The Onera Foundation seeks to inform and engage the public about historic preservation and significant architecture in the United States through advocacy, exhibitions, grants, and publications. Onera aims to challenge conventional perspectives and advance innovative practices in the field of cultural heritage.

Leadership

David B. Peterson is the Founder of the Onera Foundation and CEO of the Onera Group. He has spent the majority of his career in investment banking at Rothschild, Citibank, and Salomon Brothers. Mr. Peterson is the Board Chair of the Harlem Academy school, a Board Member of the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies, and serves on the Advisory Council of the Glass House, a National Trust Historic Site in New Canaan, Connecticut. He holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College, an M.B.A. from New York University, and an M.S. in Historic Preservation from the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation at Columbia University.

Location

The Onera Foundation is located in the preservation and architecture-focused New England town of New Canaan, Connecticut.

One hour from New York City, New Canaan is home to a large collection of significant mid-century modern houses built by architects such as Marcel Breuer, John Johansen, Landis Gores, Philip Johnson, and Eliot Noyes. Cultural sites in New Canaan include the Grace Farms Foundation and its award-winning building designed by SANAA and Philip Johnson's Glass House, one of the 27 sites owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Foundation is located in the Historic District commonly referred to as "God's Acre." It is only a few steps from the New Canaan train station and adjacent to the central business district.