A Shared Legacy: Reflections on PNC's New Headquarters
NOVEMBER 7-8 | RALEIGH, NC
Welcome to the Preservation North Carolina 2019 Fall Symposium! Join us as we celebrate the renovation of our new headquarters at the Hall and Graves-Fields Houses! Plus everything else you've come to expect at a Preservation NC event -- dynamic speakers, training sessions, tours, parties and more!
Click any button below or scroll through the website for more symposium details.
ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED. LIMITED SPACE IS AVAILABLE FOR ON-SITE REGISTRATION. Please check symposium schedule for on-site registration pricing.
Keep Scrolling for information on CLG and Continuing Education Credits and Accommodations!
A Shared Legacy
Nearly three years ago, Preservation North Carolina began a journey to move its Headquarters Office to two endangered and important landmarks surviving from historic Oberlin Village, established after the Civil War as a freedman’s community. Built by former slaves, the Hall and Graves-Fields Houses vividly tell post-Civil War stories where freedmen optimistically embraced the importance of hard work and education as the means to provide a better life for themselves and their children. They are two of only five Oberlin structures listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
On November 7-8, Preservation North Carolina will hold its 2019 Fall Symposium at Shaw University in downtown Raleigh, to celebrate the renovation of our new headquarters office. We will explore topics inspired by the project, such as preservation and its role in social justice, house moving and lifting and we’ll preview the documentary film about the headquarters project and Oberlin Village. Come network, learn, and celebrate with us! Click the button below to register.
ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED. LIMITED SPACE IS AVAILABLE FOR ON-SITE REGISTRATION. Please check symposium schedule for on-site registration pricing.
Come see us in Raleigh!
Our symposium will take place at Shaw University in downtown Raleigh. Shaw University is the south’s oldest Historically Black College (1865) and has a rich history deeply rooted in the Raleigh community and a strong connection to Oberlin Village and the Hall, Graves and Fields families. We look forward to sharing with you their stories with you.
Accommodations
We've secured a special conference rate at the Residence Inn Downtown Raleigh (rate available until October 7). Click the button below to book online. Guests can also call the Front Desk at 919.856.0017 OR Lauren Rozell at 984.255.2285 to book within the Preservation NC group block by referencing the group code PNC.
We also have a special symposium rate at the Hampton Inn & Suites Raleigh-Downtown and the Holiday Inn Raleigh Downtown . Click the button below to book your reservation.
When you arrive at the Holiday Inn website, click "Check Availability" and enter the symposium dates. Just below click on "group code" and the PNC discount code should appear. You can call to make reservations directly at 855-914-1878 (ask for the Preservation NC Room Block).
Additional Symposium Accommodations
(Photo: "Oberlin Rising" sculpture by Thomas Sayre, view across the street from PNC new headquarters offices on Oberlin Road.)
Keynotes, Educational Sessions, Parties, Tours and More!
We have an exciting slate of educational sessions, keynote speakers, tours and a party (or two)! Symposium Highlights:
- BENDING THE ARC: WILLIS GRAVES JR. AND THE PURSUIT OF JUSTICE. This original short play, commissioned by Preservation NC from award-winning playwright and poet, Howard Craft, will explore the Raleigh roots of Willis Graves Jr.’s dogged pursuit of justice for African Americans as a civil rights attorney during the 1920s-1950s in Detroit. The play will highlight the inspiration for his commitment to justice: his father, Willis Graves Sr., builder of the Graves-Fields House who was heavily involved in social justice causes in Raleigh, and ran for the NC House of Representatives in 1898.
- PRESERVATION AND ITS ROLE IN SOCIAL JUSTICE: Historian Dr. Tom Hanchett examines segregation and housing policy in the US and its impact in North Carolina, paralleling the powerful book, The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein.
- MARION S. COVINGTON KEYNOTE: President and Founder of Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation (PHLF), Arthur Ziegler Jr., and PHLF Vice President, Michael Sriprasert share how PHLF has navigated complex projects successfully. Throughout Zeigler’s fifty-plus year tenure, PHLF has been at the forefront of preservation groups that are actively engaged in both downtown revitalization and affordable housing.
- HISTORIC BLOUNT STREET TOUR & RECEPTION Get social with us and tour several of the newly renovated grand old houses of Blount Street, including: Norris House, Lewis-Smith House, Higgs-Coble-Helms House, Lamar-Brown-Arthur House and more!
- DIX PARK TROLLEY TOUR In 2015, the City of Raleigh purchased 308 acres to turn into a world-class public park in the heart of downtown. On this trolley tour, you will hear about the vision for the future and learn about the complex history of the site, including its years as a plantation and as a mental health hospital. LIMITED SPACE, SIGN-UP REQUIRED.
Click the button below to view our complete symposium schedule. For questions about the symposium, please contact Clarissa Goodlett.
ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED. LIMITED SPACE IS AVAILABLE FOR ON-SITE REGISTRATION. Please check symposium schedule for on-site registration pricing.
Photo: From 'The Crisis Magazine", 1957. Willis Graves, Jr. (left) and Francis Dent (center) receive NAACP award in Detroit for winning landmark case against restrictive housing covenants. Presented by Roy Wilkins (far right).
Recognizing achievements in Historic Preservation
The strength of our awards program comes from the work of people who take the time to nominate deserving individuals, organizations, and projects that have made a difference in historic preservation. Honor Award nominations are now closed. Our 2019 winners will be recognized at our awards ceremony at Thomas Boyd Chapel on the campus of Shaw University in Raleigh on Friday morning of the symposium. An awards reception will take place at Estey Hall (also at Shaw University) following the ceremony.
Symposium Sponsorship
Preservation North Carolina’s Symposium provides the opportunity for a diverse group of North Carolinians to come together to learn how historic preservation can be used to enhance quality of life and promote sustainable economic development. Your sponsorship gift will assist us in providing an exciting and stimulating event, while keeping it affordable for participants. In return, PNC will publicize your sponsorship in our symposium materials and online. Click the button below to review a list of sponsorship opportunities and download the Sponsorship Packet. For sponsorship questions, or to become a sponsor, contact Shannon Phillips at 919-832-3652 ext 229, sphillips@presnc.org.
CLG and Continuing Education Credits
Sessions at the Preservation NC Annual Conference can be applied as continuing education and CLG credits for local commissions and architects (Thursday afternoon and Friday morning educational sessions will count for 3 hours). You will need to self-report your session attendance/hours. If you are an architect, click HERE for guidelines on reporting continuing education credits.
Other stuff you might need to know...
We've included some info below about the area and getting around in Raleigh. We'll also provide more detailed information, including directions and maps in your program guide when you check-in at the symposium in November. In the meantime, if you have questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.
We've worked hard to put together a program that captures the passion, enthusiasm and hard work that went into this ambitious project, and that honors the legacy of the people, stories, and partners that made it possible. We can't wait to see you in November!
If you're new to Preservation NC and want to get an idea of what to expect? Take a look at last year’s program guide.
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PNC Headquarters Project at the Hall and Graves-Fields Houses in the News
- Play, documentary celebrate restoration of historic homes in Raleigh’s Oberlin Village (News and Observer, 10/13/19)
- Raleigh village built by former slaves is fast disappearing, but not these two houses (News and Observer, 1/11/19)
- Historic houses on the move in Raleigh’s Oberlin Village (WRAL News, 12/20/18)
- Raleigh black historic landmarks on the move (Triangle Tribune, 12/20/18)