New Jersey Historic Trust to Present 2009 Historic Preservation Conference
Conference to Take Place at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey


TRENTON - The New Jersey Historic Trust, an affiliate of the Department of Community Affairs (DCA), will co-host the 2009 Historic Preservation Conference on June 4 at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, along with Common Wealth of New Jersey, the New Jersey Historical Commission and the Historic Preservation Office.

"An understanding of our past remains essential to better plan for our future. Yet, historic sites in many New Jersey communities are being threatened by development and redevelopment," said DCA Commissioner Joseph Doria. "This year's "Regeneration for a New Generation" conference will focus on how preservation professionals, volunteers and public officials can make historic sites relevant to people living in a fast-paced, constantly changing world."

Keynote Speaker Anthony C. Wood will kick off the conference with a session on how to make the case for historic preservation in economically challenging times. Mr. Wood is the founder and chair of the New York Preservation Archive Project, an adjunct assistant professor of historic preservation at Columbia University, and author of Preserving New York: Winning the Right to Protect a City's Landmarks. Nearly 20 other expert speakers from New Jersey, New York and Washington D.C. will address a variety of topics such as heritage tourism, strengthening nonprofit organizations, selecting historic sites for adaptive reuse, crafting preservation ordinances, and identifying 20th century landmarks that are worthy of preservation.

"Maintaining and growing support for historic preservation in this dynamic climate means changing with the times," said Historic Trust Executive Director Dorothy Guzzo. "The times call for taking fresh looks at the ways preservationists communicate their message, craft policy and create strategic plans. This conference will help them achieve those goals."

The conference will include a Mayor's Panel moderated by Commissioner Doria where a group of current and former mayors will discuss the benefits and challenges of historic preservation. There will also be an evening reception at Hollybush, the recently restored site of the 1967 summit meeting between President Lyndon Johnson and Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin during the height of the Cold War.

People can download a conference registration form at http://www.state.nj.us/dca/preservationconference/registration.html. For more information on the conference, please log on to www.njhistoricpreservationconference.org or contact the Historic Trust at (609) 984-0473 or njht@dca.state.nj.us.

Established in 1967, the Historic Trust is the only nonprofit historic preservation organization in New Jersey created by state law. It officially became a DCA affiliate in November 2002, in an effort to better realign the state's smart growth initiatives with historic revitalization for the benefit of future generations.


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