MOVE BEYOND TRADITIONAL BOUNDARIES AT THE 2012 NATIONAL PRESERVATION CONFERENCE

SAVE THE DATE: Spokane, October 31 – November 3

By Chris Kovacevich, Communications Chair, 2012 National Preservation Conference, Spokane Preservation Advocates

“Beyond Boundaries” is the theme for the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2012 National Conference, hosted this year in eastern Washington. Estimated at around 2,000 attendees, this conference attracts nationally recognized experts and practitioners for a weeklong series of educational workshops and peer-to-peer networking. The conference will explore preservation’s boundaries using Spokane and the Inland Northwest as a living laboratory to showcase preservation successes and as a classroom for discussing preservation challenges. The conference provides an opportunity for the attendees to interact with the local preservation community, bringing their depth of knowledge and expertise to bear on local issues. It also provides local community leaders with affordable and accessible high-caliber professional development opportunities. Participants learn from leading experts and practitioners, share tactics and achievements, and explore challenges and successes in our region. Attendees will include board members and staff of nonprofit preservation organizations, downtown revitalization professionals, real estate developers, architects, planners, and students, all of whom will bring fresh eyes to Spokane and return to their own communities with newly acquired knowledge and inspiration. The conference will include interactive education sessions, field sessions with hands-on exploration of preservation sites, affinity sessions for partnership building and networking, and on-your-own activities that inform, teach and connect. Engage in vital conversations about how we can expand the role of preservation in revitalizing cities, combating sprawl, creating jobs, saving energy, preserving landscapes, and building community. The conference will challenge the preservation community to work with traditional and new partners to increase preservation’s relevance in modern communities and become better advocates for the movement in our hometowns. Conference focus areas include: Sustainability: Reuse of historic and older buildings, greening the existing building stock and reinvestment in older and historic communities to combat climate change. Diversity: Protecting, enhancing and enjoying the places that matter to people to ensure these places and their stories remain part of the American narrative, ensuring a diversity of people and places to reflect the full range of the American experience. Public Lands: Enhancing stewardship of cultural resources on public lands through education on their importance and increased funding for their protection Re-imagining Historic Sites: Creating new and innovative models for historic site interpretation and stewardship. Attendees will enjoy Spokane’s vibrant, walkable downtown dominated by historic buildings. Events are scheduled for a variety of memorable venues, including the magnificent Davenport Hotel and two recent national Honor Award winners – the art deco Fox Theatre and the Steam Plant – both masterpieces of adaptive use. With over 3.4 billion invested in this urban core in the last decade, downtown Spokane has established itself as a compelling destination with incredible shopping, world-class entertainment, and the region’s best dining – including local wineries in historic buildings. Come to Spokane to bridge chasms, break tradition, and explore what going beyond boundaries can do to instill a preservation ethic in Americans of all ages, backgrounds, and outlooks. Watch for more details coming to: www.PreservationNation.org/conference and www.historicspokane.org/nthp