Step into Leslee Key’s world and see why she’s this month’s Florida Trust’s Spotlight of Trustee Emeriti!
An Interview with Leslee Keys, Ph.D.
Leslee Keys is a resolute preservationist with a litany of accomplishments: she is the author of four books, has been an academic faculty member, faculty researcher and frequent presenter. She has secured, facilitated and administered over 100 million dollars in funding for historic preservation, including archaeology, arts and cultural heritage projects. In her career she has proven her versatility through written nominations, surveys, reports and plans, and by having served on innumerable committees, councils, commissions and boards at the local, state, national and international levels.
She is also a passionate preservationist. Keys joined the Florida Trust in 1985, then served as Board Trustee and ultimately held every Trust office, including Board President. The importance of her experience and leadership to the organization was recognized through her designation as Trustee Emerita.
Keys has received 40 honors and awards and preserved or rehabilitated six personal residences. In 2015 she received the inaugural Roy E. Graham Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation, our highest award.
Keys received a B.S. in history and pre-law from Ball State University; completed master’s programs in urban planning and history from Virginia Tech; and holds a doctorate in historic preservation from the University of Florida. Earlier this month, we asked her to share her thoughts on historic preservation and her career as part of our series focusing on the remarkable lives and impacts of our Trustee Emeriti
When did you know you wanted to be an historic preservationist?
She didn’t hesitate to respond that the 1976 American Bicentennial hooked her on history and inspired her to delve in and learn more.
What drew you to this field, and how did you get started?
Keys shared that she always liked history, and she saw historic buildings as the physical embodiment of history in action. In graduate school she was drawn to the new field of historic preservation and combined that with her love of history in two master’s degrees.
What is your favorite part about your job and why?
She considered her answer for a moment and then stated it’s really two points. First, she finds it rewarding continuing to be able to be a part of cultural heritage and seeing the built environment translated, understood and appreciated. Second, it matters that a building is saved, an inactive site is put back into good use. She expounded that old became bad after WWII. Historic neighborhoods were bifurcated by new interstates, bisecting communities or were shoveled over entirely. Those communities are worth protecting. And historic buildings are simply built better!
Which of your professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
Foremost, she said she is gratified to help save a lot of buildings in a lot of places. She enjoys stretching herself, which is proven in raising over 100 million dollars for historic preservation and cultural heritage. Her experience in academia at Flagler College, which included working on 12 historic campus buildings, was very rewarding. A special highlight was representing Flagler College for the Spanish King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia’s visit to St. Augustine to commemorate the 450th anniversary of the founding of St. Augustine.
What has been the timeline of your career thus far?
Keys disclosed she started out as graduate research and teaching assistant at Virginia Tech then worked as a city planner in Dayton, Ohio. A move to Jacksonville, Florida, included a stint on the city’s grant staff in the Department of Planning, which eventually led to her taking the role of Executive Director at Riverside Avondale Preservation. Her next stop was Louisville, Kentucky, working for the Jefferson County Government Historic Preservation and Archives as an analyst then Cabinet Director. A hurricane in Key West presented an opportunity with the Florida Division of Historical Resources to work with post-storm rebuilding and partnering with FEMA to focus on disaster preparedness and recovery. In 2026 she will have been in St. Augustine for 30 years, with 22 of these years with Flagler College as a staff member in fundraising, then as a faculty member teaching and overseeing grants before retiring in 2023 from a professorship.
You’ve published 4 books, which is your favorite? Is another in the works?
She said the best book is Hotel Ponce de Leon: The Architecture and Decoration which began as her doctorate thesis. She thanked every library that loaned her resources and claims it was a group effort. And yes, she said she just finished book number five – stay tuned.
Is there anything people don’t understand about historic preservation that you wish they did?
Keys discussed how she was a first-generation historic preservationist in a nascent field when she first started. Important to her is that those coming up in the field commit to the high standards that have been set. Also, with today’s intense development pressure, it’s important to know that historic preservation can be part of that development which can result in saving the most incredible buildings in America.
What has most significantly influenced your success?
Keys pondered for a moment and answered – a tolerant family. Hers lived through multiple house restorations, sometimes asking if there could be just one room with electricity.
What’s next for Leslee Keys?
Slowing down, she laughed. Making presentations in St. Augustine and at conferences, giving tours in her city. Spending time with her five grandchildren, their parents, and her best beau ranks high on the list.
Is there anything you’d like to add?
Keys replied that the next generation of historic preservationists need to be encouraged, that it’s a matter of passing it along. Historic preservation is for the next generation and as a career opens up avenues that few others do.
