Jackson Free Press

A deep-rooted passion for preserving history and community involvement motivates David Preziosi, executive director of Mississippi Heritage Trust.

With an undergraduate degree in architecture from Texas A&M earned in 1993, Preziosi wanted to pursue city planning. He furthered his education with a graduate degree in urban planning from Texas A&M in 1996.

"I have always been interested in historic preservation," Preziosi says. "But I wanted to have more of an impact on communities."

Fulfilling his desire to preserve and plan on a smaller scale, Preziosi moved to Mississippi in 1996 to work with the city of Natchez as their assistant city planner; he was promoted to city planner in 1998. In Natchez, he paired his knowledge of architecture and urban planning with his passion for historical preservation. His experience restoring and preserving historical sites eventually brought him to Jackson in 2002 to work for Mississippi Heritage Trust, a non-profit organization with a mission to preserve architectural history through education, advocacy and active preservation.

A Fondren resident of three years, Preziosi maintains his desire to restore and preserve the past with his own home. He purchased a 1950s house in the Fondren District that has proved to be an ongoing project. With his perpetual home renovations, he is always remodeling, painting and redecorating.

"I bought a fixer," Preziosi says, jokingly.

During June, Preziosi is traveling around the state to talk about Mississippi's annual list of the "10 Most Endangered" historical sites. The trust released the 2011 list in April. Various state departments helped compile the list, such as the Department of Archives and History.

Preziosi speaks on the "10 Most Endangered" at noon Wednesday, June 15 at the Old Capital Museum as part of the History is Lunch series.

For more information on the Mississippi Heritage Trust, visit http://www.mississippiheritage.com/. Visit http://mdah.state.ms.us/ for information about the History is Lunch series.