GARY, IN – Indiana Landmarks recently welcomed Blake Swihart as director of the Northwest Field Office in Gary. In his new position, he will manage Indiana Landmarks' preservation efforts in Jasper, Lake, Newton, and Porter counties, including working with the historic preservation commissions in the area and seeking solutions for Gary’s Theodore Roosevelt High School, a current entry on Indiana Landmarks’ 10 Most Endangered list.

Swihart holds a B.A. in history from Indiana University, an M.A. in history from McGill University, and a certificate in historic preservation from Eastern Michigan University. He has been an invited speaker at the Michigan Historic Preservation Network’s annual conference as well as speaking on local historic district designation in Maine.

His background in preservation includes working with Midtown Detroit to research and document a historic motel owned by a pioneering African American realtor. He assisted the town of Wheeling, West Virginia, in expanding an antebellum historic district, and he worked with the Fifth Maine Museum on Peaks Island, Maine. As a current member of the Washtenaw County Historic District Commission near Ann Arbor, Swihart helps oversee rural farmsteads, along with a large mid-century modern residential district he surveyed and documented.

His recent work in the clinical research field at the University of Michigan supplied valuable experience in project management and engaging with people from diverse backgrounds. “I truly enjoy connecting with people, listening to their stories, and learning what and who they value,” Swihart said.

Swihart grew up in Fort Wayne and will be relocating to Indiana with his family from their current home in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

“I have been looking for the right opportunity to transition to full-time work in the historic preservation field for a few years now, and I’m excited to be back in my home state and a part of Indiana Landmarks,” said Swihart.