The Tarmey Legacy: A Family’s Mark on UF Historic Preservation and Preservation Institute Nantucket

Monday, February 3, 2025
By: Cara Jackson


For Mark Tarmey (BDES ’79, MAAR ’81), architecture and historic preservation have been more than just a career—they have been a lifelong passion for more than 44 years. Decades later, his daughter, Mackennah Tarmey, is following in his footsteps by becoming the first legacy student at the University of Florida College of Design, Construction and Planning’s Preservation Institute Nantucket (PIN). Although separated by generations, the Tarmeys’ shared experience at PIN connects them through their love for historic preservation.

Blair Reeves founded UF’s PIN in 1972. Under UF DCP’s Historic Preservation Program (HPP), it is the nation’s oldest operating field school for historic preservation and offers a unique hands-on learning experience. The program has hosted more than 700 students and focuses on documenting and protecting Nantucket’s history through various projects and research.

The eldest Tarmey, now a principal architect and the founder of 4M Design Group in Tallahassee, vividly recalls his time at PIN in the 1980s while mentoring under Reeves himself. “As soon as I got on the ferry, I knew this was going to be a different summer,” Mark said. “Because you realize you’re 30 miles offshore, on an island, and when you land at dusk, it’s absolutely beautiful.”

While at PIN, Mark created lifelong memories in Nantucket. “It gave me a perspective that I’ve been able to use over probably the last 40 years, having experienced the way things were built 200 years ago through the current day.” Mark and his classmates helped record historic buildings on the island and created Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) drawings. Ten years later, their HABS drawings were used to rebuild one of the lighthouses that collapsed during a hurricane in Siasconset, Massachusetts.


As a result, his daughter grew up immersed in history and historic preservation. Inspired by her father’s career and appreciation for preservation, she created her own major in interdisciplinary studies at the University of North Florida. Her major combines marketing and historic preservation, and she hopes to engage a young audience in historic preservation through advocacy and storytelling.

Mackennah’s journey with PIN began when she attended the program’s 50th-anniversary celebration with her father. At the event, she met Dr. Cleary Larkin, the director of HPP. This connection led to her becoming the program’s marketing intern and to an additional opportunity. In a meeting in January, Larkin and Mackennah talked about Nantucket and the program.

“Dr. Larkin just looked at me and said, ‘Would you want to go?’” Mackennah said.

That one question led her to follow the same path her father walked decades ago.

When asked how he felt about Mackennah showing interest in historic preservation and PIN, he said, “For her to show interest in it and then go to Nantucket was like lighting the fuels, right? So her rocket took off.” Mark also mentioned how Mackennah focuses on the intersection of environmental and cultural preservation.


“My dad has always said, once you go and experience it, you’ll talk about it for the rest of your life, and you’ll think about it for the rest of your life,” Mackennah said. “There has not been a day that goes by that I don’t think about it or reminisce on it.”

The experience PIN creates forms a bond between those who go—whether decades or a few years apart. This is apparent between Mark and Mackennah, even down to a simple T-shirt. Nantucket is historic New England, with cobblestone streets and shake-covered gray houses.

“It’s funny because I had this T-shirt I gave to Mackennah that says, ‘How do I get there? You go down to the gray house with the white trim and turn left,’” he said. “Well, every house in Nantucket is a gray house with white trim.”

Mackennah also talked about how surreal it felt to be in the shoes of past PIN students and to be in the same dorm as her father.

“It was a thrilling moment, walking into the dorms and being like, he was here; these were the dorms he stayed in,” she said.

But Mackennah’s time at PIN wasn’t just about walking in her father’s footsteps—it was also about shaping her own journey in historic preservation. While her father’s experience focused on architectural design and HABS drawings, the program has shifted to a more holistic approach, focusing on cultural heritage. Mackennah worked on projects to preserve Nantucket’s intangible cultural heritage, such as scalloping and cranberry harvesting, while also recommending ways to restore local landmarks like the Ginger Andrews Scallop Shanty.

“It was a chance to honor the traditions that Reeves envisioned for the program while bringing a fresh, interdisciplinary approach to its goals,” Mackennah said.

PIN has left a lasting impression on the Tarmey family.

“For me, this journey is about more than academic achievements. It’s about continuing a legacy rooted in passion, creativity, and a commitment to making preservation accessible and meaningful to all,” Mackennah said.

She aims to “contribute to a future where cultural heritage continues to inspire and connect people across generations—just as it has for my family.

As for her father, he said, “I’m so thrilled that there are people your age that feel the same way, and that one of them is my daughter.”

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