Preservation architect Herschel Shepard honored

Historic City News readers are invited to attend on Monday, March 26th, when the renowned Atlantic Beach architect, 80 year-old Herschel Shepard, M.A., A.I.A., becomes the 30th recipient of the prestigious de Avilés Award at 5:00 p.m. in The Alcazar Room of City Hall located at 75 King Street in St Augustine.

Paul Williamson, Public Affairs Director for the City told Historic City News that the presentation will take place early in the commission’s regularly scheduled meeting.

Shepherd holds the Beinecke-Reeves Distinguished Chair in Architectural Preservation in the University of Florida’s College of Architecture, and is a leader in Florida’s Historic Preservation programs. He is a research associate with the local Historic St Augustine Research Institute at Flagler College. He earned his Master of Fine Arts in Architecture, degree at Princeton in 1956.

Once a year since the de Avilés Award’s inception in 1988, the City Commission has bestowed the exclusive honor to individuals, who are identified in the field of public service or are well-known and respected by the citizenry, who have dedicated and honorable service to the community of St. Augustine and St. Johns County. Since 2002, the guidelines have limited the number of annual recipients to one.

Shepard has devoted much of his career working in Florida and much of it in Northeast Florida, including St. Augustine. Since 1970, Shepherd has worked with the archaeology program in St Augustine in architectural restoration and reconstruction. He has consulted on architectural stabilization and preservation at La Isabela, Concepción de la Vega and countless sites throughout Florida.

His nationally recognized expertise in historic preservation has served many Florida communities during his career; certainly none more than St Augustine.

Shepard’s work in St. Augustine includes many of the city’s most prominent structures, including the Acosta House, the Joaneda House, the O’Reilly House, the Tovar House, Avero House at St. Photios Shrine, the de-Mesa Sanchez House, the Gonzalez-Alvarez House, Ximenez-Fatio House, the Castillo de San Marcos, Government House, the Alcazar Hotel, and most recently the city’s seawall restoration project.

Photo credits: © 2012 Historic City News archive photograph 2007 Carr Cabin Restoration