National Preservation Partners Network
2026 Spring Retreat
America at 250: Forging Connections, Saving Places, Shaping the Future
Register Today!
April 20-22, 2026
Join us in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for our 2026 Partners Spring Retreat! Members of the National Preservation Partners Network will gather for meetings, tours, and networking April 20-22, 2026. You will leave inspired and energized to save more places in your community. The 2026 Preservation Partners Spring Retreat is presented in partnership with the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia.
Register for the Preservation Partners Spring Retreat Today!
Spring Retreat Registration:
Registration Details
Early Bird Rates Available through March 20, 2026
NPPN Members:
$350 / $300 Early Bird
$550 for NPPN Spring Retreat (April 20-22) AND National HPRP Summit (April 22-April 24) / $500 Early Bird
Non-Members:
$400 / $350 Early Bird
$600 for NPPN Spring Retreat (April 20-22) AND National HPRP Summit (April 22-April 24)/ $550 Early Bird
Reception Only: $75
Not a member yet? Learn more about the benefits of NPPN membership and how your organization can become a NPPN member HERE.
Learn more about the Historic Properties Redevelopment Programs (HPRP) Summit HERE.
Conference Hotel: Kimpton Hotel Palomar
Hotel Details
The headquarters hotel for the NPPN Spring Retreat and National HPRP Summit will be the Kimpton Hotel Palomar, located in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood. Historically known as the Architects Building, the 24-story Art Deco tower was completed in 1931 and was home to the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Institute of Architects for many years.
We have reserved a block of rooms for attendees with a rate of $209 per night. Both King and Double Queen bed options are available. If you would like to find a roommate to share a room, please let us know by sending an email to Info@PresPartners.org and we will connect you with other attendees seeking to share a room.
Rooms must be reserved by midnight on March 19th to qualify for this special rate. The hotel does have a 72-hour cancellation policy if your travel plans change prior to check-in.
You can book your room online HERE or by calling 1-800-KIMPTON and referencing our block code, QZB.
NPPN Spring Retreat Schedule
Unless otherwise noted, all meetings will take place at the Kimpton Hotel Palomar.
117 South 17th Street
Philadelphia, PA
Sunday – April 19
6:00 p.m.
Dinner Meet-Up for Attendees Arriving Sunday
Location TBD, walking distance from hotel.
Monday – April 20
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Check-In and Breakfast
10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Welcome and Introductions
10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Overview of Preservation in Philadelphia
The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia
Paul Steinke, Executive Director
Hanna Stark, Director of Policy and Communications
Join Paul Steinke and Hanna Stark of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia for a conversation on the current state of historic preservation in Philadelphia. The discussion will explore recent developments, including the 2019 Mayoral Historic Preservation Task Force, efforts to enhance the Pennsylvania state tax credit, recently proposed legislation that would weaken Philadelphia’s local historic preservation ordinance, key findings from the Preservation Alliance’s recent economic impact report, and more. Together, they will consider what these dynamics mean for preservation policy and advocacy today and what the future may hold for preservation in Philadelphia.
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Panel Discussion: Current Challenges in the Field
Adrian Scott Fine, President & CEO, Los Angeles Conservancy
Bonnie McDonald, President & CEO, Landmarks Illinois
Shaw Sprague, Vice President for Government Relations, National Trust for Historic Preservation
12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Lunch Program Featuring
Carol Quillen
President & CEO
National Trust for Historic Preservation
1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Celebrating America 250 in Philadelphia
Kathryn Ott Lovell, President and CEO
Philadelphia Visitor Center Corporation
2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Walking Tour of Old City and Visits of Iconic Philadelphia Landmarks
Explore colonial Philadelphia and walk some of its original streets. See famous Elfreth’s Alley, the oldest continuously occupied street in the US, and experience the walking/mercantile city, as well as a later generation of Victorian structures. Learn how this area remained the center of Philadelphia’s commercial, retail and governmental activities until the city finally moved “westward” to Center Square in the mid/late 19th century.
Dinner on Your Own
Tuesday – April 21
Deep Dive: Saving Sacred Places
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Breakfast & Gathering
10:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Overview and Case Studies in Models for Preserving Sacred Places
Bob Jaeger, President
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Walking Tour Featuring Historic Sacred Places Exhibiting a Variety of Reuse Models
12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Lunch at Tindley Temple
Lunch Speaker: Betsy Ivey, Director of the Philadelphia Fund for Black Sacred Places will share how Partners for Sacred Places and Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia developed this ground-breaking program and the insights gained for future programs with Black churches.
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Walking Tour Featuring Historic Sacred Places
Afternoon sessions back at the Hotel Palomar.
3:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Preserving and Transitioning Historic Sacred Places: Model Approaches and Programs
Dana Dabek, Director of Community Engagement and Transition Services, and Emily Sajdak, Director of Rural Initiatives
This session explores innovative regional programs led by Partners for Sacred Places that preserve culturally significant historic houses of worship by utilizing targeted regional support to help them strengthen their roles as economic and cultural anchors in rural communities. This session will also detail how preservationists can support houses of worship who need to transition their historic properties into mission-aligned reuses that continue to serve civic and community benefit.
5:00 p.m. Dinner on Your Own
Wednesday – April 22
8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Breakfast & Gathering
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Facing Today’s Preservation Barriers
Laura Houston, Director of Revitalization Initiatives and Christiana Limniatis, Program and Outreach Manager
Although decades of data have proven preservation’s comprehensive benefit to community vitality, public health and education, the environment, and more, its practicality and feasibility remain in doubt. Cost, awareness of information and resources, access to materials, design guideline incompatibility, shortage of historic trades professionals, and general unfamiliarity with preservation ordinances and polices, navigating compliance and procurement, and even the lingo can make preservation projects feel insurmountable and their cost-benefit unbalanced. Hear from Christiana Limniatis and Laura Houston on how Preservation Maryland approaches these barriers and more through their work to make preservation a more accessible and realistic choice.
10:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Concurrent Educational Sessions:
Grassroots Advocacy for Black History
Christopher Rogers, Co-Coordinator, Friends of the Tanner House
Planning + Preservation
Eleanor Sharpe, Director of Planning, City Council of Philadelphia
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Concurrent Educational Sessions:
Board Engagement Strategies
Donna Ann Harris, Heritage Consulting, Inc.
Strengthen your board’s effectiveness with this practical session on governance, accountability, and engagement. Participants will walk away with clear guidance on board members’ legal duties, real-world examples of what works (and what doesn’t), and a robust set of ready-to-use tools including sample policies and checklists for board recruitment, onboarding, and engagement. Designed to be interactive, this session will equip organizations with templates and frameworks they can put into action with their boards immediately.
Effective Advocacy Programs and Public Relations
Vince Michael, Executive Director, Villa Finale and NPPN Board Member
Hanna Stark, Director of Policy and Communications, Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia
12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Wrap Up Conversation: Making Connections and Next Steps
1:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Lunch on Your Own and Free Afternoon to Explore Philadelphia
Optional Afternoon Activities
Tour of Philadelphia City Hall (Time TBD)
Tour Philadelphia’s iconic City Hall, a Second Empire architectural gem that was the world’s tallest occupied structure when it was completed in 1901.
2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Walking Tour of Rittenhouse Square West
Contrast the many generations of high-rise apartment building architecture on the Square – representing every decade of the 20th century – with the smaller scale of the grand houses on nearby streets while walking past some of Philadelphia’s most fashionable brownstones.
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Visit Eastern State Penitentiary
Visit with the Preservation Trades Training cohort at Eastern State Penitentiary, the world’s first penitentiary and a hub of public history, adaptive reuse, and workforce development.
5:30 p.m.
Celebration Reception for NPPN Spring Retreat and HPRP Summit Attendees
One Penn Center, Future home of Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia
Enjoy light bites and refreshments on the 17th floor of this 1930 Art Deco building in the heart of Philadelphia above Suburban Station with a terrace overlooking City Hall.
Programming continues with the National Historic Properties Redevelopment Programs Summit Thursday and Friday, April 23-24 . Learn more.
Register for one or both events today!
Thank you to our generous sponsors!
