We consider landscapes as living places - palimpsests where every layer reveals something about who we are and what we value.

We are driven by curiosity and the power of stories to shape how we view and understand our world and our place within it.

We believe in honoring our collective past by allowing complex histories and voices to be discovered and heard.

 

Our services

Trace is based in Charlottesville, Virginia but we work throughout the United States. Our collaborative approach of working alongside other designers, historians, preservation professionals, artists, community advocates, and dedicated environmental stewards who are based both in Virginia and within the region where the work is being done, allows us to bring a fresh perspective that is rooted in place.

Our process begins with a deep dive into research and site investigations. During the exploration phase, we look for clues that expose a site’s multiple layers of natural and cultural history. We use design and storytelling to draw out and build upon those qualities already present in the landscape, to make them legible, and envision a next iteration.

 
 
 
 

  • Master Planning

    Conceptual Design

    Design Development

  • Historical Landscape Architecture

    Cultural Landscape Studies, Inventories, and Reports

    Preservation Treatment and Planning

  • Landscape Research

    Mapping and Inventories

    Wayfinding and Interpretive Planning

Jen Trompetter, PLA, ASLA
Founder, TRACE

Jen is a licensed landscape architect and the founder of Trace. After twenty years in the field working on a wide range of project types and scales, she remains fascinated by site histories and how landscapes shape who we are and how we relate to the world. Her projects range from small, historic courtyards and gardens to massive post-industrial sites and national parks. In addition to her design and construction experience, Jen has practiced in the field of historical landscape architecture and preservation planning on project types including cultural landscape reports, historic landscape studies, and large-scale master planning of significant urban and regional parks. She has operated as both a designer and project manager on numerous projects that have received national awards. Prior to launching Trace, Jen worked at D.I.R.T. studio, Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, and Liz Sargent HLA. She has also taught in the landscape architecture and architecture departments at the University of Virginia. Jen holds a B.A. in the History of Art and Architecture from the University of California Santa Barbara and a Masters in Landscape Architecture from the University of Virginia.

Collaborators

Nell Boeschenstein
Cultural Landscape Historian

Nell is a cultural landscape historian. She believes that comprehending and sharing the complex social, cultural, and environmental histories of places and how those histories converge and conflict is critical to understanding the present and beyond. She has worked in the field of historical landscape architecture since 2020, assisting with a variety of projects relating to cultural landscape documentation, landscape history and interpretation, and National Register nominations at sites such as Zion National Park, President's Park, and Forest Hills Gardens. Having worked previously as a writer focused on American history and landscape, she brings a strong storytelling lens to bear on her work. Her essays have been published in Granta, The Oxford American, The Kenyon Review, and The Guardian among other outlets. Nell received her B.A. in English from Dartmouth College and her M.F.A. in nonfiction writing from Columbia University. She received her Masters in Architectural History with a certificate in Historic Preservation from the University of Virginia.

Heather Warren

Heather is a landscape historian. With a background in literary book publishing, editing, and writing, Heather brings an attention to research and carefully crafted narrative to her work. Heather received her B.A. in English from Kenyon College and her Masters of Landscape Architecture from the University of Virginia. For more than twenty-five years, Heather has worked closely with interdisciplinary teams of designers and historians in developing historic design projects for such important sites as Monticello, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, and The University of Virginia.