Karen McKinney
Karen McKinney has been teaching as an Adjunct Instructor at the ULL School of Architecture & Design since 2013 and in the Office of First Year Experience since 2018. She is an Architect registered in Louisiana with a Bachelor of Architecture, Graduate Certificate in Historic Preservation, and Master of History. Karen has trained as Certified Building Evaluator (CAL OES), Certified Online Instructor, and Certified Online Course Designer.
Her recent work includes documentation of historic buildings on Grand Isle, LA resulting in the Louisiana Coastal Vernacular: Grand Isle 1783-1968 Multiple Property listing, the 1965 Humble Oil Worker Housing Historic District, and several individual building nominations.
McKinney has co-taught and served as consultant for the Historic American Buildings Survey course annually since 2015, utilizing over $140,000 in grants. She currently teaches first year courses in Survey of Design, Basic Design, and Design Communications and created and teaches the Louisiana Architecture general education course. She has also taught History of Architecture I and Building Systems I courses and volunteers as code reviewer for fourth year and graduate thesis studio projects.
Karen participates actively in various community organizations at local, state, and national levels. She served on the LA State Uniform Construction Council as chair of the Technical Codes and Advisory Committee for eight years and continues to serve on the International Code Council - International Existing Buildings Committee at Committee Action Hearings. She serves as chair of the Washington Historic District Commission and secretary of the Vermilionville Living History Museum Foundation, Inc.
Publications/Presentations/Awards:
2018 – 2019 Karen McKinney, principal. Historic Preservation Grant Award $5,000. National Register Historic District, 1965 Humble Oil Worker Housing, Grand Isle, Louisiana. Division of Historic Preservation, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism, LA
2017 – 2018 Karen McKinney, principal. Historic Preservation Grant Award $10,000. National Register Multiple Property Listing for Louisiana Coastal Vernacular: Grand Isle 1783-1968. Division of Historic Preservation, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism, LA
2019. Karen McKinney. “Getting Out of the Mud: Louisiana and Good Roads Before 1928.” Louisiana History (Summer 2019) Vol LX, No 3. (Baton Rouge: Louisiana Historical Association, 2019), 289-331.
2019. Karen McKinney. “Humble Oil Camp Worker Housing, Grand Isle, Louisiana.” Southeast Chapter of Society of Architectural Historians Conference, Greenville, SC
2019. Karen McKinney. “Getting Out of the Mud: Louisiana and Good Roads Before 1928.” Louisiana Historical Association Conference, Lafayette, LA
2018. Karen McKinney. “Louisiana Coastal Vernacular: Grand Isle 1783-1968.” Southeast Chapter of Society of Architectural Historians Conference, Manhattan, KS
2018. Mayor’s Community Service Award, Key to the Town of Washington, LA. For pursuit of legislation for and service on the Historic District Commission.
2018. Hugh F. Rankin Prize, Louisiana Historical Association.
2017. Karen McKinney. “Building Preservation and the Study of History: Symbiotic Relationship?” International Architecture Conference on Design, Hong Kong, China
2016. Karen McKinney. “Coffee, Bananas, and Peace: Development of Vernacular in Costa Rica.” International Graduate Student Conference on Transatlantic History, Arlington, TX
2016. Karen McKinney. “Golden Sands: Louisiana’s Nineteenth Century Seaside Resort.” Southeast Chapter of Society of Architectural Historians Conference, New Orleans, LA
2016. John Troutman, PhD with Kelsey Jagneaux, Linzay Foret, and Karen McKinney, graduate students. “Museum on the Move: Exhibiting Oil History in an Airstream”. Louisiana Association of Museums Conference, Lafayette, LA
2014. Outstanding Service Award, Technical Committee Chair, Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code Council.
2005. Mayor’s Community Service Award, Key to the Town of Washington, LA. For pursuit of support for and service on the Washington Municipal Public Library.