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Gina M. Douty specializes in historic preservation. Born and raised in the Harrisburg area, Ms. Douty became interested in architecture at a very early age. She remembers riding across the Harvey Taylor Bridge into downtown Harrisburg as a young girl, and thinking maybe some day she could work there, and "fix up" all the old buildings. She went on to Penn State University to major in Architecture with a special studies in Historic Preservation. And her dreams of working in Harrisburg became reality when she was offered a position with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC).
Prior to working with McKissick Associates PC, Gina was an architectural designer and a historic preservation specialist with the Division of Architecture and Conservation (now Division of Architecture and Preservation), Bureau of Sites and Museums at the PHMC when it was located in the State Museum Building. At the time, she was one of the youngest and only women with the title of architectural designer in the entire state. Her work there took her throughout Pennsylvania as she inspected project sites, researched, developed, and prepared design drawings and specifications for architectural preservation, renovation and new design projects.
In the early 1990's, Ms. Douty was one of the first teaching assistants in the Architectural Transfer and Technology Departments at Harrisburg Area Community College where she aided the professors and students with assignments, and tended to the labs and studios.
Ms. Douty's love of historic preservation is life long. "I love anything old, particularly buildings…
anything with a past and history. I could spend hours pouring through old books, documents,
photographs of buildings to see if there is something from one particular time that helps tell
the story of what it is today. There is always a story to uncover; but more importantly,
there is something worth documenting well and preserving accurately so that the next generation
can follow it too."
As an architecture student at Penn State University, Ms. Douty took a historic preservation
work study in lieu of a semester abroad. She learned more about Pennsylvania architecture and
historic preservation than in any other semester. "This great opportunity was the springboard
to all of the positions I have ever had in preservation. It lead to not only a summer internship
with the PHMC, but also a summer stint as program coordinator at the historic site of Curtin
Village in Centre County. I loved every minute of it!!! Even though I was paid, I would
have done it for free!!! I still feel that way about historic preservation with every
new project I receive."
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