Welcome Aboard, Jonathan Mellon
Today we welcome Jonathan Mellon as Village Preservation’s new Director of Research and Preservation. Born and raised in New York, Jonathan grew up in the city’s first historic district, Brooklyn Heights, and gained a strong appreciation for architecture from his mother, who had a background in art history. Jonathan has extensive experience working for the government in New York City, Washington, DC, and Savannah, GA, overseeing capital projects, writing historic landmark nominations, and overseeing design review staff.
Prior to joining Village Preservation, Jonathan served as the Director of Historic Preservation and Urban Design for the City of Savannah, GA and Chatham County, Ga, and was responsible for four boards and commissions. There he undertook efforts to see that buildings and neighborhoods of a more recent vintage were identified and documented in order to make them eligible for designation and protection.
Jonathan also has served as staff for the United States Commission of Fine Arts and the District of Columbia Historic Preservation Office in Washington, DC. In New York City, he served as the Senior Architectural Conservator for the Historic House Trust, an entity responsible for twenty-three historic sites (including the Merchant’s House Museum) owned by the City. There Jonathan helped to oversee all of the Trust’s capital projects. Examples completed during his tenure included the exterior restoration of Gracie Mansion in Manhattan, the exterior restoration of the Bowne House in Queens, and the interior and exterior restoration of the Edgar Allan Poe Cottage in the Bronx, which received the Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award.
Jonathan has lived in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Beginning with his first position with the City as an intern at the Department of City Planning, he’s had a particular focus on the preservation of historic sites, both the natural and the built environment. Exploring the city is his passion, and unearthing untold stories of the ever-changing nature of its myriad neighborhoods is what brought him to Village Preservation. As Jonathan noted in reflecting on his time working for the city:
“There are so many historic sites that garner the attention of the public and the press, but what I learned from my time working for the City of New York is that there are so many remarkable stories that remain to have the spotlight shown on them. There is no more notable an example of this than the Lewis Latimer House, in the borough of Queens, that I had the honor of being involved with the planning for its restoration.”
Welcome aboard, Jonathan!