Archway Preservation is a historic preservation firm focusing on architectural history and the conservation of architectural masonry. From consulting on interventions to material testing, and archival research to National Register listings, we work with clients ranging from individual homeowners to large institutions. While we are able to work with structures of all types and sizes, we have particular specialty in small vernacular masonry structures and sacred architecture like churches and cemeteries. For services that go beyond what we provide in house, we maintain a large network of specialist partner laboratories and experts on whom we can call to provide support or supplementary services. Officially founded in 2021 but incorporating work started before then, the name "Archway" is a play on the initials of the company's founder, "Anthony R.C. Hita."

At Archway Preservation we believe historical structures are a book with an ongoing story that is waiting to both be read and written. As such, a place cannot be separated from the people, cultures, and contexts who established and occupied it historically, or those who inherit and continue to use it today. Every person who has valued and modified a structure adds a chapter to its story. To that end, while we acknowledge a structure may have a distinct period of significance that can be highlighted related to its designers, past occupants, cultural legacy, or historic events, we do not believe that a building can ever be "returned" to the past any more than a person can time travel. We must approach a place complete with all of its positive and negative history. In recounting its history, we should attempt to be thorough, and in its care we should select materials and approaches that minimize harm. As consultants to the inheritors of the story of these places, we have an onus to stewardship to do our best to ensure that its present chapter is not its last.

Anthony R.C. Hita, PM-AIC, MSHP, M.Div

Anthony R.C. Hita is an architectural conservator and architectural historian who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's Weitzman School of Design in 2018 with a Masters of Science in Historic Preservation. He is a Professional Member of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC) and member of ASTM International's Committee C07 on Lime and Limestone, and C15 on Masonry. His primary expertise is in sacred architecture, masonry mortars, and architectural history of vernacular structures. Anthony is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church and served as a parish pastor for five years before leaving parish ministry to focus full time on historic preservation. He graduated from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in 2013 with a Masters of Divinity, concentrated on Near Eastern Archaeology and Biblical Languages. His unique combination of science, architecture, archaeology, and theology gives him enhanced insight into the cultural dimension of historic preservation and sensitivity to the specialized needs of the stewards of historical sacred spaces.