Kerry Traynor

Kerry Traynor has been working in the field of historic preservation for over 20 years. Professor Traynor has a diverse background including work in the private and public sectors, as well as in academia.

Her experience has included private practice, scholarly research and publication, and teaching at the collegiate level: architecture and landscape architecture history; design and historic preservation theory and award winning preservation planning studios. She was ‘Restoration Project Manager’ for the Kentucky Heritage Council, State Historic Preservation Office where she gained a unique understanding of section 106 compliance; the preparation of historic resource surveys; rehabilitation tax credits; material fabric studies and conservation, and preservation and maintenance planning from the perspectives of a representative of a State Historic Preservation Office as well as a private consultant.

She received her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Architecture at the University at Buffalo. She continued her education, receiving a Master’s of Science in Architectural History from Mississippi State University. 

Kerry Traynor is principal investigator and president of kta preservation specialists, a small historic preservation consulting firm founded in 1999. She is qualified under 36 CFR 61 (Professional Qualification Standards) for History, Architectural History, Architecture, Historical Architecture and Historic Preservation.   Recent projects include the conservation and restoration of the LaFarge rose window at Trinity Episcopal Church in Buffalo, New York; the restoration of the National Register Listed Custom House in Niagara Falls, New York; HABS documentation of Hutchinson Memorial Chapel in Buffalo, New York; and numerous reconnaissance and intensive level surveys, national register nominations and rehabilitation historic tax credit projects. Professor Traynor has provided her experience and skills to numerous preservation efforts in the City of Buffalo, including the local nomination and listing of endangered sites such as the GLF Grain Elevator and Erie Freight House.

These are the skills that Professor Traynor brings into an “active learning” classroom.

Professor Traynor’s preservation practicums have won awards from the American Planning Association for Outstanding Student Work. Recent projects include: Against the Grain: A New Direction for Buffalo’s Old First Ward and Buffalo’s Historic Fruit Belt: A Conservation District. Independent study by her students produced a substantive work detailing the framework of a “Transshipment Historic District”, highlighting Buffalo’s rich industrial heritage as a cultural resource. Her course work has resulted in the listing of National Register and local landmark districts and sites. Students gain real world practical experience in Professor Traynor’s classroom.