This past Thursday, we celebrated Susan Crook’s accomplishments at the Preservation Utah Community Stewardship Awards reception.
Susan at the awards reception (image courtesy of Preservation Utah).
This year marks a new chapter in Preservation Utah’s awards tradition with the introduction of the Industry Expert awards. These awards honor individuals who have made lasting, pioneering contributions to historic preservation. Preservation Utah presented this inaugural award to Susan, a visionary leader in historic landscape architecture. Susan’s work has transformed how Utah—and the broader preservation community—understands, documents, and stewards its historic landscapes.
Co-founders of Io LandArch Shalae Larsen (Left) and Susan Crook (right) at the 2025 Preservation Utah awards reception.
Career
Susan began her career in 1989 after earning her Master of Landscape Architecture from Utah State University. Over the decades, she has built a legacy defined by depth, creativity, and an unwavering commitment to cultural and environmental integrity. As a co-founder of Io LandArch, Susan has guided the preservation of some of Utah’s most cherished historic landscapes. Her portfolio includes foundational projects like the Orson B. Adams Farmstead HALS; Salt Lake City Cemetery HALS; Fillmore Cemetery HALS and NRHP; Fort Douglas Stilwell Field HALS and Section 106; Union Stockyards HALS; and, recently, the Pioneer Park Cultural Landscape Report.
Susan’s work reflects a deep understanding of place, combining research-driven methodology with meaningful community engagement. As a certified landscape architect, certified arborist, and graduate of the National Trust for Historic Preservation Leadership Training, her skills extend across design, documentation, and interpretation. She has helped complete six of Utah’s seven Historic American Landscapes Surveys (HALS). In addition, Susan has prepared National Register of Historic Places nominations that contextualize local stories within broader historical narratives.
Image from the Ogden Union Stockyards HALS.
However, her leadership has extended beyond projects and into advocacy. Susan has served as a field representative for the Utah Heritage Foundation, as Interim Director of the Traditional Building Skills Institute and the Mormon Pioneer Heritage Institute at Snow College, and as a national board member of Preservation Action, a leading preservation policy organization. She has also held multiple leadership roles with the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), including as HALS Liaison for Utah and HALS Liaison Coordinator nationally.
Susan at the awards reception (photo courtesy of Preservation Utah).
Ongoing Impact
Now retired from full-time consulting but still active in the field, Susan serves as the Land Program Manager and Director of the SUNCLF at Conserve Southwest Utah. Her current work focuses on protecting indigenous and natural landscapes. Her ongoing work demonstrates her enduring commitment to preservation and place-based storytelling.
The reception took place in Memory Grove, an important historic landscape in Salt Lake City (photo by Shalae Larsen).
Susan’s career has consistently pushed the boundaries of what historic landscape preservation can accomplish. From sensitive cemetery restorations to complex Section 106 compliance projects, her approach bridges heritage, ecology, and design. Perhaps most significantly, she has mentored a new generation of professionals and inspired communities to see their landscapes not just as backdrops, but as vibrant cultural records.
It is an honor to celebrate her – Congratulations, Susan!
