This project involved a year-long, statewide historic resource survey focused on the identification and evaluation of Rosenwald school buildings as a distinct and significant architectural and cultural resource type. Conducted on behalf of a state-level preservation authority, the work sought to document surviving examples, assess their integrity, and contextualize their role within the broader history of education, community development, and the built environment.

The survey emphasized consistent evaluation across a geographically diverse landscape, applying a unified framework to understand variations in form, materials, site planning, and subsequent adaptation. Archival research and field documentation were integrated to establish historical context, trace patterns of construction and use, and clarify the architectural characteristics that defined the resource type across different settings.

Beyond architectural documentation, the work acknowledged the Rosenwald schools as deeply embedded cultural resources, shaped by local initiative and long-standing community investment. The survey framework balanced technical evaluation with sensitivity to social history, ensuring that significance was articulated in a manner that reflected both physical design and broader cultural meaning.

The resulting documentation supported preservation planning efforts by providing a defensible baseline for future evaluation, designation, and stewardship. By consolidating dispersed information into a coherent thematic study, the project strengthened the capacity of the preservation office to manage, interpret, and protect these resources within an evolving regulatory and planning environment.

This project demonstrates how focused, resource-type surveys can advance preservation goals by combining architectural rigor, historical scholarship, and long-range planning insight.