The 2023 Historic New England Summit a Success

More than 600 participants joined in person and virtually to listen and engage with over 50 thought leaders across an array of disciplines for the second annual Historic New England Summit located at the Vets Center in Providence, Rhode Island. 

It’s the region’s largest conference highlighting how contemporary challenges and opportunities are transforming the fields of historic preservation, architecture, urban planning, conservation, arts and culture, museum studies, collections management, public history, philanthropy, and education.

There has been a cultural shift in the way we approach preserving the built environment. Terms such as sustainability, placemaking, affordable housing, universal design, wayfinding, embodied carbon, and social equity are becoming more common, and many of the sessions touched on these subjects. Talks were informative and deeply authentic.

Presentations and discussions ranged from the role of the public library in today’s culture from the perspective of David Leonard, president of the Boston Public Library (the country’s first free municipal library in the United States); to placemaking—the histories and stories of how diverse communities throughout the region make a place their own through community archives, public art, and civic media; to inclusive design in the context of disability, culture, and preservation.

Friday’s keynote was given by Rosanne Haggerty, president and chief executive officer of Community Solutions, an internationally recognized leader in developing innovative strategies to end homelessness. Community Solutions’ large-scale initiatives include the 100,000 Homes Campaign and Built for Zero.

There were discussions on how communities are revitalized through the adaptive reuse of historical structures when project teams create fairer, healthier, and supportive environments that address the needs of the surrounding neighborhoods.

One such project highlighted during the event was Historic New England’s plans to revitalize downtown Haverhill, Massachusetts, into a world-class cultural center. Built in 1912, the Burgess and Lang Buildings—once the largest shoe factories in the world—today house Historic New England’s vast collection of artifacts, in fact the largest collection of New England artifacts anywhere.

The project will be an example of “culture as catalyst” for revitalization, exploring the story of a place through objects and art, and the history of Haverhill as a center of shoe manufacturing, rather than erasing its industrial roots.

The project will include housing, green space, and retail shops, and the museum and collections will be more immersive and educational. Tomorrow, there will be an in-depth session on the project led by president and CEO of Historic New England, Vin Cipolla.