Preservation Future Tense: Oklahoma’s 29th Annual Statewide Preservation Conference

The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is pleased to announce that Preservation Future Tense: Oklahoma’s 29th Annual Statewide Preservation Conference is scheduled for June 7–9 in Oklahoma City. Conference registration and most sessions will be held at the Civic Center Music Hall, located at 201 North Walker Avenue.

Registration is now open. The deadline for registration at the $60 rate is May 31, 2017. Registration is $75 if postmarked after that date or paid at the door. Optional event tickets may be purchased. Online registration is available at www.preservationok.org/2017-preservation-conference.html from May 1 to June 2. To request a conference registration brochure, please contact Melvena Heisch at 405-522-4484 or mheisch@okhistory.org. The complete brochure may be found at www.okhistory.org/shpo/conference.htm.

Join historic preservation leaders and advocates to discuss the future of historic preservation statewide and to keep current on the fundamentals for identifying and protecting the heritage of all Oklahomans. The program features plenary sessions, workshops, concurrent sessions and special events. A few highlights are listed below.

Plenary Session #1 on Wednesday, June 7, features Carol Shull, Keeper of the National Register, retired, presenting “The Impacts of the NHPA, Past, Present, and Future” and Cathy O’Connor, president and CEO of the Alliance for Economic Development of Oklahoma City, discussing “Historic Preservation and Oklahoma City’s Renaissance.”

Plenary Session #2 on Friday, June 9, features James Lindberg, senior director of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Preservation Green Lab who will present “Reset to Default: Making Preservation the New Normal.”

Two half-day workshops provide important training opportunities for preservation leaders and professionals. “Architectural/Historic Resources Survey-A Mobile Workshop” is offered on Thursday, June 8. SHPO staff members Stephanie Ballard and Lynda Ozan will teach participants basic architectural/historic survey techniques.

“The Future of Your Community’s Heritage: Historic Preservation Commission Members’ Workshop on Authority, Ethics, Designation and Design Review” is a half-day session on Friday, June 9, for local historic preservation commission members and city staff. James K. Reap, workshop instructor, is an attorney who specializes in heritage conservation and is professor and graduate coordinator of the Master of Historic Preservation Program at the University of Georgia.

Among the concurrent tracks of sessions are two that feature special guest speakers. “People, Places and Preservation’s Future: Policy, Practice and the Profession” is a panel discussion on Thursday, June 8. As Preservation50, the celebration of the National Historic Preservation Act’s 50th anniversary, draws to a close, it is time to consider the future. Three national historic preservation leaders will discuss their experiences and their thoughts about who will lead historic preservation in the decades ahead, what training they will require, what kinds of places may attract their focus, how they will protect the nation’s heritage and what public policy issues may challenge the historic preservation community. Panelists include Susan West Montgomery, vice president for preservation resources at the National Trust for Historic Preservation; Carol Shull, Keeper of the National Register, retired; and de Teel Patterson (Pat) Tiller, professor of historic preservation at Goucher College and professorial lecturer in the Department of American Studies at George Washington University.

Consecutive sessions on Thursday afternoon, June 8, focus on the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Property owners pursuing federal preservation tax incentives must follow these standards. Many local, state and federal agencies; historic preservation organizations; and individuals also rely on the guidance in the standards. Antonio Aguilar, historical architect with Technical Preservation Services of the National Park Service will present the sessions with Jennifer Bailey of the SHPO staff.

Special events include the opening reception; tour options (such as preconference tour “Metro Modern: Exploring OKC’s Mid-Century Modern Architecture” with lunch presentation, Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building and Plaza in context with the Oklahoma City National Memorial by Steve Kline and Susan Allen Kline, and a hard-hat tour of the Oklahoma State Capitol Rehabilitation Project); Preservation Oklahoma, Inc.’s annual meeting and luncheon; and the State Historic Preservation Office’s awards banquet.

Continuing education credits are available for design professionals, planners, engineers and land surveyors who attend the conference. Design professionals will earn HSW hours needed to fulfill requirements of the State of Oklahoma’s Board of Governors of Licensed Architects, Landscape Architects and Interior Designers. Planners will earn American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) Certification maintenance credits, and engineers and land surveyors will earn Oklahoma State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors professional development hours. Details are found in the conference registration brochure.

Conference cosponsors include the Oklahoma Historical Society’s State Historic Preservation Office; Oklahoma Department of Commerce’s Oklahoma Main Street Center; Preservation Oklahoma, Inc.; American Institute of Architects, Central Oklahoma Chapter; American Planning Association, Oklahoma Chapter; City of Oklahoma City; Civic Center Music Hall; Downtown OKC, Inc.; Okie Mod Squad; Oklahoma Arts Council; Oklahoma City Foundation for Architecture; Stockyards City Main Street; and Urban Land Institute Oklahoma.

Follow conference developments at www.okhistory.org/shpo/conference.htm, www.facebook.com/okshpo, www.twitter.com/okshpo, and www.okpreservationconference.wordpress.com.