Forum Blog - Preservation Leadership Forum - A Program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation

Designating Culturally Significant Properties at the Local Level from the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission

By Special Contributor posted 5 days ago

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By Timothy Frye and Kate Lemos McHale Editor's Note: With the coronavirus changing the very way we live our lives, Preservation Leadership Forum is committed to providing new content and information for preservationists as they work within a very different world. With that in mind we wanted to balance pandemic-related resources with a few stories we already had in progress so as to inspire and remind us why our work matters. The New York Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is ...

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On the Hill: Summary of Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act)

By Pam Bowman posted 9 days ago

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Editor's Note: As the preservation community grapples with the changes to how we do our work during this time, we at Preservation Leadership Forum are here to support you. Check out our resources , and share your problems and questions with others in the preservationists community on Forum Connect. For more information on the recently passed CARES Act and its implications for historic preservation, watch the recording of our April 2 webinar. On Wednesday, March 25, the Senate unanimously ...

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On The Hill: The Coronavirus Federal Legislation and Advocacy

By Pam Bowman posted 12 days ago

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Editor's Note: As the preservation community grapples with the changes to how we do our work during this time, we at Preservation Leadership Forum here to support you. Check out our resources , and share your problems and questions with others in the preservationists community on Forum Connect. The National Trust for Historic Preservation continues to closely monitor legislative developments responding to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, and we are actively engaged in efforts to sustain ...

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Forum Journal: Intangible Heritage

By Forum Online posted 17 days ago

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This issue of Forum Journal focuses on how to preserve cultural heritage in the absence of historic places that represent that heritage. Articles focus on specific communities and the efforts to preserve intangible heritage, as well as more general explorations of the topic. Articles included are about intangible heritage in African American, Latinx, Vietnamese American, immigrant, and coal mining communities throughout America in places as disparate as San Diego; Pennsylvania Coal Country; ...

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On the Hill: Historic Parks and Public Lands Bill Emerges in the Senate

By Special Contributor posted 25 days ago

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By: Pam Bowman, Janelle DiLuccia, and Christine Grubbs Editor's Note: The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) unanimously passed a resolution in support of the Great American Outdoors Act on Friday, March 13. ACHP Chairman Aimee Jorjani said, “The ACHP applauds the support of President Trump for both of these important initiatives that will aid in the preservation of historic properties. The ACHP previously has supported both the full funding of the Land and Water Conservation ...

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Historic & Green in Connecticut

By Sara Bronin posted 26 days ago

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If you believe what you read in some papers historic preservation is a dead and dying movement, unable to adapt to modern challenges, including climate change. The truth is, there are many preservationists who see the need to forge common ground with non-preservationists. This growing sentiment was on full display a few weeks ago at unique gathering of nearly two hundred preservationists and environmentalists in Hartford, Connecticut. The occasion? The “Historic and Green: A New Climate ...

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Forum Webinar: Resources for Congressional Appropriations

By Forum Online posted 03-04-2020

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Last week Preservation Leadership Forum held its first webinar of the year, focusing in on the FY21 Congressional Appropriations process. The webinar examined funding levels for a variety of different programs and discussed the potential impact of changes on the field. Credit: Architect of the Capitol Panelists included Tom Cassidy, Vice President of Government Relations at the National Trust; Erik Hein, Executive Director of the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers; ...

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Telling Untold Stories for Preservation Advocacy at the Tidal Basin

By Special Contributor posted 02-26-2020

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By Taneil Ruffin Editor’s Note: This past summer the National Trust for Historic Preservation designated the National Mall Tidal Basin as a National Treasure. To learn more about the threats and current campaign to save the Tidal Basin, visit www.savingplaces.org/tidal-basin . Want to learn more about the landscape of the Tidal Basin? Read Phia Sennett’s piece How Does the National Mall Tidal Basin Actually Work? The National Mall Tidal Basin is one of the country’s most visually ...

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Using Laser Scanning Technology to Record the LULAC Council 60 Clubhouse

By Sehila Casper posted 02-25-2020

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When driving down Bagby Street in Houston, Texas, a bustling one-way throughway, you will zoom right by a white stucco two-story structure. If you do notice the old house that was built in 1907, you may not think anything about the unassuming, and decaying, building. The LULAC Council 60 Clubhouse is one of the most historically and architecturally significant structures in Houston, and in a city not keen on historic preservation, it is surprisingly, still standing. Reality IMT team conducting ...

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@PreservationToolkit: Using Instagram to Build Connections and Content in New Orleans

By Neal Morris posted 02-21-2020

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As a preservation developer, I advocate for policies that encourage the rehabilitation of historic structures, while also undertaking rehabilitation projects for my own account and that of others. My company tries to maximize the social impact of our work beyond the bricks and mortar of preservation projects. It was with that in mind that we decided to enlist a team of like-minded professionals to document the nuts and bolts problems and solutions of a sample preservation project, and then share ...

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Action Alert: Proposed Rewrite of National Environmental Policy Act Regulations Threatens Historic Resources

By Sharee Williamson posted 02-19-2020

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Editor's Note: Comments are no longer being accepted on the new rules for NEPA. You can read the National Trust's comments which were submitted March 10 . In January, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the nation’s foremost environmental protection law, marked its 50 th anniversary. Unfortunately, the celebration of NEPA’s half-century milestone anniversary has been overshadowed by a proposal to dramatically weaken its governing regulations. On January 10, 2020, the White House ...

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President’s FY21 Budget Requests Alarming but Familiar Cuts for Historic Preservation

By Janelle DiLuccia posted 02-13-2020

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Following enactment of the most preservation-friendly funding bill in history, the Trump Administration released its FY 2021 budget proposal this week with alarming but familiar calls for steep cuts to the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) and other key preservation programs, as well as proposing closure of the National Endowment of the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities. View of the White House. | Credit: Proimos via Flickr CC-by-NC 2.0 Though these requested cuts are unlikely ...

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Honoring African American History at Oberlin Village

By Lawana Holland-Moore posted 02-11-2020

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The community of Historic Oberlin Village in Raleigh, North Carolina has a story to tell: one of accomplishment, pride, and overcoming incredible obstacles. Founded by African American freedmen around 1870, they created an independent town that consisted of twelve blocks with almost 1,000 residents who were carpenters, brick masons, and seamstresses once enslaved by some of Raleigh’s most prominent families. Due to the effects of the Great Depression, urban renewal, and now development and gentrification, ...

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Historic Denver: 2019 Trustee's Award for Organizational Excellence Recipient

By Annie Levinsky posted 02-06-2020

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Editor's Note: The nomination period for the 2020 National Preservation Awards has been extended. The new deadline is February 21. Historic Denver was founded in 1970 on the heels of the National Historic Preservation Act, a few years after the urban renewal wrecking ball left a scar through downtown Denver and cities across the country. Like many preservation nonprofits, Historic Denver got its start saving a historic house and converting it into a museum: the Molly Brown House Museum. ...

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Tracking Changes in Easement Property Ownership

By Raina Regan posted 02-04-2020

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Building constructive relationships with property owners or representatives is a key element to successful easement administration. A property owner that knows and trusts the easement-holding organization, and more specifically, that organization’s representative, is more likely to reach out with questions about the easement. As a result, the stewardship of the easement property can improve, particularly in avoiding misunderstandings about the easement and its requirements. The Land Trust Standards ...

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Blue + Gray = Green: Tips for Creating Sustainable Signage

By Special Contributor posted 01-28-2020

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By Drew A. Gruber and Chris Brown When was the last time you thought about signage? Have you wondered if this seemingly static resource could be made better for the environment or easier on your organization’s bank account? Signage is omnipresent on the landscape, from stop signs along our roadways to interpretive signage at historic sites. We often take them for granted, underutilizing the resource, and putting up with a product which is long overdue for a facelift. Civil War Trails is ...

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Serving Versus Observing Communities as Part of Preservation Practice

By Special Contributor posted 01-23-2020

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By Adriel Luis Editor's Note: This piece came out of a session at the 2018 PastForward Conference in San Francisco, California, which was led by Adriel Luis and Michelle Angela Ortiz . The session focused specifically on working and communicating with underrepresented communities as part of preservation practice. In this piece Adriel Luis expands on his work with various groups across the country. What do we mean when we say community ? It is a word that is often uttered, yet seldom ...

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Historic Preservation in Philadelphia: New Tools for an Old City

By Special Contributor posted 01-15-2020

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By Seri Worden and Patrick Grossi In November 2019, Philadelphia Mayor James Kenney signed into law three new bills that remove barriers and incentivize historic preservation in one of our nation’s most historic cities. These bills will allow for a more flexible and supportive regulatory environment for the protection of historic buildings and neighborhoods by reducing parking requirements, allowing for accessory dwelling units, and providing other uses for “special purpose” buildings. Philadelphia ...

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The Meaning of an Object: A Look into the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Collections Portal

By Special Contributor posted 01-10-2020

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By Tamar Rabinowitz Bound by a 6”x 6” exhibit label, museum curators must capture the layered history of an object or artwork in a few very precious words. The materials of our culture, however, contain meanings that extend far beyond the edges of the object label—a single painting, artifact, or tchotchke bear a multitude of intersecting stories. The National Trust for Historic Preservation Collections Portal brings these many stories to life. Featuring an ever expanding selection from ...

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The Collaboration Between Architect and Preservationist in Bringing Trinity Church into the 21st Century

By Special Contributor posted 01-02-2020

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By Katherine Malishewsky One of the most important things we can do to encourage the preservation of our historic buildings is to keep the programs within them relevant and functional. When a building fails to meet user needs, this is often the start of a careful dance where owner, architect, and preservationist consider modification, addition, and most controversially, demolition. There are several points within any modernization project where it becomes inevitable that historic materials ...

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