Calendar of Events

The State Historic Preservation Office is pleased to offer a special opportunity to college and university students who attend Our Sense of Place: Oklahoma’s 25th Annual Statewide Preservation Conference to be held June 5-7 in downtown Perry (full conference registration and program details available in late April).

The SHPO encourages college and university students planning preservation-related careers to attend the conference. So, we are offering twenty (20) scholarships on a first-come basis to those who qualify. The scholarship covers the conference registration fee, and the application deadline is 5:00pm, Friday, May 10. For details, click here, and for an application form, click here, or contact Melvena Heisch, Deputy SHPO, at 405/522-4484 or mheisch@okhistory.org.

Conference Sessions Brief Overview:
The three concurrent tracks of sessions will focus on the buildings, structures, sites, districts, objects, and landscapes that provide a sense of orientation; a sense of place to Oklahomans. TRACK A: Homes and Hometowns features the neighborhoods, individual houses, commercial buildings, sacred places, and other properties that define the unique character of our communities. TRACK B: Technologies and Techniques explores how preservationists use current technology and preservation techniques to share information, adapt historic buildings for new uses, and protect all types of properties for future generations. TRACK C: Landmarks and Landscapes examines the vernacular and designed landscapes and the icons that connect Oklahomans to the places they call home.

Special events include the Plenary Session, opening reception in the courthouse square; local tours; Preservation Oklahoma, Inc.’s annual meeting and luncheon; and the State Historic Preservation Office’s annual awards banquet.

In 2011, the 35th UNESCO General Conference adopted the ‘Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape’ encouraging the espousal of a landscape approach to the study and conservation of cities within their broader urban contexts and their geographical settings. The goal of the 16th Annual US/ICOMOS International Symposium is to join in a robust discussion focused on the evolution of our historic urban centers and ascertain how they provide inspiration for the future of cities around the world.

The APT DC 2013 symposium will be discussing Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Recovery for Cultural Resources. We are looking forward to featuring eleven papers and more than twenty speakers for a full-day of presentations and ample time for discussion, debate, and collaboration.

Main Street and those who love it are all about resilience—bringing commercial districts back to life by managing change and facing new challenges. And providing Main Street professionals with the tools to save the heritage and character of their downtowns while making them vibrant and profitable is what we’re best at. The 2013 National Main Streets Conference is the ideal place to learn new skills, explore new ideas, discover innovative strategies, and share best practices. Find out how other communities have solved common problems on Main Street and get the latest how-to tactics from experts in the field. Join us in New Orleans for three information-packed days of learning and networking.