Prior to this appointment, Professor Barton was a member of the faculty at Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, where he directed the New York/Paris Program. He has also taught at the School of Architecture and Environmental Studies at The City College of New York. During the 1994-95 academic year, Professor Barton was Loeb Fellow at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. Through his practice, research, and teaching Professor Barton investigates issues of cultural and historical preservation and their interpretation through architectural and urban design. Much of his practice focuses on assisting African-American communities to preserve and interpret their significant cultural resources and to utilize them to stimulate community development.