Casa Feliz Historic Home Museum

2007 JGR II COLLOQUIUM ON HISTORIC PRESERVATION

Together with Rollins College, the Friends of Casa Feliz held the first James Gamble Rogers II Colloquium on Historic Preservation on Thursday, April 12, 2007 at 6 p.m. The keynote speaker for this event was Donovan Rypkema, one of the country’s foremost experts on historic preservation. At the colloquium, the two winners of the Friends of Casa Feliz Historic Preservation Award were announced - the Barbour House Apartments and Osceola Lodge.

“It is our hope that through this event there will be a greater awareness in the community of the value of historic preservation,” said Jack Rogers, chairman of the Friends. “Mr. Rypkema speaks convincingly about how preservation and making a profit are not mutually exclusive, but rather a viable business strategy.”

Rypkema is the principal of Place Economics, a consulting firm located in Washington, D.C. He is the author of “The Economics of Historic Preservation,” which was published in 1994, and has served as a “how to” guide to preservationists and municipalities looking to revive downtowns and maximize community resources. Since 1983 he has provided ongoing consulting services to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and has undertaken assignemtns in 49 states and the District of Columbia. His comprehensive list of clients includes the cities of Carmel by the Sea and Pasadena, California, and historic foundations in Wilmington (NC), Savannah (GA) and Madison (WI).

His message of preservation for profit has broad implications for a Central Florida audience. “Study after study shows that far from being a luxury which can be dispensed with in difficult times, historic preservation has an enormous positive impact on local economies and can be at the core of a long range economic development strategy,” he says.