Preservation Pennsylvania’s statewide conference is back – in mini-form! – with Preservation Forward: A Statewide Heritage Gathering in Johnstown on June 1 & 2, 2025.
It’s been a minute since Pennsylvania’s preservation and heritage communities came together in one place. I’m very excited to see old friends and make new ones in Johnstown and learn about what is happening – and can happen! – to advance preservation outcomes across the Commonwealth.
What’s Happening
This mini-conference is chock full of activities and sessions for preservationists of all stripes. Here are a few of the things you can look forward to:
- Aaron Betsky, an architect, educator, and critic, will be the keynote speaker on Monday morning. He’ll be talking about his recent book, Just Don’t Build: The Case for Imaginative Reuse, and challenging us as preservationists to think about the future of the built environment.
- Field sessions exploring the Path of the Flood and the rich history of Johnstown.
- Six engaging sessions covering everything from creative mitigation projects to historic cemeteries to modernizing local preservation code. PA SHPO will present “Big Projects for Big Impacts: SHPO Studies Your Community Can Use.”
You can find the conference schedule here.
Aaron Betsky is this year’s keynote speaker.
The Details
Here is quick summary of the “WYNTK” details about the event:
- Dates & Times: Conference begins at noon on Sunday, June 1 and concludes at noon on Monday, June 2
- Location: Heritage Johnstown’s Heritage Discovery Center, 201 Sixth Ave., Johnstown
- Accommodations: There is no conference room block but you can find a list of local hotels on the conference website.
Registration is now open! You can sign up here.
There are still sponsorship opportunities available! Check those out here.
Also happening now:
Preservation Pennsylvania is now accepting nominations for their 2025 Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Awards.
Each year since 1979, these awards have celebrated the very best of preservation work happening across the commonwealth – from sensitive home renovations and bold adaptive reuse projects, to powerful grassroots advocacy and extraordinary stewardship.
The nominations period closes Monday, May 19.
You can find more information on Preservation Pennsylvania’s website.
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