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’ve worked throughout the United States. Our collaborative approach brings together a diverse array of experts, including designers, historians, and other preservation professionals, alongside artists, community advocates, and dedicated stewards from the regions we serve. This synergy allows us to infuse our projects with perspectives that are deeply rooted in the local context and culture, ensuring that our work resonates meaningfully with the communities we engage.
Trace’s process begins with an in-depth exploration phase, characterized by comprehensive research and site investigations. During this phase, we meticulously search for clues that reveal the multiple layers of a site’s natural and cultural history. By engaging in thoughtful design and compelling storytelling, we seek to highlight and enhance the intrinsic qualities already present in the landscape, making them accessible and legible. Through this approach, we envision a site’s next iteration, creating meaningful connections between the past, present, and future.
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Master Planning
Conceptual Design
Design Development
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Historical Landscape Architecture
Cultural Landscape Studies, Inventories, and Reports
Preservation Treatment and Planning
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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, 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.
Lynn Rainville, PhD
Founder and Executive Director, Hidden History Group
Dr. Lynn Rainville is the Founder and Executive Director of Hidden History Group, a historic consultancy firm. After earning her PhD in Near Eastern Archaeology, she has dedicated the past two decades to serving as a Public Historian, Academic Leader, and Digital Humanist, producing numerous articles and books through grant-funded research.
In addition to her academic work, Dr. Rainville established an institute for public history and historic preservation at Sweet Briar College. She has held various leadership roles, including Dean and Chief Academic Officer at Sweet Briar College, Executive Director of Institutional History and the Museums at Washington and Lee University, and Board Member at the Albemarle County Historical Society and the Library of Virginia Foundation Board. Currently, she serves as a historic consultant specializing in Virginian history and culture, American colleges and universities, and issues related to memorials and memory.