The University of Mary Washington (UMW) in Fredericksburg, Virginia, was founded in 1908. This article describes the process that led to the UMW preservation plan. Unlike most preservation plans, the UMW plan was developed in-house with limited funds. Furthermore, the catalyst for the plan was a grassroots effort on the part of students and alumni to prevent widespread demolition on campus as laid out in a proposed campus master plan. The article will recount the events that led to the preservation plan; describe its integration with the campus master plan; and discuss the opportunities, challenges, and luck that can make a collaborative process fruitful or futile. (Contains 3 figures and 1 note.)