Following graduation, Carey worked for the firms Esherick, Homsey Dodge & Davis (EHDD) and Whisler/Patri. While at EHDD, she became interested in the Bay Region Style of architecture and its architects
Joseph Esherick,
William Wurster,
Charles Moore and
William Turnbull Jr. Inspired, in 1983 she founded one of the first woman-owned architectural practices specializing in historic preservation in the United States: Carey & Co. As a result of her expertise, she was named to San Francisco’s Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board by 1988. After the
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, her firm managed the preservation of several San Francisco historically significant civic buildings, including
City Hall and the
War Memorial Opera House. == Legacy ==