Preservation Alumni

TONIGHT at the Expat! Speed Networking returns as an in-person event for the first time since 2019! Students and alumni will build meaningful professional relationships through casual conversations centered on shared interests and aspirations. See you there!

SEEKING A FEW MORE ALUMNI VOLUNTEERS FOR THURSDAY’S event! https://www.preservationalumni.org/event/2023-speed-networking/

In-person speed networking is back for the first time since 2019! Preservation Alumni will be hosting this event on November 16th from 6:00pm-8:00pm for first and second year Historic Preservation students! This event provides students and alumni with the opportunity to build meaningful professional relationships through casual conversations centered on shared interests and aspirations in the preservation world.

PA is seeking alumni volunteers to participate in the event. Volunteers will be assigned with a group that best represents their professional sector. All groups will have multiple alumni. Students will then rotate through the groups meeting alumni in 15 minute increments. Drinks and light fare provided.

PRESERVATION ALUMNI HAPPY HOUR
Wednesday, October 25, 6:00pm
The Penny Farthing

Join alumni and friends of Columbia University, Pratt Institute, and the University of Pennsylvania's Historic Preservation programs for our 2nd joint happy hour!

Registration includes drink ticket (beer, wine, well mixed drinks, nonalcoholic beverages) plus light fare. 21+ only.

$5 registration fee for alumni
Free for students!

https://www.preservationalumni.org/event/preservation-happy-hour/?fbclid=PAAaaJbddruyFNrkhfqIgZbza0G00Y8I5adTNP73Hb8C2-Q0mF6SFcongTVxM_aem_ASUVnmuvlvLJCrTxS16pm6yXp4YEskPUTa7jLnEnNTD2g_OvZEpV9936-_QXqZ_k6kQ

Columbia Alumni! Preservation Alumni would like to invite Columbia HP alumni attending the 2023 APT International Conference in Seattle, Washington to a happy hour gathering at the Diller Room. Light bites and the first drink are on us! Hope to see you tonight!

Reconnect with friends on Thursday, October 5, at our combined Fall Party and Preservation Leadership Award celebration.

Preservation Alumni is proud to announce Michael Henry Adams as the recipient of this year’s Preservation Alumni Leadership Award! A Harlem-based preservationist and writer, Michael has been a vocal advocate for preserving Black history and culture.

The party will be hosted in the sanctuary of the newly-restored Church of the Epiphany on the Upper East Side. Food and drink will be served. Plus ones welcome with advanced registration. 21+ only.

Please note: Portions of this event will be filmed *link in bio to register

We’re sorry to report that tomorrow’s workday is POSTPONED. Stay tuned for a rain date!

Join Preservation Alumni on Saturday, September 30, as we partner with The Green-Wood Cemetery for our annual Fall Workday!

Founded in 1838 and now a National Historic Landmark, Green-Wood was one of the first rural cemeteries in America. By the early 1860s it had earned an international reputation for its magnificent beauty and became the prestigious place to be buried, attracting 500,000 visitors a year, second only to Niagara Falls as the nation’s greatest tourist attraction.

Neela Wickremesinghe, HP Class of ’11 and Director of Preservation and Restoration at Green-Wood, will guide us as we learn about their ongoing restoration projects and participate in the cleaning, resetting, and pointing of a section of the cemetery. Light refreshments will be provided.

This is a great opportunity to work hands-on with fellow alums and current students and see a beautiful and historic part of NYC. Come join us! The event will be capped at 20 people. *link in bio to register

We could not be more excited about tonight’s IN PERSON FALL PARTY 🎉 There are still a few spots left, but we anticipate a big turnout. Hope to see you tonight at 6:30pm! Register https://www.preservationalumni.org/event/fall-party-2022-house-of-the-redeemer/

IN PERSON FALL PARTY ALERT!

After three years Preservation Alumni is excited to host the 2022 Fall Party on Thursday, November 17th 6:30-8:30pm at the historic House of the Redeemer. Enjoy food and drinks while reconnecting with your fellow HP alum and welcoming the new class of preservationists. In addition, the recipient of the 2022 Cleo and James Marston Fitch Prize will be announced.

https://www.preservationalumni.org/event/fall-party-2022-house-of-the-redeemer/?rsvp_sent=1&mc_cid=c32bd4333a

It’s not to late to register for tomorrow’s event, Closing the Gap: Increasing Diversity in Library Collections. This is a chance for your voice to be heard and to have a real impact on the future of Avery Library! We look forward to a lively and collaborative discussion. Register through the link in bio.

PA MEMBERS: On October 25th, PA will host an open forum to discuss what PA members see as diversity, equity, and inclusion issues related to archival research and institutions like Avery (and libraries in general). Together we will develop ideas for how Avery can broaden the collection and how the PA community might assist in this endeavor. We can’t wait to collaborate with everyone in two weeks! https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8chbfiBdThaUP8Fl9Vt1yQ?mc_cid=7b63c5c8dc&mc_eid=5096c288a4

Congratulations, again to Erica Avrami for being awarded the PA Leadership Award! 🏆Thanks to all those who shared kind words and honored her this evening.

We are thrilled to announce the winner of the 2022 PA Leadership award: Erica Avrami!

Erica is a graduate of the HP program and has served as the Director of Research and Education for the World Monuments Fund and a Project Specialist at the Getty Conservation Institute. In 2014, she joined the full-time faculty at GSAPP’s HP Program. Her work challenges us to keep preservation relevant by engaging with issues of equity, resilience, and decarbonization.

Please join us for a virtual event celebrating her accomplishments May 4th 7:30pm
Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZArc-yuqzoqE9SchHR9HRO7IkIOonmRkEAW?mc_cid=a763a54398&mc_cid=f3ee6fc156

REGISTER TODAY!
Members Only Tour at House of the Redeemer
May 17, 2022, 6:00-8:00pm

This mansion, described as a “hidden gem in New York City,” was built between 1914 and 1916 to serve as the town residence of Edith Shepard Fabbri, a great granddaughter of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, and her husband, Ernesto Fabbri, an associate of J. Pierpont Morgan. Deeded to the Episcopal Church and run by nuns between 1949 and 1980, the house now serves as a retreat space and a unique setting for reflection, study, fellowship, and prayer.

https://www.preservationalumni.org/event/members-only-tour-house-of-the-redeemer/?mc_cid=69f2930398

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Federal historic preservation tax incentives generated $7 billion in GDP and 122,000 jobs in 2020 - Office of Communications (U.S. National Park Service) WASHINGTON - According to the Rutgers University’s Center for Urban Policy Research, the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives Program contributed more than $13.8 billion in output in terms of goods and services to the U.S. economy, generated approximately 122,000 jobs, and added an overall...

It’s that time of year again! PA is seeking mentors for our mentorship program. The Preservation Alumni Mentorship Program is offered to first-year MSHP students beginning in the second semester of their studies. Participation in the program continues through the remainder of the students’ time at Columbia, and concludes at graduation. The purpose of the program is to provide an opportunity for students to clarify their professional interests and goals and connect with alumni in the field. We hope that the Mentorship Program will also provide an opportunity for alumni to stay up-to-date with the current program, as well as with each other.

If interested please fill out the survey by tomorrow, December 15th - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/17IKm4p1j7Ec6y7GjBi-PV5GE6HWMTGsvcTNIFzE_6wc/viewform?mc_cid=9580c89200&edit_requested=true

Thank you for considering!

For more info: https://www.preservationalumni.org/awards_prizes/membership-program/

URGENT ADVOCACY REQUEST
The current House draft of the Build Back Better legislation excludes the federal Historic Tax Credit enhancements, but includes other Community Development tax credit provisions. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE add your voice to urge Congress to include improvements to the Historic Tax Credit in the final infrastructure package. It is easy and quick to add your name/organization to the sign-on letter:
https://support.savingplaces.org/page/34029/action/1?locale=en-US

Strengthen the Federal Historic Tax Credit! Urge Your Senators to Support Improvements to the Historic Tax Credit!

Meet our final panelist! Sreya Chakraborty, cultural heritage preservation professional and architect using digital documentation and presentation technologies to explore the unexplored history of tenant farming and sharecropping practices in the United States. Sreya is a graduate of Columbia’s Historic Preservation Program. Join us TOMORROW! November 9, 2021 at 7pm EST Pushing Perspectives: Confronting Biases in Historic Building Materials Research
Register today:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_u5ImUf_8RumnR82AQ0QOYg?mc_cid=62068c0aae&mc_eid=5096c288a4

Meet our panelist: For over twenty years, Hannah Bennett has served in a number of different capacities in art and architecture research libraries beginning with the Ryerson & Burnham Libraries at The Art Institute of Chicago through her recent appointment as Director of the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library in October 2019. As Avery’s Director, Hannah is committed to reinforcing Avery’s incomparable strengths while forging new directions for its collections and services. Much in the last two years has necessitated new approaches to design, research, and documentary methodologies, which are simultaneously being expanded by growing awareness of structural biases and exclusionary practices. Through invaluable collaborations with faculty, students, and staff, Hannah is defining how Avery should respond to and support these new areas of importance which will ensure Avery’s relevance and international standing.

Join us this Tuesday for Pushing Perspectives: Confronting Biases in Historic Building Materials Research
November 9, 2021 7pm

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_u5ImUf_8RumnR82AQ0QOYg?mc_cid=62068c0aae

Meet our panelists! Dr. Tara Dudley is a Lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin and historic preservation consultant. Her research examines the contributions of African American builders and architects to the American built environment, focusing on the antebellum and Reconstruction eras in Austin and Texas and the architectural activities of New Orleans’ gens de couleur libres (free people of color). She is the author of Building Antebellum New Orleans: Free People of Color and Their Influence (University of Texas Press, 2021) and of the forthcoming biography ‘There is Something to be Done’: The Life and Work of John Saunders Chase.

Don’t forget to register for - Tuesday November 9th 7-8:30pm!

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_u5ImUf_8RumnR82AQ0QOYg?mc_cid=62068c0aae

ONE WEEK! If you haven’t already - mark your calendars and register for our next pushing perspective panel where we explore a more inclusive approach to historic building materials research. For more info see: https://www.preservationalumni.org/event/pushing-perspectives-confronting-biases-in-historic-building-materials-research/

To register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_u5ImUf_8RumnR82AQ0QOYg?mc_cid=62068c0aae

Don’t forget to sign up for our green-wood workday this Saturday the 23rd from 9am-12pm! Neela Wickremesinghe, HP Class of ’11 and Manager of Preservation and Restoration at Green-Wood, will guide us as we learn about their ongoing restoration projects and participate in uncovering headstones. Hope to see you there!

SAVE THE DATE: November 9, 2021. Join us for our next Pushing Perspectives virtual conversation as we critically consider the preservation professional’s role in the creation of a more inclusive approach to historic materials research and in discussions about what is valued. Our panelists bring a variety of perspectives to this discussion about issues of exclusion in historic materials research and the challenges of doing ethical research.

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_u5ImUf_8RumnR82AQ0QOYg?mc_cid=62068c0aae&mc_eid=UNIQID

Mark your calendars, PA is headed back to Green-wood cemetery for our fall work day. We are planning something a bit different this time, so come prepared to dig and uncover some headstones!
https://www.preservationalumni.org/event/2021-fall-workday-green-wood-cemetery/ 🪦

As a new school year kicks off, we are hard at work behind the scenes planning more in-person and virtual events! Stayed tuned for more info, but in the meantime you can find our previous pushing perspectives panel events on our YouTube page! Enjoy! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WaETCIMHH24

PA has been looking inward and we need your help!
Preservation Alumni’s Anti-Racism/Equity Initiative was created in Fall 2020 following the George Floyd protests to look critically at social justice and equity within the Preservation Alumni community, at Columbia’s Historic Preservation program, and in the field of historic preservation. The Initiative meets regularly and has already begun employing actions towards change. The newly created Pushing Perspectives forum has resulted in two successful panel discussions on the topics of social justice and equity in preservation, with more in the planning stages. Other works in progress include reviewing Preservation Alumni’s grants and awards to ensure consideration of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts; collecting resources on relevant topics to share with members; and creating tools to help preservation professionals find meaningful ways to engage in anti-racism and equity in the field. Please help PA further its mission by 1) taking the survey, https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScB4HsBlnMoXOVb26kUTlV5aN3bosS12nbEMKJFDbiAEaznog/viewform and 2) donating if you can https://www.preservationalumni.org/donate/

Can you believe we are almost halfway through 2021!? We’d like to take some time this week to highlight what we’ve done so far!

PA has already been busy. Starting off the year digitally we had the Mentorship Mingle, Spring Bar Crawl tour through New York City hotel lobbies and bars, and a panel discussion focusing on Exploring Equity within Preservation Trade Careers.

We were thrilled to host our first in-person work day at Green-Wood Cemetery in June!

We would be grateful for your support as we continue our programming this year and into the future - Thank you!

https://www.preservationalumni.org/donate/

Tomorrow’s the day! Grab one of the last few spots for our workday now! (Link in bio)

It’s not too late to sign up for Saturday’s workday at Greenwood cemetery! Spots are limited, so sign up now! We hope to see you there 🪦 See here for details and registration: https://www.preservationalumni.org/events/

Our in-person workday is just days away! Join us at green-wood cemetery this Saturday, June 5th! See link to register:
https://www.preservationalumni.org/event/2021-spring-workday-green-wood-cemetery/