Career
Shanon Shea Miller, AICP, became the City’s Historic Preservation Officer and Director of the Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) in 2008.
Before joining the City, Shanon was with the City of Franklin, Tennessee, where she served as the Historic Preservation Officer and Interim Planning Director. In this role, she was involved in:
- the designation of many new historic districts
- the purchase and planning for the largest battlefield reclamation in the US
- the purchase and rehabilitation of a National Register horse farm
- the design of a comprehensive heritage tourism wayfinding system
- the implementation of the Civil War Trails Program
She also served as chair of the City’s Battlefield Task Force and directed an annual event commemorating the Battle of Franklin. Additionally, she served as a City appointee to the Williamson County Convention, the Visitors Bureau Board and as an appointed member of the Tennessee Historical Commission’s State Review Board.
Shanon also served for four years as an adjunct professor teaching a course on the philosophy of historic preservation at O’More College of Design in Franklin.
Before moving to Franklin, Shanon served as the Historic Preservation Officer in Fort Worth, Texas, where she directed the preservation program. A major highlight of her time there was serving as project manager for a nine-month Citywide Historic Preservation Plan process.
Education
- Masters of Arts in Historic Preservation, Goucher College
- Masters of Public Service and Administration, Texas A&M University
- Bachelors of Arts in History with minors in Economics and Art History, Western Kentucky University
Professional Memberships
- Preservation Action: Chair Elect
- Preservation Action Foundation: President
- Power of Preservation Foundation: Founding Board
- American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP)
- City of San Antonio Executive Leadership Program
- Leadership America Graduate: 2012
- National Alliance of Preservation Commissions Board Member
- Carter House Association: President
- Franklin’s Charge: Board Member
- Williamson County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau: Board Member
- City of Franklin Leadership University: Inaugural class
Personal
Shanon is happily married to Hugh Miller. She is fortunate to get to do two things she is passionate about: historic preservation and central city revitalization.
Shanon enjoys swimming, travel and exploration, Tennessee Titans football and Kansas Jayhawks basketball.
Welcome to the City of San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation website. The Office of Historic Preservation promotes the identification, evaluation, rehabilitation, adaptive use, and restoration of the City's historic, architectural, and archeological heritage. San Antonio is a world-renowned preservation city and is a designated Preserve America community.
This website features detailed information about the City's preservation program, including locally designated historic districts, the City's Historic and Design Review Commission and the design review process. In addition, you will find information about federal and local incentives for owners of historic buildings and rehabilitation practices that can help preserve these properties.
We strive to preserve our history for so many reasons. We preserve out of a need for memories and to understand our past. Ask anyone what they love about San Antonio and the answers you'll likely hear will almost certainly involve historic preservation: the Riverwalk, downtown neighborhoods such as Monte Vista or Dignowity Hill, a local historic site such as the Missions or the Steves Homestead, thriving commercial areas such as Southtown, and the like. Our city has been shaped by our colorful history and our built environment helps to tell that story.
We preserve to protect our quality of life, our pride of place and our sense of community. We preserve so that we can pass on to future generations San Antonio’s rich past. In order to do that, we, of course, need to save local landmarks, but also we need to preserve the eclectic mix of residential and commercial architecture unique to our community. At the end of the day, we want our neighborhoods and commercial districts to continue to tell the story of our history to those who come after us. This can best be done by preserving the condition of our historic resources and by giving them new life and new purpose by making them our homes and places of business.
Taking care of our built environment does more than just save old buildings. It provides a sense of belonging, a collective memory and a sense of pride in our past. Preservation is not about longing for the past or resisting progress. It's about building on the past toward the future. A preservationist is by definition looking forward and impacting the future.
We hope you enjoy exploring the Office of Historic Preservation website. Please sign up for our email newsletter and get involved in our many activities throughout the year.