Life & Work with Jessica Flores

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Flores. They and their team shared their story with us below:

Jessica Flores will first share with you that she is a native West Virginian and is proud of her Appalachian roots. “Honestly, traveling throughout West Virginia with my family and going to flea markets, junk sales, and historic sites was where the seed was planted for my love of historic architecture and design.” Jessica will share that though I’m not living in West Virginia any longer, it’s always near in my thoughts and close to my heart. 

Jessica is a certified architectural historian and a historic building pathologist. She’s a lover of old buildings and the stories that they tell. She easily connects with people and communities who want to preserve their historic places. “I feel I was called to this field at a young age through my parents, who enjoyed antiques, old furniture, and architecture.” Jessica’s grandmother, Lillian, was from rural West Virginia, had a keen eye for design. “I feel like her spirit is with me through my journey in historic preservation as my chosen career path.” 

It was while Jessica was in trade school in 2003 at Belmont College in St. Clairsville, Ohio, that things began to align for how she thought her future would take shape. Shortly before she started trade school, she bought a historic building across the river {from my school} in Wheeling, West Virginia. The building was an 1877 Italianate commercial building with a storefront at the street level and a residence above the storefront. Jessica rehabilitated this building as her home and antique store. During this time of living above her antique shop, Jessica began to become attuned to historic spaces. “It was almost like I developed an ability to “read” what a building needed.” 

At the same time, Jessica was finishing up an undergraduate degree at Ohio University. After finishing her undergraduate and trades school degrees, opportunities presented themselves for graduate school. Jessica closed her antique shop, sold her building, and moved to Michigan to attend Eastern Michigan University’s Graduate Program in Historic Preservation. After graduating from EMU, Jessica left Michigan briefly to work in Texas, documenting historic buildings along the US/Mexico border and Alaska at both Fort Richardson and Fort Wainwright, where she documented Cold War-era buildings. 

In 2008, Jessica returned to Michigan for a job opportunity with the State of Michigan. Jessica worked for the State Energy Office and State Historic Preservation Office, where she had the fortunate opportunity to work across both the Upper and Lower Peninsulas in all 83 counties of Michigan on all issues related to historic preservation. In 2016, Jessica left the State of Michigan to launch her business, Preservation Forward, a historic preservation consultancy located in East Lansing, Michigan. Preservation Forward specializes in historic preservation and rehabilitation of historic buildings with a focus on traditional building trades and construction techniques. 

Preservation Forward understands the built environment as it relates to a place and the people who love their historic places. Jessica has worked as a historic building pathologist and an architectural historian on a variety of cultural resource management and construction projects. Jessica has worked with hundreds of local government leaders, state agencies, developers, contractors, and involved stakeholders in order to strengthen the role of historic preservation in communities and downtowns across Michigan and beyond. 

In addition to running the day-to-day operations of Preservation Forward, Jessica is a faculty member in the School of Planning, Design, & Construction at Michigan State University. Jessica teaches the history curriculum within the Interior Design Program. She proudly teaches the one and only historic preservation class at MSU! Jessica considers Michigan her second home now and feels like she traded the mountains for the Great Lakes. She shares that what makes Michigan so special, aside from the unique architecture that you find from Detroit to Copper Harbor, is the people of Michigan. Michiganders are super nice and eager to preserve their historic places. 

Preservation Forward has a good pulse on preservation across Michigan and has recently expanded with clients in Indiana, Ohio, and Jessica’s beloved home state of West Virginia. If you’ve got an old building that needs some help, please reach out to Preservation Forward. Jessica shares that she can turn an architectural eyesore into architectural eye candy. You can follow her hashtag #architecturaleyecandy on social media platforms.

Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
The road to launching Preservation Forward was smooth as it was simply a novel idea that I crafted in my mind several years prior. The challenge was how to take my idea and execute it into action. The unknown variables around starting a small business are incredibly uncomfortable. 

Leaving a steady paycheck and a safe comfort zone is not for the risk-averse. My biggest challenge was the complexities of navigating every micro and macro detail that falls on you as a business owner. That was daunting at the launch and still is complex at times. I’ve gotten used to the new normal, which is operating a small business. 

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in how to care for, adapt, and revitalize historic buildings. I’ve been told that I’m a “historic building whisperer.” I laugh when anyone refers to me as that. I just have been around old buildings most of my life. I have a passionate curiosity about them. I’ve poked around a lot of old buildings from pre-antebellum to post-war. 

I understand old building materials and the construction approaches of the traditional building trades, Historic materials behave differently than new. It’s a building science that old materials exhibit and behave quite differently than new materials. I’m most proud to help folks understand and nurture their historic buildings. I enjoy helping to plant the seeds of why historic preservation matters. It’s my passion to teach folks to understand our historic built environment. I’ve had the privilege to share my love for old buildings with generations of farmers, small-business owners, elementary students, tireless municipal leaders, and creative entrepreneurs; I’ve worked with a variety of community members. 

I’ve addressed complex building and design challenges juxtaposed against diverse political backdrops in urban, rural, large, and small communities across Michigan and beyond. I think what sets me apart is my hands-on trade school background. Historic rehabilitation requires a deep knowledge and understanding of building construction. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend trades school to understand the construction process. More importantly, building preservation technology experience to understand the appropriate methods to rehabilitate a building that’s usually at least 100 years or older. Additionally, the construction industry is a male-dominated industry, but it’s shifting. 

I see more women in construction management, architects, and trades school graduates that are entering the industry. I’m typically the only female on my job sites. Trade school helped to give me the confidence to know that I belong on the job site just as much as a man does. I enjoy rolling my sleeves up and getting in the trenches in the rehabilitation process {when we’re fixing up an old building}. I enjoy teaching others about historic building pathology (building problems). It’s like being a Nancy Drew sleuth and figuring out the mysteries of why a building looks the way it does. 

Reading old buildings is my specialty. I can teach almost anyone who is interested in reading an old building. 

How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
I enjoy collaborating on a redevelopment team where I typically serve as the architectural historian/historic preservation specialist amongst a team of owners, investors, architects, construction managers, tradespeople, etc. If you have an old building and you’re not sure where to start to turn it around, then I’m happy to help. You can support me by giving a second chance to an old building before you consider demolition of that building. 

Often, people think there aren’t any alternatives to demolition when an old building is in disrepair, but if you consider that you could breathe new life into an old building, then we’ve started to shift the narrative for the future of that building, historic buildings embody stories of generations long ago. You can help that building continue to share its story by giving it a second chance. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.preservationforward.com
• Instagram: @preservation_forward
• Facebook: Preservation Forward
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/jessica-flores-53906836

Image Credits
Preservation Forward