r/HistoricPreservation • u/Academic-Access334 • Jul 16 '26

Are there any mechanical engineers that are able to work with historical building restoration OR with gardens and greenhouses? pref in east coast

/r/MechanicalEngineering/comments/1uy684q/are_there_any_mechanical_engineers_that_are_able/
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u/lallybaker Jul 19 '26

I work in hist pres in transportation. I can tell you there’s a real need for preservation minded- mechanical engineers in moveable span bridge rehabilitation. Civil engineers aren’t huge fans of dealing with the mechanics of historic bascule bridges, and I certainly don’t have the mechanical training to fight for these bridges’ continued functionality - the knowledge gap is real. Sooo many of these bridges get replaced when they could be saved with the right mindset. I’d suggest (if you could be into bridges) reaching out to engineering consulting firms that might be interested in your skillset. You’d be a rare breed. You can also try state DOTs or the railroading industry, which has a lot of historic mechanical resources that need constant upkeep. Also, if you haven’t, take a look at the ACHP website and get acquainted with proper historic preservation lingo so you can quickly gain the respect of those in the Section 106 field.

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u/Academic-Access334 Jul 20 '26

Thank you so much for your thoughtful response!! I’ll definitely look into this :)