Carolyn Pitts, architectural historian, dies at 85

0 Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, May, 2008 | by Gayle Ronan Sims Inquirer Staff Writer

Carolyn Pitts, 85, an architectural historian and a pioneer for the preservation of Cape May whose efforts got National Register and National Landmark status for the town, died of diabetes Friday at the Watermark at Logan Square. She lived in Society Hill. Miss Pitts' drive to preserve Cape May began after a nor'easter hit the Shore resort in March 1962.

The boardwalk and Convention Hall were destroyed, and beaches and homes were damaged when the town was flooded for three days. Miss Pitts, an employee of the National Park Service in 1962, traveled from Washington to Cape May to survey the damage of historic buildings, backed by the Historic American Buildings Survey. She obtained grants from local foundations and the National Endowment for the Humanities to fund teams of...