Program - Society of Architectural Historians

Historic Preservation Seminar
/ Historic Preservation Seminar • wednesday \
HPS1
Room:
Cost:
AIA/CES:
Historic Preservation Seminar
Wednesday, April 18
8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Crystal Ballroom—Westin Book Cadillac Detroit
$75 SAH Member
$95 Non-Member
$60 Student
Includes registration, morning coffee, deli buffet lunch,
tour transportation.
Pre-registration is required. This program is open to the
public; Annual Conference registration is not required.
Seating is limited.
This seminar sponsored by the State Historic
Preservation Office, Michigan State Housing
Development Authority.
8 LU
Retooling the Motor City
Brian D. Conway, State Historic Preservation Officer,
Michigan State Housing Development Authority (SHPO/
MSHDA), Facilitator
Historic areas of Detroit are experiencing a rebirth as the
city retools itself in the twenty-first century. Urban entrepreneurs are
drawn to the outstanding early-twentieth century architecture for new
business locations and living; corporations are investing in skyscrapers
and moving headquarters downtown; and city, state, and federal
agencies are rebuilding infrastructure and offering programs to assist
in this revitalization. This seminar will bring together administrators,
practitioners, and entrepreneurs to discuss this positive change and the
critical role that historic preservation plays. Panel presentations will
examine what works and what doesn’t and how historic areas such as
Midtown and Southwest Detroit got beyond the tipping point toward
vitality while other areas still struggle. Business and property owners
will discuss the drawing power of Detroit despite its sometimes negative
image. City and state officials will present a vision for the future
of a post-industrial city dealing with a dramatic population loss. A
facilitated panel discussion of Detroit’s future incorporating its historic
structures and urban landscape will follow the panel presentations.
Discussion will continue during the afternoon tours related to the morning
presentations.
Brian D. Conway is Michigan’s State Historic Preservation
Officer, directing the division of the Michigan State Housing
Development Authority charged with responsibility for the identification,
evaluation, registration, protection, and redevelopment of historic
properties throughout the state. With architecture degrees from the
University of Michigan and the University of Florida, Conway served
as the historical architect with the State Historic Preservation Office
before being appointed State Historic Preservation Officer in 1998.