Two Greensboro preservation leaders are among the 14 people, projects, businesses, and organizations recognized with Preservation North Carolina’s 2026 awards. Local architect and Greensboro Historic Preservation Commission member Jo Ramsay Leimenstoll and Friends of Green Hill Cemetery were honored for their contributions to historic preservation efforts locally and statewide.
Leimenstoll received the Ruth Coltrane Cannon Award, North Carolina’s most prestigious honor for achievement in historic preservation. A registered architect with more than 50 years of preservation experience, she has played a leading role in protecting historic resources across the state. She is a Professor Emerita at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where she was instrumental in the creation of the graduate curriculum in historic preservation. Over her career, her work includes working as the architect for the NC Main Street Program, conducting research on NC cabinetmaker Thomas Day, authoring architectural guidelines for communities across the state, serving on the NC National Register Advisory Committee, and chairing the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions board, the Preservation NC board, and the Preservation Greensboro board, as well as the Greensboro Historic Preservation Commission. As part of the award, her name will be added to the silver bowl recognizing past recipients, which is displayed at the NC Museum of History in Raleigh.
Established in 2009, Friends of Green Hill Cemetery received the Minnette C. Duffy Landscape Preservation Award, the state's highest recognition for preserving and maintaining historic landscapes, gardens, streetscapes, and grounds. The volunteer-led organization is dedicated to preserving the historic 51-acre cemetery through gravestone conservation, historical and botanical tours, fundraising for cemetery improvements, and encouraging respectful respite for all who visit.
Leimenstoll and Friends of Green Hill Cemetery will both be honored at Preservation NC’s annual conference this October in High Point. See other 2026 award winners here.
