ABOUT ME
My name is Blake Gifford.
I’m an architect, and I’ve lived and worked in York, Pennsylvania for nearly a decade. My work centers on the design, planning, and stewardship of buildings, with a particular focus on historic places. In York, I’m involved in local preservation and community efforts, working with organizations and stakeholders to support the care, reuse, and long-term future of the city’s historic buildings.
In 2022, I founded York Architecture Illustrated - a project that brings together hand-drawn architectural artwork, local history, and public engagement. Through illustrated storytelling and guided walking tours, I aim to help people see York’s buildings not just as structures, but as layered, living pieces of the city’s story.
Read more below:
HAND-DRAFTED WORKS OF ART
Art and hand-drawing has always had a role in my life in some form. When I was younger, it was often a way of exploring my imagination (and my interest in Star Wars), while as I got older it became a useful skill for my career. Although it’s not used regularly anymore in practice, I took very quickly to traditional hand-drafting, and its methodical, detail-oriented process.
So in early 2021, I gathered some supplies, a few pencils, pens, and straightedges, and started drawing, as accurately and meticulously as I could, the buildings on the section of East Market Street where I lived in York. I used what I had been taught in drafting classes at school – plus a bit of my own style – to capture detail, shadow, and color, as an expression of love toward a place that finally made me feel at home.
HISTORIC ARCHITECTURAL GUIDED TOURS
There’s something truly exciting about guiding people through the timeless streets and storied facades of a place like downtown York. As I lead these walking tours, I’m not just sharing facts and figures; I’m inviting others to step into the rich tapestry of our past, where every building has a tale to tell.
My guided tour highlights the historic architectural sites along York's West Market Street corridor, between Pershing Street and Continental Square. The timeline of the tour material jumps between multiple different historical eras in discussing these beautiful remnants of York's past.
Video by Andrew Gobel
