Matthew G. Dillhoefer is the principal of MGDEnvironmental Design, a preservation consulting firm established in 1992.
As a preservation architect meeting National Park Service professional qualifications (36 CFR Part 61), Mr. Dillhoefer is considered a leader in the practice and administrative development of historic preservation economic incentive programs which may be tailored to meet individual municipality, county, state or private property owner requirements. He is a preservation consultant for several municipal governments and is a sought-out speaker on preservation incentives for historic properties and how they play an important role in the economic stewardship of historic resources.
Experience and qualifications include:
Consultation and management services, for both public and private programs, on preservation projects that provide economic incentives for qualified historic buildings and properties
Adaptive reuse, urban infill, and preservation projects involving commercial, residential, and institutional properties with expertise in preservation financial incentives
Managed California’s second largest municipal Mills Act Historical Property Contract program for the City of Los Angeles. Created partnerships between government and private entities to further historic preservation efforts by:
Acting as liaison to local assessor offices and the State Office of Historic Preservation
Participating on panels and conducting workshops on Mills Act programs throughout California
Served in numerous capacities to the City of Pasadena; highlights include:
Mayoral appointment to serve as a member of Pasadena’s Design Review Commission
Assisted in development of a citywide design guideline plan to strengthen standards of architectural excellence
Served as advisor to develop the City of Pasadena’s General Plan
Served as senior member in the nationally recognized redevelopment of Old Pasadena and participated in the Streetscapes and Alley Walkways Project to create a public/private improvement overlay zone
Member of the Community Resource Group for the Pasadena Unified School District involved in the administration of voter-approved rehabilitation funds
Instrumental in the Getty Conservation Institute’s groundbreaking efforts towards establishing the pivotal Incentives for the Preservation and Rehabilitation of Historic Homes in the city of Los Angeles, A Guidebook for Homeowners, in 2004; this publication led to the critically acclaimed Los Angeles Historic Resource Survey Report: A Framework for a Citywide Historic Resource Survey, in 2008
Served as a board member of Pasadena Heritage and maintains affiliations with the National Trust, Los Angeles Conservancy, California Preservation Foundation, California Historical Society, Huntington Library and Art Gallery, Society of Architectural Historians and the Palm Springs Modern Committee.
In addition to these local and statewide efforts, Mr. Dillhoefer participated at the Third Global Strategy Meeting for the Identification of World Heritage Sites in the South Pacific where he consulted on the identification of historic resources in Levuka, Fiji. He has authored several publications on historic architecture and period-revival styles and is currently publishing a comprehensive book that chronicles development patterns in the San Gabriel Valley from 1880 to the present. Research for this publication has resulted in a personal database of over 3,000 architecturally and culturally significant properties.
A native of Pasadena, California, Dillhoefer holds a degree in Environmental Design from the University of California at Los Angeles and a certification in Historic Preservation from the University of Southern California. He continues to speak on preservation incentives for historic properties and how they play an important role in the economic stewardship of historic resources.
My Philosophical Approach to Historic Preservation
In a modern consumer-based world, historic preservation isn’t about zealously protecting and preserving historic sites, landmarks, views, landscapes, buildings or traditions as much as it is about recognizing and developing a potential resource and not significantly altering it. Historic preservation is often akin to being a steward of the environment and its resources. Understanding this connection provides us with context to our present time. The present is a product of the past, and it’s important to recognize the inherent value of the past so we can learn from it and pass it on to future generations. Indeed, something old isn’t necessarily good because it’s old, it’s old because it’s good.
If you have a great historic property (or even suspect that you might), and want to better understand its potential for rehabilitation or restoration, I’m available for an initial consultation. If you want to understand how to envision a historic preservation project with financial incentives, please send me an email explaining your property and what you envision for it.
Services
Historic Designation and Preservation Planning
Exterior/Interior Rehabilitation, Restoration, and Environmental Design
Urban Infill and Adaptive Reuse Projects
Mitigation Consulting
Financial Incentives Consulting