National Preservation Partners Network

2025 Spring Retreat

Register Today!

April 28-30, 2025

Join us in Asheville, North Carolina, for our 2025 Partners Spring Retreat! NPPN members will gather for meetings, tours, and networking April 28-30, 2025. You will leave inspired and energized to save more places in your community. The 2025 Partners Spring Retreat is presented in partnership with The Preservation Society of Asheville & Buncombe County and sponsored by GBX Group. Heritage Consulting Group, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Spring Retreat Registration:

$300 for NPPN Members

$350 for non NPPN Members

$500 for NPPN Spring Retreat (April 28 – 30) AND National HPRP Summit (April 30 – May 2)

Early Bird Registration Ended April 14th

Learn more about the Historic Properties Redevelopment Programs (HPRP) Summit HERE.

Register for the NPPN Spring Retreat and/or National HPRP Summit

HERE

Conference Hotel: Kimpton Hotel Arras

Book Your Hotel Room Here.

Not a member yet? Learn more about the benefits of NPPN membership and how your organization can become a NPPN member HERE.

NPPN Spring Retreat Schedule*

Sunday – April 27

6:00 p.m. – Dinner Meet-Up for Attendees Arriving Sunday

Mellow Mushroom – Downtown Asheville

50 Broadway Street

Monday – April 28

The Foundry Hotel – Savoy Ballroom

51 South Market Street

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Check In and Breakfast

10:00 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.

Welcome and Introductions

10:30 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.

Asheville: Hurricane Helene and the Impact of Climate Change

Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, and the region is still recovering. Many people were shocked that a hurricane could bring catastrophic impacts to an inland mountainous region that had been seen as a climate haven in the era of climate change. So, how did it happen? This presentation will discuss:

– How Helene relates to other major floods in Asheville—most of which were compound events with multiple hurricanes.

– How climate change contributed to the record warmth of the Atlantic Ocean and fueled Hurricane Helene’s wind and rain.

– How rain from a cold front was supercharged by moisture from Helene.

– How upgrades to the North Fork Reservoir in 2021 kept the damage from being exponentially worse.

11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.

Lunch Program – Planning Ahead for a Natural Disaster

  • Annie Rubel – Heritage Emergency Management

When we discuss disaster preparedness and emergency response, it is usually within the framework of how our individual institutions can prepare to take care of ourselves when a disaster strikes. But we don’t focus enough on how to prepare ourselves to be part of a larger community-wide disaster and community-wide response. Each organization has its own capacities and limitations that we must explore before we face these events. This presentation will introduce the steps we can take and the things to consider in readying ourselves and our communities to effectively respond and recover together when the worst has occurred, and we need each other more than ever.

12:45 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.

Panel: The Local Preservation Response to Hurricane Helene

1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

The SHPO Role / Advice When Disaster Strikes

  • Ramona Bartos – Administrator and Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer – North Carolina SHPO

Based on the emergency management cycle, this presentation outlines the State Historic Preservation Office’s role (and advice) in constituent service through the first three stages of the cycle — preparedness, response, and recovery.  Representatives of the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office (NC HPO), including Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer Ramona Bartos, Local Government Coordinator Kristi Brantley, and members of the Western regional office of the NC HPO, will be on hand to answer participants’ questions.

2:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.

Break

2:45 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.

Preserving the Past, Adapting for the Future: Resilient Heritage

This presentation highlights the National Trust’s work to confront climate change and extreme weather, which are increasingly threatening historic places and communities across the country. It will outline our current efforts—from disaster response and federal advocacy to innovative grant programs—and introduce our new Resilient Heritage Campaign, focused on reuse, retrofit, and recovery. Feedback will be encouraged on the components of the proposed work and potential partnerships.

3:45 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

LA’s Wildfires: Redefining Heritage and Preservation in the Wake of Loss

– Hear about LA Conservancy efforts to initially respond, build, and sustain partnerships (local organizations, media, and funders) to ensure preservation is a part of recovery and rebuilding

– Learn how heritage is being broadly talked about and valued when the historic places are no longer standing, including taking stock of intangible community values, attributes, and through various forms of mapping

– See how the LA Conservancy is expanding its work to ensure we are relevant and meeting the moment, maintaining momentum, and responding to the urgency of the need

5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Opening Reception at The Bull and Beggar and Trolley Tour of the Rivers Arts District

Roundtrip Gray Line Trolley service will be provided between The Foundry Hotel and Kimpton Hotel Arras

For over 30 years, the River Arts District (RAD) has been a premier destination for art lovers and collectors, offering an immersive experience where visitors can watch artists at work, engage in hands-on workshops, and purchase original artwork from the artists for their homes or workplaces. Today, the RAD is evolving as they rebuild from the devastation of Hurricane Helene, which brought historic flooding to the beloved district. Many studios, galleries, and businesses are open and thriving, welcoming visitors to experience creativity firsthand in the Upper RAD.

7:30 p.m.

Dinner on Your Own

Tuesday – April 29

The Manor Inn – 265 Charlotte Street


8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Gray Line Trolley service will be provided from the Kimpton Hotel Arras to The Manor Inn

9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

Breakfast & Gathering

  • Introductions: Getting to Know You

9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

National Preservation Partners Network Meeting

  • Introduction of NPPN’s New Board Members and Officers
  • NPPN Programs and Activities Update
  • Advocacy Action Planning Session: Our Movement’s Response to Federal Actions Impacting Historic Preservation

11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Three-Minute Success Stories

  • Preserving African American Cemeteries in Pennsylvania – Mindy Crawford, Executive Director of Preservation Pennsylvania

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Lunch Program – Organization Health Workshop: Looking Inward

How to Assess and Improve the Health of Your Organization — In this interactive workshop, we will discuss the key measures of organizational health and impact, how to measure them, and how to create a simple roadmap for improved organizational health and impact.

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Walking Tour of Albemarle Park Neighborhood

Slip on your walking shoes and join staff members from the Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County (PSABC) for an urban hike through this fascinating community. It’s not like any other neighborhood in Asheville. It is more than an interesting neighborhood of curving streets, towering trees and old houses. It is a nationally recognized landmark in planned residential design, a rare surviving example of late nineteenth century “resort park” development. Thoughtfully sited on the western slope of Sunset Mountain to allow for shared panoramic views, Albemarle Park feels as if it is someplace far outside the city, even though the neighborhood is just east of the Charlotte Street business district and only a 15-minute walk to downtown Asheville.

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Preserving the Preservationist in the Wake of Disasters

Preservationists face dual challenges when natural disasters strike their communities. They often must face their own personal losses while responding to the impact on local historic resources. Three preservationists who have faced these challenges will share their experiences and offer advice on how to prepare for the aftermath of natural disasters that impact historic places.

3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Networking Break

3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Tour of Biltmore Industries

Gray Line Trolley service will be provided from The Manor Inn to Biltmore Industries / Grove Park Inn.

Biltmore Industries, adjacent to The Omni Grove Park Inn, is one of Asheville’s hidden gems. Known today as Grovewood Village, this historic site once housed the weaving and woodworking operations of Biltmore Industries. You’ll enjoy a private tour and discover an arts and crafts destination that offers a glimpse into an important part of Asheville’s story. Be sure to make time for shopping in the Grovewood Gallery which is nationally recognized for its dedication to American arts and crafts.

4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Happy Hour at Grove Park Inn (cash bar)

Explore The Grove Park Inn and enjoy drinks on the legendary veranda while taking in the spectacular view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the hotel was built in the Arts and Crafts style. The inn features 140 acres includes 513 guest rooms, 10 restaurants and bars, an 18-hole golf course, subterranean spa, 42 meeting rooms, two ballrooms, two swimming pools, and nine tennis courts. The Grove Park Inn is a member of the Historic Hotels of America program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Gray Line Trolley service will be provided to return to the Kimpton Hotel Arras

6:30 p.m.

Dinner on Your Own

Wednesday – April 30

Basilica of St. Lawrence – 97 Haywood Street

9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

Breakfast & Gathering

9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Strategies for Preserving Sacred Places

The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund established the Preserving Black Churches program with generous philanthropic support from Lilly Endowment, Inc. Since its first cohort in 2023, the program has funded 108 capital, programming and interpretation, capacity building, project planning, endowment and financial sustainability, and emergency grants across 35 states and DC. This session will provide an overview of the program and a discussion about the unique nature of preserving Historically Black Churches, highlighting some of the grantees.

The New York Landmarks Conservancy’s Sacred Sites Program provides matching grants toward exterior restoration at historic religious institutions throughout New York State.  Since 1986, they have granted over $14.5 million to over 875 religious institutions, leveraging more than $810 million in capital investments to support restoration and preservation at these landmarked houses of worship.  Heemeyer will talk about how the program works and share her experiences with the challenges of restoration and building viability for religious institutions.

11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Trolley Tour and Project Visits

Gray Line Trolley service will be provided to return to the Kimpton Hotel Arras

  • PSABC Church Project – East End / Valley Street Neighborhood
  • Echo Mountain – Recording Studio

12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Lunch on your own

1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Free Afternoon to Explore Asheville

5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Celebration Reception for Spring Retreat and

Historic Properties Redevelopment Programs Summit Attendees

YMI Cultural Center – 39 S. Market Street

7:30 p.m. – Dinner on Your Own

* Schedule Subject to Change