Preservation Summit to be Held in Akron

Build your knowledge of historic preservation tools and techniques at Preservation Summit: Community Preservation in Northeast Ohio, the Preservation Resource Center of Northeastern Ohio’s 4th regional preservation conference in downtown Akron, Ohio on May 14, 2005, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The one-day conference, held at the University of Akron’s Student Union and Conference Center, offers twelve educational sessions and three field sessions for realtors, homeowners, community leaders, architects, planners, and construction professionals. Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic will welcome participants. The invited keynote speaker is U. S. Representative Michael R. Turner (R-Centerville), co-founder of the Congressional Historic Preservation Caucus and chairman of the Saving America’s Cities working group. The conference includes lunch and ends with a special reception, sponsored by Akron’s Progress Through Preservation, at Hower House, a Second Empire Italianate mansion built for John Henry Hower in 1871.

The conference, which is open to the public, will offer such educational topics as “Energy Efficiency for Older Homes,” “How to Organize a Rehab Project,” and “The Main Street Program and Storefront Renovation.” Field Session include “Stan Hywet, Stewards of a National Treasure,” “Akron Neighborhoods,” and “Akron’s Sacred Landmarks.” Continuing education credits for architects, realtors and other professionals are offered. Tickets are $15 for students (with ID), $35 for Cleveland Restoration Society members, $40 for Progress Through Preservation members, and $45 for non-members. Scholarships, sponsored by Akron’s Chambers, Murphy and Burge Restoration Architects, are available. For more information contact Sara Hobbs, Manager of the Preservation Resource Center at 216-426-3108 or visit www.clevelandrestoration.org.

Akron, derived from the Greek word for “high,” was formed at the highest point on the Ohio & Erie Canal. Akron became a thriving municipality and the seat of Summit County. As the canal days gave way to the industrial age, Akron became the rubber capital of the world and was the birthplace of many diverse innovations, including a celebrated church design plan and Alcoholics Anonymous.

Conference co-sponsors include the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Ohio Historic Preservation Office, Ohio Historical Society, Architectural Restoration and Renovation Consultants, Chambers, Murphy & Burge, First Merit Bank, Howard Hanna Smythe Cramer Company, Hower House, Progress Through Preservation, Inc., Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens, University Park Alliance, University Park Development Corporation, and West Hill Neighborhood Organization.

The Cleveland Restoration Society/Preservation Resource Center of Northeastern Ohio is the region’s largest non-profit preservation organization and is a Local Partner affiliate of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Founded in 1972, the Society is dedicated to the preservation of Greater Cleveland’s historic resources.

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