Friday, September 27

  9:00am  KEYNOTE ADDRESS | Tell Me a Story: Narrative’s Universal Value

• Bonnie McDonald, President & CEO, Landmarks Illinois
   

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10:15am  SESSION 1

•  1A: Telling Your Story: Funding Your Project & Sustaining Your Site

  • Presenters: ​Evy Dueck, Jeff Gonyeau, Lauren McCormack, Earl Taylor

This session is geared toward organizations, property owners, and other entities seeking to complete small to midsize preservation projects. Panelists will discuss fundraising strategies – from government grant programs, to foundation grants, to earned income – followed by an in-depth case study describing the work of the Dorchester Historical Society (DHS) over the last decade. DHS has used a variety of creative strategies to fund award-winning preservation projects on its multi-building historic site in Boston.  
 

•   1B: Preservation in a Changing Climate: Salem's Collaborative Approach to Preservation            Planning for Climate Impacts

  • Presenters: ​Susan Baker, Patricia Kelleher, Barbara Warren​

Overflowing gutters, leaky basements, spreading mold and flooding are quickly becoming the new normal for historic buildings as climate change impacts coastal communities. This panel session will explore a unique collaboration between the City of Salem and the Salem Preservation Partners, a group of local preservation and environmental organizations, to raise awareness of climate change impacts to historic resources and to develop strategies for mitigation and adaptation. Learn about Salem's approach to historic preservation in a changing climate, then dive deeper into what one historic site - The House of the Seven Gables - is doing to adapt to climate change challenges. Panelists include the City of Salem's Preservation Planner; the Executive Director of Salem Sound Coastwatch, a science-based not-for-profit; and the Gable's Collection Manager. Session attendees will leave with ideas, approaches, examples, and resources around planning for adaptations due to climate change realities.

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•   1C: Historic Tax Credits

  • Presenters: ​Melina Ambrosino, Erin Doherty, Dan Kolodner, Brian Lever, Mathieu Zahler

Historic rehabilitation tax credits can play a significant role in the financial success of a historic renovation project. This session will explore the use and syndication of historic tax credits in Worcester- and Boston-area projects. Hear from the primary players involved in successful projects, including a developer, lawyer, syndicator/broker, and consultant. Each panelist will share their insight into the successful use of historic tax credits.

 

•   1D: Deconstruction 

  • Presenter: Kathi Mirza

How much construction and demolition material is being trashed? Learn about the climate impacts of the deconstruction waste stream and the benefits of reuse. Uncover resources to envision better ways of managing building materials and ways to build the deconstruction/reuse infrastructure in MA. Learn ways that state and local agencies can develop effective ordinances to achieve circularity with building materials. Reuse will ultimately help to meet demand (esp. with supply chain issues) and to keep materials in the local/regional economy.

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•   1E: TOUR (Bus + Walking): Salisbury Mansion & Salisbury House

  • Tour Leaders: Worcester Historical Museum & Preservation Worcester

Transportation will be provided to and from tour site. Attendees should expect to stand or walk for the majority of the tour itself. Two-part tour of the Salisbury Mansion + Salisbury House:

Salisbury Mansion | Built in 1772 to serve as store and residence for the young Stephen Salisbury (1746-1829), the Mansion illustrates life in Worcester in the 1830s as it transitioned from an agrarian county seat to and industrial city with the investment of entrepreneurial families like the Salisburys. The high-style taste of Elizabeth Tuckerman Salisbury is reflected in the well-documented restoration/interpretation of the Mansion by Worcester Historical Museum. 
Salisbury House | In 2022, Preservation Worcester purchased and re-located to the Salisbury House, the home of Stephen Salisbury II and III. Tour the Greek Revival structure (1836-1838) and hear about its architectural significance, the important role that the Salisbury family played in Worcester, and the interesting history of the building. Preservation Worcester staff will share insights on the purchase of the property, repair and restoration efforts, and future plans. 

 

  1F: TOUR (Bus + Walking): Rural Cemetery

• • Tour Leader: William Wallace & Worcester Historical Museum

Transportation will be provided to and from tour site. Attendees should expect to stand or walk for the majority of the tour itself. Tour Worcester’s historic Rural Cemetery, dedicated in 1838 and modeled after Mt. Auburn, Cambridge. Learn about the beginnings of the garden cemetery movement in Worcester and the impact of local visionaries and horticulturalists in their effort to create a space “withdrawn from the bustle of world”—all while you visit the graves of some Worcester notables. 

 

1:00pm    SESSION 2

•   2A: Regional Approaches to Historic Preservation Planning

  • Presenters: Jennifer Doherty, Beth Giannini, Sarah Scott, Shannon Walsh

Regional Planning Agencies (RPAs) are an important link between local governments, state agencies, and community-based organizations. On this panel, RPAs in metropolitan and rural regions of the Commonwealth will share how they take different approaches to incorporating historic preservation and cultural planning into the broader objectives of their agencies. Together, they will explain how RPAs function, how local preservation staff and commissioners can build relationships with RPAs, and how RPAs can meaningfully help advance local preservation planning goals. The Local Government Programs Coordinator at the Massachusetts Historical Commission will moderate the subsequent discussion about how RPAs support efforts to integrate historic preservation into local, regional, and state planning.
 

•   2B: Advancing Inclusive Narratives: Insights on Interpreting Enslavement and Freedom

  • Presenters: Kayla Coleman, Naomi Gordon, Alex Goutier, Scarlett Hoey, Lauren McCormack, Marieke Van Damme

The 2026 semiquincentennial is on the horizon and it is vital that museums, historic sites and houses tell a more complete history of the region. One way that NEMA, the New England Museum Association, has been encouraging a more complete history is by connecting a Community of Practice on Interpreting Enslavement and Freedom. This group brings together museum people working in and with historical societies, libraries, and institutions across the Northeast to further new interpretations of a more inclusive history at their sites. This session will offer conference participants a chance to hear from folks that are part of the NEMA Community of Practice and provide a check-in for what is important to consider as we inch closer to 2026.
 

•  2C: Keep the Lights On! Saving & Restoring Historic Theaters

  • Presenters: Alan Chille, Erin Doherty, Troy Siebels, Scott Winkler

Once a common part of life in most cities and towns in America, historic theaters have suffered through changes in the market and film industry that made them obsolete decades ago for their original purpose. Learn about successful restoration and reuse projects as well as ongoing efforts to restore and find new uses for these community centerpieces before they are lost forever. Hear about challenges and opportunities inherent in many of these buildings and common reuse programs. Discover successful funding strategies and how project phasing can leverage limited resources while opening and maintaining a functioning building.
 

•  2D: Preservation & the Housing Crisis

  • Presenters: Alisa Augenstein, Maureen Cavanaugh, Michelle Johnstone, Paul Lassard, Albert Lavalley, Brian Lever, Mike Lozano, Phil Renzi, Anthony Rossi, Dave Traggorth

Amid a housing crisis with dwindling buildable land, is it possible to accommodate the need for more housing units without losing buildings that tell the stories of our past? Join our roundtable of developers and architects for a discussion on three challenging Worcester buildings–the Worcester County Courthouse (now Courthouse Lofts), Mission Chapel (now Mission on Summer), and the J.H. & G.M. Walker Shoe Factory (now Walker Lofts)–that were reactivated into vibrant market-rate housing. Panelists will dive into various incentives they leveraged to make their projects work, challenges they faced along the way, and why preservation is a more valuable tool than ever for communities in the grips of a housing crisis.​
 

•  2E: TOUR: Worcester Courthouse Lofts

  • Tour Leader: VJ Tocci

Walking Tour (attendees should be prepared for a17-minute walk to & from tour site)
Join TOCCI on a tour of the stunning Courthouse Lofts in Worcester! Witness the transformation of the 19th-century historic courthouse, revitalized into 118 spectacular and affordable apartments by TOCCI, The Architectural Team, and Trinity Financial. After sitting empty for 15 years due to the building's awkward configuration for conversion, the design incorporated much of the original courthouse fabric, including judges’ benches and jury boxes within the apartments. This project has won both the National Jack Kemp Award for Affordable Housing and the Paul Tsongas Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation.
 

•  2F: TOUR: Worcester Memorial Auditorium

  • Tour Leader: Jake Sanders

Walking Tour (attendees should be prepared for a17-minute walk to & from tour site)
The Architectural Heritage Foundation (AHF), a non-profit historic preservation and real estate development company, is spearheading the redevelopment of the Worcester Memorial Auditorium, Worcester’s most iconic and beloved building. Constructed in 1933, the 165,000 SF venue served as the main civic center for the region until its closure in 1999. The building is known for its Art Deco interior aesthetic, ornate detailing, a 31,000 SF auditorium with a 107-rank Kimball pipe organ and the Shrine of the Immortal, a memorial hall commemorating the city’s WWI dead, decorated with beautiful murals by Leon Kroll.

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3:00pm    SESSION 3

•   3A: Preservation Commiseration: Sharing Local Experiences

  • Presenter: Jennifer Doherty

The Massachusetts Historical Commission’s Local Government Programs Coordinator, Jennifer Doherty, will present a few recent and complicated local historic preservation situations. The floor will then be open for discussion. Come hear what other communities have done or share for others to learn from your experiences.

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•   3B: From Bylaw to Action: Understanding Demolition Delay Implementation

  • Presenters: John Clemson, Claire Dempsey, Lindsay Randall, Laurence Spang

Discover insights into demolition delay as panelists delve into bylaw refinement, documentation strategies, and example projects. This session offers a deep dive into the challenges and strategies in preservation planning and historical commission work.

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•   3C: How to Save a Historic Property: Preservation Restrictions

  • Presenters: Janine DaSilva, Elizabeth Paliga, Dylan Peacock

Preservation restrictions are an important tool in the local preservation toolbox. This session covers both the grantor and grantee perspectives regarding the development and monitoring of preservation restrictions held at the local level. Attendees will learn how to hold and enforce preservation restrictions, and attendees can also hear how to protect their own properties using this tool as well as other alternative tools available to protect historic properties.

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•   3D: Archaeological Site Preservation: Case Studies in Protecting Massachusetts’                          Archaeological Heritage for Future Generations

  • Presenters: Maureen Cavanaugh, Suzanne Cherau, Ted Dattilo, Dianna Doucette,
    John Kelly, Jonathan "JP" Patton

Every year, dozens of irreplaceable archaeological sites in MA are lost due to development, environmental changes, or other factors. In recent years, PAL archaeologists have become increasingly active in raising awareness of threats to sites, educating the public, and reaching out to organizations and individuals whose primary objectives are to support innovative projects that aid in the preservation of threatened archaeological sites. In this session, PAL archaeologists will highlight specific examples of conservation, protection, and monitoring of archaeological sites around the state and discuss challenges and best practices that help preserve sites in place for future generations.

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•   3E: TOUR: Central Building Residences, 332 Main Street

  • Tour Leaders: Katie Krock, Brian Lever

Walking Tour (attendees should expect to walk or stand for the majority of the tour)
Come take a stroll down bustling Main Street Worcester. We will stop by active and ongoing historic tax credit rehabilitation projects creating new housing and commercial spaces. We will also walk through the Central Building at 332 Main Street an award-winning affordable housing and historic tax credit rehabilitation project. These projects are breathing new life into downtown Worcester while preserving historic buildings. The Central Building was a 2020 PM Tsongas Award and Worcester Preservation Award winner. This 1925 former office and retail building was successfully converted into 55 apartments, 50 of which are affordable units, and the project retained the ground-floor retail use.

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•   3F: TOUR: Worcester Wander, History of Enslavement and Freedom in Downtown Worcester

  • Tour Leader: Scarlett Hoey

Walking Tour (attendees should expect to walk or stand for the majority of the tour)
How do we grapple with the history of enslavement and freedom in the buildings, monuments, and markers in downtown Worcester? Where is there space for dialogue between the monument to an enslaver and Revolutionary War hero opposite an American Civil War monument? Come for a stroll downtown, just steps from the Hanover Theatre, to learn more about the history of Worcester’s connections to the history of enslavement and freedom in the city, county, and Commonwealth. You just might leave with more questions than when we started. Stops include the Quock Walker mural at the Federal Court House; down to the vacant lot which was once Gardiner Chandler Mansion opposite City Hall; behind City Hall to the burying ground and American Civil War memorial; past the Worcester Library; and back to the Hanover Theatre.

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