Ready for Preservation: Tools and Tips to Support Your Downtown’s Recovery and Revitalization

Hosted by the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office & Pennsylvania Downtown Center

Pennsylvania downtowns are the economic, social, and cultural heart of many communities. Downtown buildings, businesses and activities often reflect a community’s history, values and economic core as well as the aspirations of local leaders and community members. Today, Pennsylvania downtowns are facing the daunting task of responding to the current economic havoc and planning for future challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of those efforts, there are many ways in which the application of a traditional downtown design ethic can be appropriately and thoughtfully integrated into recovery efforts.

Join the Pennsylvania Downtown Center and staff from the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office for a one-hour webinar to explore different ways your community can sensitively manage the changes we face as a result of the pandemic’s impact. Based upon the Main Street principles of Economic Vitality and Design, this webinar is focused on providing realistic and practical suggestions for communities of all shapes and sizes whether they are in the reaction, response, or recovery phase. Among topics to be covered will be messaging, vacancy management or prevention, Historic Architectural Review Board or Preservation Commission activities and more.

Learning Objectives

• Attendees will be able to outline how historic preservation, specifically in the context of the Main Street program principles of Economic Vitality and Design, is a legitimate and integral part of COVID-19 economic recovery.
• Attendees will be able to identify at least two things they or their communities can do to include historic preservation in community planning and economic development conversations during the reaction, response, and recovery phases of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Attendees will be able to communicate the importance of maintaining the community’s pre-COVID-19 vision for preservation and downtown design ethic in the face of challenges like vacancy management and social distancing requirements.
• Attendees will be able to list at least three things they can do to lower barriers (communication, physical and/or procedural) to including historic preservation in recovery conversations and planning.

Speakers include:

• Mary Tate, Pennsylvania Downtown Center
• Cory Kegerise/PA SHPO Eastern Region Community Preservation Coordinator
• Bryan Van Sweden/PA SHPO Central Region Community Preservation Coordinator
• Bill Callahan/PA SHPO Western Region Community Preservation Coordinator

This webinar qualifies for 1 AIA LU

Register for the webinar here