National Preservation Partners Network
2026 Spring Retreat
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.
Spring Retreat Registration:
Early Bird Prices Available through March 20, 2026
$350 for NPPN Members / $300 Early Bird
$400 for non NPPN Members / $350 Early Bird
$550 for NPPN Spring Retreat (April 20-22) AND National HPRP Summit (April 22-April 24) / $500 Early Bird
Learn more about the Historic Properties Redevelopment Programs (HPRP) Summit HERE.
Register for the NPPN Spring Retreat and/or National HPRP Summit HERE
Not a member yet? Learn more about the benefits of NPPN membership and how your organization can become a NPPN member HERE.
Conference Hotel: The Historic Kimpton Hotel Palomar
Located in the heart of Philadelphia’s center city, the 1929 Architects Building the former home of the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Institute of Architects will be the home of National Preservation Partners Network for the week. This gorgeous Art Deco building was adapted for re-use in 2009 and is now LEED Gold-certified. We’re excited to meet you there!
Book Your Hotel Room Here.
NPPN Spring Retreat Schedule*
Unless otherwise noted, all meetings will take place at the Kimpton Hotel Palomar.
Sunday – April 19
6:00 p.m. – Dinner Meet-Up for Attendees Arriving Sunday
Location TBD
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
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Panel Discussion: Current Challenges in the Field
12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Lunch Program – The United States at 250: Celebrating the Semiquincentennial
Afternoon: Walking Tour and Visits of Iconic Philadelphia Landmarks
Dinner on your own
Tuesday – April 21
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Breakfast & Gathering
10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Case Studies in Models for Preserving Sacred Places – Partners for Sacred Places
11:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Walking tour and lunch at Tindley Temple
Afternoon Speaker Sessions: Funding opportunities for Historic Sacred Places
Wednesday – April 22
9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Breakfast & Gathering
9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
National Preservation Partners Network Meeting
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Morning Sessions
12:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Lunch on your own and Free Afternoon to Explore
5:30 p.m. Reception
Programming continues with the National Historic Properties Redevelopment Programs Summit Thursday and Friday, April 23-24 .
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
- Leslie Canaan, Senior Manager of Preserving Black Churches at the National Trust for Historic Preservation
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.
- Colleen M. Heemeyer, AICP – Director, Sacred Sites at the New York Landmarks Conservancy
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