Interviews with our Board Members: Sue Shutte

Sue Shutte is a new trustee to the Preservation NJ Board and brings with her a wealth of experience in historic preservation.  A graduate of Rutgers University with a bachelor’s in architectural history, Sue also holds a master’s degree from Cornell University in Historic Preservation Planning.  She is employed as the historian for Ringwood State Park and oversees three designated national register listed historic districts (Ringwood Manor, Long Pond Ironworks, & Skylands Manor)  Most of her day-to-day responsibilities deal with the historic preservation and interpretation of Ringwood Manor, the 51-room country estate of the Cooper  & Hewitt Families during the 19^th century.

An interest in historic preservation was inspired for Sue by her grandfather who was a skilled contractor and worked closely alongside a NJ architect named Elanore Pettersen.  Ms. Pettersen was a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, studied at the famed Cooper Union Institute, and designed numerous residential commissions in NJ during her lifetime.  Sue remembers her grandfather telling her “about a house in Pennsylvania with a river running through it  – only later learning as a teenager that the home he was referring to was FLW’s iconic Fallingwater!”  Instilling a further love of historic structures was Sue’s family vacations where her parents and siblings visited historic house museums.  She notes that the craftsmanship and skill used to create these structures that still remain hundreds of years later is “a testament to the people who built them.”

Sue believes that historic preservation is a tangible way for people to engage with history in the present.  History has an unfair reputation for being “boring,” but historic preservation brings history to life!  The ability to see, touch, experience, and understand our collective history is possible by preserving and studying our built environment.  She notes that structures reflect the social currents of the time they were built, and a person can connect to historic figures from years ago by simply standing in the same space they once did.

As one of the most densely populated states in the country, it has become routine in New Jersey to demolish older structures in favor of building new.  Yet “these existing structures have the capacity to be reimagined and reused for modern purposes to be solutions to current problems while still saving the history contained within its walls.”

During her time on the PNJ Board, Sue hopes to bolster the organization’s advocacy efforts through education and awareness to the public at large.  Additionally, she has goals including capacity building to create a robust membership and to engage younger audiences in the field of historic preservation.  She is passionate about mentoring the next generation of preservationists – whether they are working in the field or amateur enthusiasts who simply love and appreciate our state’s fascinating history!

Preservation New Jersey is excited to have Sue and her experience, vision, and enthusiasm as part of our organization!