Click here to register for the Zoom webinar | Presented in partnership with our colleagues at Historic Ithaca
In thinking about how to build a more sustainable future, the preservation of our historic buildings needs to be prioritized. But when buildings can't be saved, there is still room for preservation to play a role. Deconstruction and architectural salvage allows heritage building materials to be saved and repurposed, diverting material from the landfill and creating a circular economy in the process.
We'll be joined by practitioners from around the country who are exploring how preservation and deconstruction can work hand-in-hand to create a more just and sustainable world.
Featured speakers:
Mae Bowley, Executive Director of Re:Purpose Savannah
Natalie Henshaw, Director of Historic Trades, The Campaign for Historic Trades/Preservation Maryland
Stephanie Phillips, AICP, Senior Historic Preservation Specialist for the City of San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation
Moderated by Christine O'Malley, Historic Ithaca's Preservation Services Coordinator and partner of the CR0WD (Circularity, Reuse, Zero Waste Development) working group
Mae Bowley is the Executive Director of Re:Purpose Savannah, a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to saving and sharing historic buildings at the end of their life cycle. Re:Purpose Savannah works to replace short-sighted demolition practices with sustainable deconstruction, historic research and documentation of sites, and training for women in the male-dominated construction industry. Mae holds a certificate in Historic Preservation Trades from Savannah Technical College, an MA in Art Education from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and BAs in Classical Archaeology and Graphic Design from Florida State University.
Natalie Henshaw joined Preservation Maryland in 2021 and directs The Campaign for Historic Trades, overseeing apprenticeship registration, curriculum development, and partner relationships. Natalie earned her AAS from Savannah Technical College’s Historic Preservation and Restoration Program in 2013. During and after this program, she’s worked in hands-on preservation with various non-profits, construction companies, and federal agencies. From 2014 through 2019, Natalie worked on seasonal, cross-country projects with HistoriCorps. In 2016, she founded a preservation company in Savannah, Georgia, specializing in window restoration and historic masonry.
Natalie has also worked extensively in educational fields. She has taught after-school art classes, English in China, TEFL as an online tutor, United States and world history with Savannah Technical College (STC), and historic preservation with STC and Lamar Community College (LCC). She managed LCC’s Historic Building Trades Program. Natalie enjoys traveling and hiking, and typically follows lawful good alignment.
Stephanie Phillips, AICP, is a San Antonio-based senior public policy & planning professional working at the intersection of heritage conservation and sustainability. She leads the City of San Antonio's deconstruction program, which aims to maximize material salvage and reuse opportunities from older structures while advancing the City’s climate action, affordable housing, and workforce development goals - all through a heritage conservation lens. Stephanie holds a MS in Historic Preservation from the University of Texas at Austin and a BS in Interior Architecture from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Christine O’Malley leads Historic Ithaca’s efforts in education, advocacy, and community engagement and consults with home and property owners, businesses, city and county government officials, and educators. She has worked on local designations of properties and National Register nominations. As part of the CR0WD (Circularity, Reuse, Zero Waste Development) working group, she participates in efforts to promote salvage and sustainability in our community and efforts to draft a local deconstruction ordinance.
The Future of Preservation webinar series is sponsored by the Peggy N. & Roger G. Gerry Charitable Trust.