2019 Fall Symposium Schedule

We hope to see you at our Fall Symposium November 7-8 in Raleigh!

ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED. LIMITED SPACE IS AVAILABLE FOR ON-SITE REGISTRATION. Please check pricing below for on-site registration. 

If you have questions about your registration, please contact Annie Jernigan at 919-832-3652 x 227 or email ajernigan@presnc.org.

Thursday, November 7

All Thursday morning and afternoon sessions will take place at the Thomas Boyd Chapel at Shaw University, 118 E. South Street, Raleigh

8:30am-11:30am: MORNING REGISTRATION (Thomas Boyd Chapel at Shaw University, 118 E. South Street, Raleigh)

9:30am-9:45am WELCOME to Raleigh and our 2019 Fall Symposium from Raleigh Mayor Pro Tem Corey Branch.

9:45am-11:10am DOCUMENTARY FILM PREVIEW AND DISCUSSION . Join us as we take a look back at the Hall and Graves-Fields House project from beginning to end! Fayetteville-based documentary filmmakers, Moonlight Communications, have captured this years-long project and the spirit of the community that inspired it – Oberlin Village. Brief Q&A session with documentary subjects, descendants of the Hall, Graves and Fields families, and Oberlin Village residents afterward.

11:10am-11:30am BREAK

11:30am-12:30pm PRESERVATION AND ITS ROLE IN SOCIAL JUSTICE KEYNOTE [PART 1]:  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.

On-site registration price for Thursday Morning Sessions (all sessions listed above): $45

12:30pm-2:30pm: LUNCH ON YOUR OWN

2:00pm-4:00pm: AFTERNOON REGISTRATION (Thomas Boyd Chapel at Shaw University, 118 E. South Street, Raleigh)

2:30pm-2:50pm 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. It will focus on Willis Graves Jr.’s involvement in the famous Ossian Sweet trial, where he worked with Clarence Darrow, and his role as a lawyer for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case, Shelley v. Kramer, working with Thurgood Marshall. That case invalidated the use of racially restrictive covenants.

2:50pm-3:00pm BREAK

3:00pm-4:00pm PRESERVATION AND ITS ROLE IN SOCIAL JUSTICE PANEL [PART 2]:  AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND OUR CHANGING NEIGHBORHOODS  Political leaders, housing advocates, and preservationists discuss current issues of affordable housing and our changing neighborhoods.  Panelists: Dr. Tom Hanchett (Community Historian), James Perry (Winston-Salem Urban League), April Johnson(Preservation Durham), Charles Francis (The Francis Law Firm), Gregg Warren (DHIC, Inc.)

4:00pm-5:30pm HOUSE MOVING AND LIFTING: WHEN IS IT APPROPRIATE?  We’re tackling house moving and lifting with an in-depth discussion sharing practical expertise and advice from a range of perspectives. Panelist: Tania Tully (City of Raleigh), Sarah David (North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office ), Cynthia de Miranda (MdM Historical Consultants), Matt Tomasulo (Guest House Raleigh), Ted Alexander (Preservation North Carolina) (CLG CREDIT SESSION)

On-site registration price for Thursday Afternoon Sessions (all sessions listed above, after lunch break): $45

6:00pm-9:00pm: 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! (Norris House, 421 N. Blount Street) On-site registration price: $40. There is limited on-site availability for this session.

8:30pm-Until: YOUNG PROFESSIONALS GATHERING: A fun, casual get-together for the young and young at heart, free to all conference attendees. Sponsored by Maurer Architecture (Trophy Brewery Co.,  225 S. Wilmington Street)

Friday, November 8

Friday morning sessions and the Honor Awards Presentation will take place at the Thomas Boyd Chapel at Shaw University. Guests will walk over to Historic Estey Hall for the Honor Awards Reception. (118 E. South Street, Raleigh)

8:00am-11:30am: MORNING REGISTRATION (Thomas Boyd Chapel at Shaw University, 118 E. South Street, Raleigh)

9:00am-10:30am: MARION S. COVINGTON KEYNOTE SPEAKER: 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. PHLF has two nonprofit subsidies that do development and lending. Sponsored by Marion Stedman Covington Foundation. (CLG CREDIT SESSION)

10:30am-11:00am: BREAK

11:00am-12:00pm: 2019 Preservation North Carolina HONOR AWARDS.  (Thomas Boyd Chapel at Shaw University, 118 E. South Street, Raleigh) Presented by Biltmore

On-site registration price for Friday morning sessions (all sessions listed above, for Friday, November 8): $45

12:00pm-2:00pm: HONOR AWARDS LUNCHEON (Estey Hall at Shaw University, 118 E. South Street, Raleigh)

On-site registration price: $40. There is limited on-site availability for this session.

2:00pm-4:00pm: RALEIGH HISTORIC TOURS: Conference attendees may take exclusive tours of historic Raleigh locations, including PNC’s new headquarters at the Graves-Fields and Hall Houses in Oberlin Village! (Tours are included with all Friday session registrations)

  • Preservation NC Headquarters Tour at the Hall and Graves-Fields Houses
  • Historic Oberlin Village Walking Tour (Meet at Wilson Temple United Methodist Church, 1023 Oberlin Rd)
    • Tour historic national and local landmarks in Oberlin Village including Oberlin Cemetery, Latta University Site, Wilson Temple, Oberlin Rising and other historic homes.  Led by Oberlin Cemetery Steward, Cheryl Williams.
  • Dix Park Trolley Tour LIMITED SPACE, SIGN-UP REQUIRED (Meet at Flower Cottage at Dix Park, at 2105 Umstead Drive. Parking is available in the lot across the street.)
    • 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, we 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. We will get out of the trolley at stop or two to get a better view of the park and a close-up look at some historic buildings, so comfortable shoes are recommended. The only public bathrooms in the park are porta johns, and unfortunately, they are not located close to where you’ll meet the trolley, we advise that you go to the bathroom BEFORE the trolley tour. LIMITED SPACE, SIGN-UP REQUIRED. (You must sign-up in advance for this tour at symposium registration.  Sign-up sheets will be available at the symposium registration desk on Thursday and Friday.)
  • Prince Hall Historic District (Meet in front of Estey Hall at Shaw University)
    • Tour Raleigh’s First African American and Mixed Use District. The Prince Hall (formerly South Person/South Blount) district includes a number of late 19th- and early 20th-century residences, as well as commercial and institutional buildings dating from the first half of the 20th century. One of the district’s oldest residences is the ca. 1855 Greek Revival/Italianate Rogers-Bagley-Daniels-Pegues House (a Raleigh Historic Landmark), purchased in 1919 by Dr. Albert Pegues, Shaw University’s Dean of Theology. The African American community has lived, worked, socialized, and worshiped in the area since Reconstruction, as the establishment of Shaw University in 1865 attracted newly-freed slaves and others. Additionally, the district is located a few blocks south of East Hargett Street, which was home to Raleigh’s African American commercial district during segregation. Tour led by Jenny Harper.