Preservation North Carolina: 2019 Fall Symposium

A Shared Legacy: Reflections on PNC’s New Headquarters November 7-8 | Raleigh, NC

Nearly 3 years ago, Preservation NC began a journey to move its Headquarters Office to 2 important landmarks surviving from historic Oberlin Village. Built by former slaves, the Hall and Graves-Fields Houses are 2 of only 5 Oberlin structures listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Come network, learn and celebrate their renovation at our fall symposium at Shaw University, November 7-8. 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., shares 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.