeting, Richmond, VA, November 16, 1997.

“Property Values and Historic Preservation,” (invited presentation) Annual Georgia Preservation Conference, Atlanta, GA, February 16, 1996.

“Introducing Architectural Conservation Techniques to Interior Design Students,” (Juried poster presentation) IDEC Southeast Regional Conference, UNCG, Greensboro, NC, September 30, 1994.

“Assessing the Impact of Replacement/Substitute Materials on Historic Interiors,” (Juried presentation) National Interiors Conference for Historic Buildings II, Washington, DC, February 17, 1993.

“An Interior Perspective on Design Review,” (Juried presentation) National Interiors Conference for Historic Buildings, Philadelphia, PA, December 7, 1988.

• State and Local Presentations
“The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Infill Architecture in Historic Neighborhoods.” (invited presentation) Preservation North Carolina Annual Conference, Charlotte, NC, September 24, 1999.

“Design Guidelines for Affordable Housing,” (invited presentation) North Carolina’s 1999 Annual Historic Preservation Commission Conference, Hickory, NC, March 27, 1999.

“Design Review of Affordable Housing,” (invited presentation) Preservation/North Carolina Annual Conference, Flat Rock, NC, September 26, 1998.

“Design Guidelines for New Construction in Historic Districts,” (invited presentation) Program co-sponsored by the Historic Wilmington Foundation and the local AIA Chapter, Wilmington, NC, September 24, 1997.

“From Main Street to Auburn Avenue,” (invited presentation) Women in Architecture meeting, Charlotte, NC, June 26, 1997.

“Infill Housing Concepts for Historic Areas,” (invited presentation) Glencoe Mill and Mill Village Design Charrette, Burlington, NC, June 13, 1997.

“Housing Rehabilitation: Meeting Affordable Housing and Historic Housing Concerns,” The School of Human Environmental Sciences/UNCG Research Forum, Greensboro, NC, June 11, 1997.

“Assessing the Impact of Local Historic Districts on Property Values in Greensboro,” (invited presentation) Preservation North Carolina Annual Conference, Winston-Salem, NC, October 14, 1994.

“Design Guidelines for Local Commissions: Increasing Their Usefulness as a Decision Guide and Education Tool,” (invited presentation) Preservation North Carolina Annual Conference, Wilmington, NC, October 22, 1993.

“Improving Historic District Design Guidelines,” (invited presentation) statewide workshop for preservation commission staff co-sponsored by Preservation North Carolina and the NC State Historic Preservation Office, July 16, 1992.

“Design Review,” (invited presentation) Piedmont Chapter of the AIA, Greensboro, NC, February 2, 1989.

“The Main Street Approach to Downtown Revitalization,” (invited presentation) Graduate Preservation Planning Seminar, School of Design, NCSU, November 1, 1988.

“Design Guidelines: An Overview,” (invited presentation) Preservation by Design Conference and Annual Meeting of the Historic Preservation Foundation of NC, Chapel Hill, NC September 30, 1988.

• Recent Architectural Projects
Ramsay Leimenstoll, Architect is a sole-proprietorship consisting of Jo Ramsay Leimenstoll, the owner and principal, and one full-time associate, Jerald R. Leimenstoll. Located in Old Greensborough since 1986, the firm has provided architectural services on a range of residential and commercial projects but specializes in historic preservation projects and related preservation planning issues. A brief description of selected projects follows.

Thomas Day House/Union Tavern Restoration, Milton, NC
Project architect for the restoration of this significant National Landmark property, a circa 1818 Federal style building that was severely damaged by fire in 1989. Work to date has included documenting the structure, installing a new roof structure and replacement roof, stabilizing and repairing the rear masonry wall, repairing and replacing (as necessary) the building’s structural system, and partial exterior restoration. October 1991 to the present.

Old Greensboro Gateway Center, 620 South Elm Street, Greensboro, NC
Architect for the façade restoration of a former Bluebell factory in downtown Greensboro adapted as a mixed-use project. 2000-2004.

Design of Infill Houses, Edenton Mill Village, Edenton, NC
Architect for two prototypical designs of compatible yet contemporary infill houses for five lots within a historic mill village in Edenton, NC, for Preservation North Carolina 1998-2000.

Architectural Consultant for Façade Redesigns, Kernersville, NC
Developed designs for historically appropriate façade rehabilitations for downtown property owners through the Kernersville Downtown Preservation and Development Council, 1996-1997.

McAlister House and Murphy House, Greensboro, NC
Project architect for the relocation of a threatened historic house to a new site in the Fisher Park Historic District and design of connections from it to the existing historic Murphy House for expansion of Carlson Antiques. Project certified as meeting historic preservation standards for federal tax credits. January 1995 to June 1996.

629 South Elm Street Architectural Office and Residence, Greensboro, NC
Adaptive reuse of a two story 1920s commercial building in Old Greensborough as a residence/design studio for the architects. Rehabilitation begun in January 1986 with ongoing phases.

Architectural Consultant to Burlington Downtown Corporation, Burlington, NC
Consulted with interested property owners planning historically appropriate façade rehabilitations in downtown Burlington, 1993-1995.

Siceloff House & Jarrell Apartments, High Point, NC
Project architect for the rehabilitation and conversion of two adjacent historic properties on North Main Street in High Point for commercial use. Designs were certified as meeting historic preservation standards for tax credits, 1990-1991.

Architectural Consultant to the City of Greensboro, NC
Prepared a feasibility study for retaining the façade of the Downtowner Building, 334 South Elm Street, June 1990.

Old Greensborough Gateway Center, 620 South Elm Street, Greensboro, NC
Project architect for the adaptive-reuse of a former Bluebell factory in downtown Greensboro as a mixed-use project. Responsible for the repair and initial rehabilitation of the exterior and partial rehabilitation of the interior, 1987-1990.

Architectural Consultant to the City of Gastonia, NC
Developed designs for historically appropriate façade rehabilitations for property owners in downtown Gastonia, NC, 1987-1990.

Architectural Consultant to the City of Salisbury, NC
Developed designs for historically appropriate façade rehabilitations for property owners in downtown Salisbury, 1983-1989.

• Grants, Honors and Awards
February 2005. Recipient of the Preservation Greensboro Outstanding Volunteer Award.

April 2003. Recipient of the School of Human Environmental Sciences Outstanding Teaching Award.

February 2001. Recipient of an $1800 matching grant (via Preservation Greensboro Inc.) to conduct a statewide one-day symposium, Higher Education and Historic Preservation: Partnerships in Preservation, held at UNCG, April 6, 2001.

September 2000. Selected by UNCG to participate in Bridges, a semester-long academic leadership program for women held in Chapel Hill, NC.

July 2000. Prepared a Saving America’s Treasures grant application on behalf of Thomas Day House/Union Tavern Restoration, Inc. for the ongoing restoration of the national landmark. A $250,000 matching grant was awarded by the National Park Service.

January 2000. Recipient of a UNCG research leave for spring semester 2000 to devote time to fieldwork and research on the architectural woodwork of Thomas Day.

June 1999. Co-recipient of a $107,500 grant from the Marion Stedman Covington Foundation for the development of graduate concentrations in historic preservation and museum studies at UNCG. Curriculum implemented in the fall of 2000.

August 1997. Recipient of a Cultural Diversity Scholarship from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to attend the National Preservation conference in Sante Fe, NM, October, 1997.

January 1997. Co-recipient of a $25,000 grant from the Andy Warhol Visual Arts Foundation (via Preservation North Carolina) for research and documentation of the architectural woodwork of Thomas Day.

September 1996. Recipient of the 1996 Robert E. Stipe Professional Award and $500 stipend from Preservation North Carolina. The Stipe Award recognizes preservation professionals who demonstrate through their work an outstanding commitment to preservation.

May 1996. Recipient of a Greensboro Preservation Exchange Award for the successful relocation of the McAlister House within the Fisher Park Historic District.

January 1995. Recipient of a UNCG research leave for spring semester 1995 to devote time to the research for the restoration of the Thomas Day House/Union Tavern in Milton, NC.

June 1993. The Marion Stedman Covington Foundation donated $6000 to the HID Department’s CADD laboratory in honor of Jo Ramsay Leimenstoll.

February 1993. Received a $600 research grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Preservation Services Fund (via Preservation Greensboro Inc.) for a study of the Economic Impact of Local Historic District Designation in Greensboro, NC.

November 1991. Received a $1150 research grant from the HES Foundation for a study of the economic impact of historic district designation in Greensboro, NC.

May 1989. Recipient of a Greensboro Preservation Exchange Award for the adaptive use of a commercial downtown Greensboro building.