Nelson, Lee H.

Lee H. Nelson (1927-1994) was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1927, the son and grandson of Norwegian carpenters. He received an undergraduate degree in architecture from the University of Oregon in 1957 and a Master's in Architecture from the University of Illinois in 1958. That same year he embarked on a lifelong career with the National Park Service (NPS), beginning with a summer internship doing architectural research and documentation drawings at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland.

From 1960-1972 Nelson worked in the NPS Division of Design and Construction in Philadelphia where, in connection with America's approaching bicentennial, he became part of a team to document and restore a number of buildings at Independence National Historical Park. In 1979 Nelson became chief of Technical Preservation Services, later renamed the Preservation Assistance Division, a position he held until his retirement in 1990.

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