Jan Lewandoski: 2022 Preservation Award

Jan Lewandoski

If you go for a drive through Vermont’s villages and rural landscape, the chances are pretty good that you will see the work of a master preservationist: timber framer Jan Lewandoski.

Jan began his preservation career in the early 1980s and has continued non-stop ever since.  Historic barns, bridges, mills, houses, and churches in communities across the state and beyond have benefited from Jan’s expertise and dedication to using traditional construction methods, tools, and materials. In addition to high-profile projects on iconic structures like the Windsor-Cornish Bridge and the Strafford Meeting House, Jan has repaired and restored humble field barns and houses throughout Vermont. Jan has also crafted dozens of Conditions Assessment Reports, empowering individuals and communities to take the first critical steps on the path to a comprehensive preservation project. Through all of these, Jan maintains high preservation standards and proves time and again that often the best way is the traditional way.

Jan shares his knowledge generously, both in the classroom and in field sessions with colleagues and the general public. Many former employees have gone on to start their own preservation and restoration companies, using the skills and knowledge gained while working with Jan.

Jan’s research and writing includes important publications about plank framed houses and historic American roof trusses, and numerous articles in the “Timber Framing” journal and the “APT Bulletin” on topics ranging from the mechanical aspects of steeple framing to timber buildings in northwest Russia.

As a preservation advocate, Jan consistently supports efforts to save historic structures and voices concern about the continued loss of old barns and bridges.

Thanks in no small part to Jan’s work as a researcher, writer, timber framer, teacher, contractor, and advocate for historic preservation over the past 30+years, the timber frame structures literally supporting Vermont’s distinctive rural village look and feel, are strengthened, and here to stay. We are so grateful.

Preservation Award to Jan Lewandoksi