Leigh House is a Ph.D. student, registered architect, and designer from Louisville, Kentucky. She graduated from Ball State University with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and a Dual Master’s in Architecture and Historic Preservation, where her thesis examined digital photogrammetry and its applications with historic building documentation.
Inspired by the community-driven reclamation of blighted and disinvested neighborhoods throughout the Midwest, her historic preservation interests focus on community-led revitalization efforts and the adaptive reuse of anchor buildings with historic community significance. She has contributed to research on the success of the Blight Elimination Program throughout Midwest “Legacy Cities” and the sustainable and NetZero rehabilitation of historic houses through the EcoRehab non-profit organization. Her doctoral research concentrates on the intersection of historic preservation, community revitalization, and mental health within Legacy Belt cities affected by redevelopment and post-industrialization.
She has worked with NCARB as a licensing advisor, helping to develop new proposals for NAAB pedagogical requirements. Such collaboration has instilled in her a desire to emphasize the significance of mentorship within the architectural community, and she enjoys engaging in mentoring and community opportunities that encourage young and aspiring architects.
Outside of her academic pursuits, Leigh tinkers with salvage art and works of craft that highlight urban forms and architectural materiality through technologically obsolete objects of refuse.
Selected Publications
“Synergies of Historic Housing and Sustainable Rehab in Low-Income Neighborhoods” with Jonathan Spodek, FAIA
Journal of Preservation Education and Research, Volume 9, 2017