Braving the remnants of Hurricane Ivan, more than 60 Preservation Alliance members enjoyed the 2004 Annual Conference, Preservation = Community Revitalization: Tools for Effectiveness. While the wet weather diminished field trip attendance on Friday Sept 17, Parkersburg provided us with wonderful hospitality at the elegant historic Blennerhasset Hotel, with a bounteous evening reception at the Harnett House in the nicely preserved Julia-Ann Square historic district.

Saturday’s sunshine gave us the opportunity to visit several spectacular historic homes: the James McNeil Stephenson House – Oakland, still owned by the original family; the Van Winkle - Wix House undergoing rehabilitation;  and the beautifully preserved Henderson Hall.

Dwight Young, Senior Communications Associate for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, gave a most inspirational keynote address at the Saturday luncheon / PAWV Annual Meeting. "Preservation, Economics, Common Sense and Pancakes" combined outstanding photographs of historic buildings across the country to remind us of why preservation is important.

Also at the luncheon, PAWV presented the Rodney Collins Award for lifelong preservation achievement to David L. McKain of Parkersburg for his outstanding work in preserving and presenting the oil and gas heritage of the region.

The educational sessions provided introductory and in-depth information for a variety of interests. Leading off on Friday were “Strengthening your non-profit organization” presented by Robert Nieweg of the National Trust, and “Observations on New Construction within a Historical Context” by James T. Kienle, FAIA, Institute for Preservation and Contemporary Design. Friday workshop sessions concentrated on Preservation Projects from Start to Finish, Certified Local Government training, and the West Virginia Byways program. Saturday offered three sessions each on Community Planning,  Sustainable Communities, and Preservation Toolkit.

Highlighting the roster of distinguished presenters for Saturday’s sessions were Richard Ostergaard, Forest Landscape Architect - San Juan National Forest; Scott Gerloff, Potomac Heritage Partnership; Jim Wood -- Director of Planning for the City of Morgantown; Judy Reckart, Reckart & Associates; Mark Sadd, Lewis Glasser Casey & Rollins PLLC; and Ron Eck, Director of the West Virginia Transportation Technology Transfer Center. The 2004 conference schedule tells more about these informative sessions.

The conference was co-sponsored by West Virginia Historic Preservation Office, West Virginia Byways and Backways Program, National Trust for Historic Preservation, & Wood County Historical and Preservation Society.  Success was assured by the assistance of many additional sponsors, donors, and volunteers.

 

Copyright © 2005 Preservation Alliance of West Virginia