Archives West Finding Aid

Lee H. Nelson (1927-1994) was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1927, the son and grandson of Norwegian carpenters. He received an undergraduate degree in architecture from the University of Oregon in 1957, and a Master's in Architecture from the University of Illinois in 1958. That same year he embarked on a lifelong career with the National Park Service (NPS), beginning with a summer internship doing architectural research and documentation drawings at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland.

From 1960 to 1972 Nelson worked in the National Park Service, Division of Design and Construction in Philadelphia where, in connection with America's approaching bicentennial, he became part of a team documenting and restoring a number of buildings at Independence National Historical Park. In 1979, Nelson became chief of Technical Preservation Services, later renamed the Preservation Assistance Division, a position he held until his retirement in 1990.

During his years with the Park Service, Nelson helped formulate national policies on historic preservation, promoting the use of authentic materials to document physical data as a record for posterity. He received the NPS Meritorious Service Award in 1974, and the Distinguished Service Award in 1988. Nelson was a founding member of the Association for Preservation Technology and edited the Association's Bulletin for its first 10 years. He was a fellow of the American Institute of Architects and was active in the AIA Historic Resources Committee. Lee Nelson died in 1994.