"Preservation - Know Who Needs It!" That's the title of Ben Heimsath's session as a speaker Texas A&M’s Center for Heritage Conservation's Historic Preservation Symposium on Feb. 14-15, 2020. The annual symposium will be centered on the theme of "Preservation in Practice." Ben’s presentation, subtitled “Historic Preservation Process Based on Users’ Needs” will feature the importance of the users of a facility in the planning and implementation of successful historic preservation and adaptive reuse projects.
The KJT Hall in Fayetteville, Texas, a rare 8-sided dance hall, was razed in the 1980's.
“One of my earliest lessons was the loss of the KJT Hall in my hometown of Fayetteville, Texas,” Ben recalls. “Without a user or group that needed the space, there wasn’t much that could be done to keep the rare eight-sided structure from being torn down.”
Ben will share his firm’s experiences with recent preservation projects illustrating the importance of the user’s active involvement and support. He’ll also recount several actions taken by the City of Austin’s Historic Landmarks Commission on which he serves.
The symposium is open to the public and offers education credits for professionals in attendance.
Ben has posted his thoughts on evaluating older buildings whenever demolition is being considered:
“Is Demolition OK? - Six Essential Questions.”
Interested in more preservation resources?
Download these white papers from Heimsath Architects:
The Care and Feeding of Your Historic Building
Historic Buildings - Eleven Myths Dispelled
