It Takes People: Membership Month 2020

It Takes People!

Preservation is nothing without people; from local advocates working to reuse historic buildings along main street, protect a landscape, to those who serve on commissions, volunteer or staff non profits, research, restore and so much more. Preservation is at its heart about people and the places and stories that matter to them and their communities. People are the most valuable part of our preservation community. People bring an ethic to life and then bring to life historic buildings and landscapes from the tip of Cape Cod to the Berkshires. One of the pillars of Preservation Massachusetts' mission is education and ensuring the people who are active in preservation have access to important information, support and resources.

The Massachusetts Historic Preservation Conference

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Since 2015, Preservation Massachusetts has organized the biennial statewide historic preservation conference. In 2019, the conference was hosted in "America's Hometown" of Plymouth, and served as a day of inspiration, education, and enthusiastic networking for over 300 attendees. The conference featured 23 sessions and tours on topics ranging from New Technologies and Feasibility Study Fatigue to Opportunity Zones and Climate Change & Resiliency. This year especially, there was lots of great energy during the day, and an amazing cross section of preservation, from local commission volunteers, to preservation professionals, planners, developers, architects and more. It is truly rewarding for Preservation Massachusetts to see so many of our colleagues and partners actively learning, sharing and coming together. All of the presentations from the conference are available on our website and we will soon be seeking input on where to hold the conference in 2021!

Ongoing Education

The statewide conference is a bastion of education, but since it takes place every other year, there is a need for continual, ongoing educational opportunities. On the heels of the conference, one popular session, “Climate Change: Resiliency and Preservation” was turned into a free webinar that was hosted on December 12. Marking our first foray into a virtual platform, it provided us a tremendous opportunity to re-present an important and critical issue facing preservationists and communities today. It was recorded and is hosted on our website and our YouTube Channel. We look forward to being able to use online webinars to make access to presentations easier and more convenient for people. But we still know the value of meeting in person, and are working on a summer educational series and continue to co-sponsor workshops and presentations with the Massachusetts Historical Commission, and the Western and Central MA Historic Commissions Coalitions. Be sure to click here and stay up to date on upcoming presentations. Or contact our office if you would like to co-sponsor an event or have ideas to share.

Your membership to Preservation Massachusetts means you support that heart, that dedication. You help advocate, educate and empower historic preservation efforts in cities and town all across the Commonwealth. Thank you for joining and supporting active preservation through our statewide mission and work.