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| Saving Places Conference (National Trust) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Saving Places Conference (National Trust) |
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Historic preservation conference |
| Frequency | Biennial / Annual |
| Location | Varies (United States) |
| First | 1988 |
| Organizer | National Trust for Historic Preservation |
Saving Places Conference (National Trust)
The Saving Places Conference is the marquee convening of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, bringing together practitioners from institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, National Park Service, Historic New England, and Getty Conservation Institute to address challenges facing heritage sites like Monticello, Independence Hall, Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, Oak Alley Plantation, and Ellis Island. Attendees include representatives from organizations such as the American Institute of Architects, National Trust for Historic Preservation (United Kingdom), National Endowment for the Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts, and Preservation Texas, alongside municipal agencies from cities including Boston, Philadelphia, Charleston, South Carolina, San Francisco, and New Orleans. The conference fosters exchange among professionals tied to properties like Biltmore Estate, Ford's Theatre, Taliesin, Mount Vernon, and Hearst Castle.
The conference convenes preservationists, curators, architects, landscape historians, and policy advocates from institutions such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art (New York City), Carnegie Corporation of New York, Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University, and Pratt Institute. Programs examine site stewardship at landmarks including Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, The Breakers, Plymouth Plantation, The Alamo, and Gettysburg National Military Park while engaging stakeholders from nonprofit groups like National Trust for Historic Preservation (United Kingdom), World Monuments Fund, Daughters of the American Revolution, and African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. Panelists often include leaders from Preservation Massachusetts, Los Angeles Conservancy, Historic Charleston Foundation, Chicago History Museum, and Pennybacker Conservancy.
Initiated in the late 20th century, the conference grew from regional meetings hosted by organizations such as National Trust for Historic Preservation (United Kingdom), Historic New England, and Preservation Texas to a national forum influenced by milestones like the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps, and projects led by the National Park Service. Early conferences featured case studies from restoration projects at Independence Hall, Monticello, Mount Rushmore, Alcatraz Island, and Statue of Liberty National Monument, and drew contributors affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History, New-York Historical Society, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Over time, speakers from think tanks such as the Brookings Institution, Urban Institute, Aspen Institute, and The Carter Center shaped debates on cultural landscapes including Central Park, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Savannah Historic District, and French Quarter.
Programs address adaptive reuse of properties like Penn Station (New York City), Union Station (Washington, D.C.), and B&O Railroad Museum, disaster resilience at sites such as Hurricane Katrina National Memorial and Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier, and equity initiatives connected to properties like Lowell National Historical Park, Harriet Tubman National Historical Park, Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site, and African Burial Ground National Monument. Sessions incorporate methodology from the Getty Conservation Institute, legal frameworks invoking the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and National Environmental Policy Act, fundraising strategies involving the Gulf Coast Relief Fund and Save America's Treasures, and technical conservation case studies referencing The Preservation Briefs and work at Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin and Greene and Greene residences. Workshops partner with American Institute of Architects committees, ICOMOS, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, and organizations like Local Initiatives Support Corporation.
Keynote and plenary presenters have included leaders from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, directors from the National Park Service, curators from the Smithsonian Institution, architects from firms tied to Frank Gehry, Robert A. M. Stern, Richard Meier, and Norman Foster, and scholars from Harvard Graduate School of Design, MIT School of Architecture and Planning, University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design, Dartmouth College, and University of Virginia. Civic leaders and elected officials connected to preservation policy have included members of United States Congress, municipal mayors from Chicago, New York City, Seattle, and Washington, D.C., and state preservation officers from California Office of Historic Preservation, Texas Historical Commission, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Community activists and heritage advocates from groups such as NPS African American Civil Rights Network, National Trust's African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, and Reclaiming Heritage Initiative have also presented.
The conference has catalyzed multi-institutional partnerships linking the National Trust for Historic Preservation, World Monuments Fund, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, Getty Conservation Institute, and local entities such as Historic New England and Historic Charleston Foundation to advance projects at Monticello, Mount Vernon, Alamo, and Prentice Women's Hospital. Outcomes include policy advocacy campaigns echoing provisions of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, cross-disciplinary training used by AIA chapters and university programs at Columbia GSAPP, grant programs aligning with National Endowment for the Arts priorities, and model conservation plans adopted at Independence Hall and Ellis Island. The conference has influenced inclusion initiatives paralleling efforts by the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.
Organized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation with advisory input from partners including the National Park Service, American Alliance of Museums, Association for Preservation Technology International, ICOMOS, and the Getty Conservation Institute, the conference secures sponsorship from corporations and foundations such as the J. Paul Getty Trust, Ford Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Knight Foundation, Bank of America, and regional philanthropies tied to properties like Biltmore Estate and Hearst Castle. Host committees typically include local preservation organizations such as Preservation Virginia, Preservation Maryland, Landmarks Illinois, Los Angeles Conservancy, and Boston Preservation Alliance.
Held biennially or annually depending on the National Trust for Historic Preservation calendar, the conference rotates among American cities with significant historic fabric, having convened in locales like Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, San Antonio, Charleston, South Carolina, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, and New Orleans. Each edition emphasizes nearby landmarks—examples include programming tied to Independence Hall for Philadelphia sessions, Alamo for San Antonio gatherings, French Quarter for New Orleans events, and Alcatraz Island for San Francisco meetings—while inviting participation from international partners such as UNESCO World Heritage Committee, ICOMOS, and Europa Nostra.
Category:Historic preservation conferences Category:National Trust for Historic Preservation