Thursday, September 11
7:45-8:45 a.m. Registration, Networking, and Breakfast
Turner Hall, 102 South State Street
Please park behind the building and use the back entrance accessible from the parking lot
Coffee, tea, and continental breakfast.
8:45-9:15 a.m. Welcome and Introductory Remarks
Turner Hall, 102 South State Street
- Tamar Gronvall, State Historic Preservation Officer and Commissioner, Department of Administration
- Hon. Kathleen L. Backer, Mayor of New Ulm
- Representative Paul Torkelson, District 15B (invited)
- Senator Gary Dahms, District 15 (invited)
- Amy Spong, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer
- Michael Koop, Certified Local Government Coordinator
9:30-10:30 a.m. Concurrent Sessions
Restoration From Beginning To Endless: Preservation, Partnerships, Perseverance - Turner Hall Gymnasium
Kathleen L. Backer, Mayor, City of New Ulm
This presentation highlights the successful and ongoing collaboration between the State Historic Preservation Office, the Minnesota Historical Society, Brown County, the City of New Ulm and the Brown County Historical Society in preserving and repurposing the historically significant, National Register-listed 1910 historic post office building in New Ulm. The presentation chronicles the repurposing of the former post office into the Brown County Museum, a process that involved a creative architectural redesign, including the addition of mezzanine and attic levels. Emphasis will be placed on the continuous maintenance and repair needed to restore the building. Notably, Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage (Legacy) Grants have funded four phases (from 2014 to the present day, with a fifth planned) of a project addressing the building's needs, including roof replacement, window restoration, and terracotta, brick and mortar repair.
Hope Springs Eternal: The Ebbs and Flows of the New Ulm Spring Roadside Parking Area - Turner Hall Heritage Room (lower level)
Andrea Weber, MnDOT Historic Roadside Property and Waysides Program Manager; Chris Hommerding, MnDOT Cultural Resources Unit Historian
We’re all familiar with the large, modern rest areas conveniently dotting freeways and busy highways. But where did the idea for these properties come from? Located across the Minnesota River from New Ulm, on a quiet stretch of Trunk Highway 14, is the New Ulm Spring Roadside Parking Area. This historic roadside property was designed by master landscape architect Arthur Nichols and constructed by labor from the National Youth Administration in 1939. The property conveys important aspects of early Minnesota Trunk Highway history but also serves as a case study for understanding the work that MnDOT has done and continues to do to identify, rehabilitate, and preserve historically significant roadside properties. This presentation will discuss the history of the New Ulm Spring site from its design and construction, National Register eligibility issues, and successful rehabilitation efforts.
Preserving the Past, Empowering the Future: Black Community Heritage - State Street Theater, 1 North State Street
Kendra Ellner, Community Planning Consultant, HKGi; James Curry, Artist and Educator; Greg McMoore, Community Historian; and Erin Que, Senior City Planner—Historic Preservation, City of Minneapolis
In Minneapolis, only 5 of the 154 places listed in the National Register of Historic Places represent African American heritage. Of locally designated landmarks or historic districts, there are 7 out of 217. In both cases, that is about 3%. The history of women, people of color, LGBTQ+, and people with disabilities are also significantly underrepresented if not absent from these lists. In order to increase African American and Black representation on these lists and awareness of this rich history in general, the African American Heritage Work Group (AAHWG) was formed.
From July 2024 to June 2025, the AAHWG met to advise on the Minneapolis African American Historic and Cultural Context Study. This appointed resident body, the first of its kind in Minneapolis, included 15 members of that community. City staff organized the meetings and prioritized community decision-making. The AAHWG provided heartfelt input and achieved consensus during key stages in the development of the context study. The AAHWG provided guidance on the research design, reviewed the context study draft, and reimagined how else African American and Black heritage could be acknowledged, recorded, and recognized for its rightful place in our state’s history. They also selected 25 African American sites to be evaluated for potential eligibility for listing in the National Register and local landmark designation. Hear from AAHWG members about their experiences on the work group, compelling stories from the context study, and ideas to carry this work forward.
10:30-11:00 a.m. Break – Turner Hall
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Concurrent Sessions
Rediscovering An Historical Gem: Local Historic Designation of Northfield’s 1855 Central Park - Turner Hall Gymnasium
Alice Thomas, former member, Northfield HPC and Mathias Hughey, Northfield Associate City Planner
This session describes the process of locally designating a significant historic landscape: Northfield’s 1855 Central Park and public square. The initiative required extensive research and documentation including original 1855 documents, involvement by a dedicated group of citizens, and review/approval by four City Commissions/Committees. Success was achieved by addressing the chief barrier: misconceptions about what historic designation of a historic landscape means. The project took advantage of several assets including access to original documents; popularity of the highly used, flexible community park; residents that value its history and identity; engaged volunteers with experience on various city commissions and committees; and a knowledgeable, supportive City staff. The session will provide a brief history of the park including a 1948 State Supreme Court case, an explanation of character defining features, and the documented evidence of meeting local designation criteria.
Preparing for the Worst, Disaster Response and Recovery for Historic Buildings - Turner Hall Heritage Room (lower level)
Ken Green and Dave Macdonald, Mattson Macdonald Young; and Ali Wysopal, Minnesota Historical Society
This session will review steps stewards of historic properties can take leading up to and following a disaster affecting the built environment. Speakers will introduce the three phases of a disaster – Preparation, Response, and Recovery – followed by an overview of the Preparation phase in order to emphasize the importance of documentation and regular maintenance, before focusing on initial Response efforts and the Recovery phase. Examples from case studies will be discussed. Resources will be recommended for additional information on disaster plans and considerations for collections as their inclusion is necessary for a successful response effort. The presenters will introduce a Tip Sheet summarizing the steps and resources for stewards to take with them, share, and reference in their work. In presenting this information, we hope to empower stewards to act proactively ahead of and following a disaster by providing the knowledge to advocate for the preservation of architectural resources.
Heritage Tourism in New Ulm: Sustaining the Past, Engaging the Present - State Street Theater, 1 North State Street
Daniel Hoisington, Moderator; Amy Johnson, Executive Director, Brown County Historical Society; Sarah Warmka, President & CEO, New Ulm Area Chamber of Commerce; Andrea Boettger, Executive Director, New Ulm Turnverein; Kyle Marti, Vice President & Sales and Marketing Director, August Schell Brewing Company; Joey Schugel, Park & Recreation Director, City of New Ulm
New Ulm is a community rich in cultural heritage and historic preservation, with a unique identity shaped by its German roots and strong tradition of sharing history through place. This presentation will explore how heritage tourism supports preservation efforts, builds community pride, and sustains local economies. Panelists representing New Ulm’s museums, festivals, historic sites, and visitor services will discuss how they work together to elevate the city’s historic assets for residents and visitors alike. From century-old breweries to turn-of-the-century architecture, and from vibrant cultural festivals that honor German heritage to grassroots guided tours, New Ulm’s layered narrative is both deeply preserved and actively shared. Panelists will offer insights into challenges and best practices—especially around collaboration, preservation planning, and engaging younger and more diverse audiences.
12:00-1:15 p.m. Buffet Lunch - Turner Hall
1:30-2:45 p.m. Concurrent Sessions
Advocating for Historic Preservation: Tools for Boosting Lawmaker Interest and Support for Preservation Activities in Minnesota - Turner Hall Gymnasium
Amy Spong, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer; Julie Bayerl, Legislative Director, Minnesota Department of Administration; Meghan Elliot, CEO, Jillpine, New History and RevitalizeMN; and Tom Schroeder, attorney, Waldmann Brewery founder, and preservationist
A 2020 survey for Minnesota’s Statewide Historic Preservation Plan, 2022-2032 found that 55% of respondents chose “low lawmaker interest in historic preservation” as a top threat to historic preservation. While preservation advocacy takes place at all levels of government, it can be daunting for communities to know where to start when advocating for resources in the state and their communities. More recent challenges impacting preservation demonstrate that effective and ongoing advocacy is vital to maintaining a robust preservation program at all levels of government. Presenters will cover advocacy on the federal, state, and local levels, with a focus on how to reach out to lawmakers and what advocacy looks like on each level.
Meghan Elliot presented on advocating for community preservation projects and obtaining federal support at Preservation Advocacy Week in March in D.C this year. Meghan will present a similar version to encourage conference attendees to advocate when you can’t go to D.C. in person. Julie Bayerl will discuss advocating on the state level and speaking with lawmakers. Tom Schroeder will address local grass-roots advocacy efforts including the Restore Hope Engine House No. 3, an organization that successfully rallied to preserve the Hope Engine House in Saint Paul’s West Seventh Neighborhood.
Archaeology of the Minnesota River Valley - Turner Hall Heritage Room (lower level)
David Mather, National Register Archaeologist, State Historic Preservation Office
Well known as a raging glacial torrent and much later, a shallow and winding trap for steamboats, the Minnesota River Valley has also been an important travel route, oasis in the prairie, and homeland for at least 13,000 years. This session starts with nineteenth century records of the river as a gateway to the more distant past, examining how the valley was formed and how it affected the local environment over millennia. Archaeological time periods will be illustrated by examples of sites and artifacts, with a focus on publicly accessible historical sites and listings in the National Register of Historic Places. These places hold insights to a great length of American Indian history, ranging from hunters of Ice Age megafauna and bison, to freshwater mussel gatherers, early farming villagers, and builders of ancient earthworks, along with archaeological connections to historically known tribes. These contexts deep in time, along with historical archaeology of the nineteenth century, provide a means to look anew at the current river and how it has changed in the relatively short time since Minnesota became a state, to consider how we might restore its health, and further, to ponder how me might look at aspects of the river’s landscape as historic properties themselves.
The Turner J. Starks History Project: Co-Creation with Descendants and Community Members - State Street Theater, 1 North State Street
Frank White, Historian; Richard Mann, Starks Family Descendant; Michael Corey, Geospatial, Technical and Data Lead, Mapping Prejudice, University of Minnesota; and Greg Donofrio, Associate Professor and Associate Dean of Faculty, College of Design, University of Minnesota
The Turner J. Starks History Project seeks to document and commemorate a pioneering African American entrepreneur who built a series of barber shops well outside traditionally understood Black spaces in St. Paul, despite violent white resistance. This story celebrates a notable Black-owned business and underscores a foundational moment in a “white neighborhood.” Critical to the project’s success was formation of a community advisory board with public historians, descendants, and community members. This meaningful approach centers community knowledge, perspectives, and decision making, while creating a bridge between professionals with technical expertise and the stewards of community-based historical knowledge. The session will consider a range of logistical and interpersonal issues such as: working with descendants; identifying participants and forming an advisory board; compensating community members; bureaucratic/institutional entanglements that complicate working with advisory boards; and sharing authority and negotiating decisions about interpretation, project outcomes, and intellectual property. Panelists will also reflect on the emotional labor to develop interpretation and commemoration of histories involving racial violence and trauma, when not all community or family members may have the same interest in sharing these stories with the broader public.
2:45-3:15 p.m. Break – Turner Hall
3:15-4:15 p.m. Concurrent Sessions
Revitalization Through Preservation: Tax Incentives to Reactivate Underutilized Historic Buildings in Your Community - Turner Hall Gymnasium
Catherine Sandlund, Design Reviewer, MN State Historic Preservation Office and Brigid Tuck, Community Economics Specialist, Center for Community Vitality, University of Minnesota Extension, Twin Cities
Learn about how you can promote use of historic tax credits to reactivate underutilized historic buildings in your community. This session will introduce attendees to State and Federal Historic Tax Credits, discuss the requirements, share how the credits can be promoted to help communities achieve their goals, and provide an analysis of the economic impacts of completed Minnesota projects from fiscal year 2024. This session will offer a relevant learning experience by sharing how you can promote historic tax credits to reactivate underutilized buildings in your communities.
Cultural Resources Management and Section 106 – A Roundtable Discussion - Turner Hall Heritage Room (lower level)
Lucy Harrington, Environmental Review Archaeologist and Kelly Gragg-Johnson, Environmental Review Specialist, Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office
Do you remember when SHPO hosted Cultural Resources Management seminars? This session is designed to facilitate a similar seminar in a more open, discussion-based format. The purpose of the roundtable is to provide an informal forum for federal, state, local, and tribal cultural resource staff members, consultants, local residents and other interested parties to discuss Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. The space can be used to ask about recent and/or anticipated project reviews, recurring issues that come up during reviews, or Section 106 agreements and mitigation. There will be no presentation – SHPO staff from the Environmental Review Program will be available to facilitate discussion as well as to answer questions. A key component of the roundtable is providing space for different parties to share ideas with each other and to learn collaboratively.
Putting the “Local” in “Local Designation” - Grassroots Preservation in Pill Hill, Rochester - State Street Theater, 1 North State Street
Bethany Gladhill, Gladhill Rhone, LLC; Molly Patterson-Lundgren, Heritage Preservation & Urban Design Coordinator, City of Rochester; and Martha Grogan, MD and Daniel Larson, MD, Co-Chairs, Pill Hill Historic District Steering Committee
“How a Group of Local Doctors Became Preservation Leaders and Achieved Local Designation.” It comes as a surprise to many that a National Register listing does not protect their historic district. Pill Hill in Rochester was listed in the Register in 1990, but when residents realized that this did not protect the neighborhood from encroaching development, they began a grassroots effort for local designation. A steering committee of local physicians became de facto preservation professionals; their efforts included community outreach and education, research, and raising funds to hire a consultant for the designation. In February 2025, after gaining support from the City Council, Pill Hill became Rochester’s second locally designated district. This session will cover what the steering committee learned during the process and where they go from here, seeking to help other Minnesota communities with a replicable model.
4:30-5:30 p.m. Keynote Address - State Street Theater, 1 North State Street
Gut Heil: New Ulm as an Intentional Community
Daniel J. Hoisington, National Historian, American Turners, Independent Preservation Consultant
Gut Heil: New Ulm as an Intentional Community explores how a bold philosophical vision gave rise to one of Minnesota’s most distinctive towns. This presentation traces the journey of German Turners—politically progressive revolutionaries inspired by ideals of physical fitness, education, freethought, and community—who founded New Ulm. Through vivid storytelling and historical insight, the address highlights the powerful influence of “Practical Turnerism” on the city’s design, its early educational and cultural institutions, and its legacy of civic engagement. From revolution in Europe to reinvention on the frontier, this is the story of a town built not just with bricks, but with ideals. The challenge for preservationists is how to save not just the built environment, but also the ideas that make us who we are.
5:45-7:30 p.m. Reception at The Grand Center for Arts & Culture, 210 North Minnesota Street
Relax at the end of the day at The Grand Center for Arts & Culture, a community hub for arts and cultural experiences housed in the former Grand Hotel building. The Grand provides the community with an art gallery, space for music practice, private artist studio spaces, an arts education area, and live performance space. Cash bar and light refreshments provided.
Friday, September 12
8:00-9:00 a.m. Registration, Networking, and Breakfast
Turner Hall, 102 South State Street
Please park behind the building and use the back entrance accessible from the parking lot
Coffee, tea, and continental breakfast.
9:00-10:00 a.m. Concurrent Sessions
Minnesota State Climate Action Framework – Where Does Preservation Fit In? - Turner Hall Gymnasium
Natascha Wiener, Historical Architect, Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office
Climate change is no longer a far-off possibility. Minnesotans across our state are feeling its effects right now – and this will increase. In the face of many complex threats, it is easy to overlook that our heritage resources and cultural lifeways are under threat as well. Often preservationists feel left out of the solution – luckily, we can all be a part of the solution. This is an historic opportunity to strengthen our economy, improve our health, and create a more equitable Minnesota for everyone. To guide this work, the State of Minnesota has developed a Climate Action Framework. Join us to investigate the ways that the State’s Framework connects with our Statewide Preservation Plan and other heritage climate action plans from the National Park Service, other states and international organizations. Most importantly, learn how it directly connects to your community and what you can do to help implement the Climate Action Framework at the local level.
It Doesn’t Have to be Complicated! Collecting and Leveraging Data to Understand Your Historic Districts - Turner Hall Heritage Room (lower level)
Emily Kurash Casey, Director of Community Programs, Rethos
Being a member of a Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) isn’t always glamorous and requires folks to understand complex pieces of information about our built infrastructure and policy. Often work is focused on a few select places, and relying on city staff to keep constant up-to-date information isn’t always possible. How can you activate a plan to be proactive, rather than reacting when disaster strikes? By leaning into some basic data gathering, we can see when areas of our historic commercial district need attention. Simple visual data gathering practices to build a roster of building conditions, wayfinding signage, and historic resources can support district development, and call attention to trouble spots. Taking a few hours of volunteer time each year can give your development offices and commissions significant insight when planning budgets, grant applications, and building owner notices. By keeping tabs on your historic downtown, you’re less likely to be surprised by catastrophe.
Functional, Practical and Colorful: The Artstone Buildings of the Saffert Construction Company of New Ulm - State Street Theater, 1 North State Street
Michael Koop, Certified Local Government Coordinator, Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office
In 1904, George Saffert established the Saffert Construction Company in Fairfax, Minnesota to fabricate concrete products. By 1918 the company had moved to New Ulm, where it manufactured a variety of building and construction materials including drain tile, road culverts, silo staves, and concrete building blocks and trim. Renamed the American Artstone Company, the factory designed and constructed dozens of buildings in south-central Minnesota, ranging from houses and barns to gas stations and creameries. One of the most unusual and distinctive products was a unique rainbow-colored concrete block which first appears to have been made in the early or mid-1920s. Buildings commonly feature Prairie School-inspired cast concrete ornamentation with other features derived from the Bungalow style. This presentation will feature the different types and styles of buildings constructed by Artstone in the region and will consider them within a broader context as they relate to early 20th century building technologies and popular residential designs.
10:00-10:30 a.m. Break – Turner Hall
10:30 a.m. - 11:45 p.m. Concurrent Sessions
Preserving Minnesota’s Disability Histories - Turner Hall Gymnasium
Laura Leppink, founding member of REPAIR: Disability Heritage Collective and Gail Dubrow, Professor of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Planning & Public Affairs, and History, University of Minnesota
This session will provide an overview of several projects intended to build a firm foundation for identifying, documenting, interpreting, and preserving the landmarks critical in Minnesota’s deaf and disability histories. The speakers will present projects that: • Demonstrate the potential of making disability histories publicly accessible through digital means, such as ArcGIS StoryMaps; • Provide an example of site-based documentation of places in Minnesota associated with Olof Hanson, the nation’s first deaf architect; • Show how a recent study of Seattle’s disability activism history could provide a model for parallel Minnesota-based initiatives; • Preview a new project that will engage the members of key deaf and disability advocacy organizations in identifying places essential in telling the state’s histories. The presenters will conclude the session by sharing best practices for engaging stakeholders of all abilities in preservation projects.
Discovering and Communicating What Lies Beneath the Capitol Mall - Turner Hall Heritage Room (lower level)
Jeremy Nienow and Christopher Rico, Nienow Cultural Consultants
In the summer of 2024, Nienow Cultural Consultants (NCC) led a team of archaeologists and volunteers examining what lies beneath parking lots and grassed malls within the Minnesota State Capitol Complex. The purpose of this project was to evaluate any discovered cultural materials for their ability to contribute to the creation of a National Register of Historic Places District. Throughout the months-long process, NCC also led weekly tours hosted through the Minnesota Historical Society and created a GIS StoryMap with University of Minnesota students. The project drew large amounts of public engagement including overflow tour crowds as well as featured local media attention. Surprisingly, archaeologists discovered the ruined remains of burned down mansions, back yard privies, building footprints, and remnants of the landscape before Euro-American settlement. The consultants will discuss the results from the project and highlight lessons learned from the tours, and focus on the implementation and sustainability of using StoryMaps for long term public engagement which can have lasting impacts long after projects are completed.
"How Do I Find…" Conducting Research at SHPO in a New Digital Era - State Street Theater, 1 North State Street
Nicole Foss, Environmental Review Transportation Liaison and Lucy Harrington, Environmental Review Archaeologist, Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office
The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) has an extensive inventory of information accumulated over half a century. In the past year and a half, the office has taken huge strides to make this information available via 21st century technology. This presentation will introduce you to our inventory and the helpful information you can now access via two online applications – the Minnesota Statewide Historic Inventory Portal (MnSHIP) and the Office of the State Archaeologist (OSA) Portal, which now includes SHPO documentation and data on archaeological sites. Learn how to look up whether a property has been documented, what its historic status is, how to gather the information needed for compliance with state and federal laws and environmental reviews by the SHPO office, how to research specific topics and themes, and more!
11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Buffet Lunch - Turner Hall
1:00-4:00 p.m. Concurrent Tours
Accessibility - Every effort will be made to accommodate participants with accessibility and mobility issues, including transportation, if needed, from the conference venue to special events. Participants are reminded that many historic and private buildings do not have elevators and require climbing steps. Buses will require the ability to maneuver steps and may drop off participants some distance from the destination. All tours will include walking segments. Please contact the Minnesota SHPO prior to registration to determine accessibility of activities, and how we can make the Preserve Minnesota Conference a great experience for you!
TOUR 1: South German Street Residential Historic District
German Park, divided into north and south units in the 1860s, still provides the setting for New Ulm’s most prominent historic homes along South German Street. Nine houses from the 1880s aligned on the west side of South German Street comprise the historic district that was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Principal first owners of the brick residences represent a range of New Ulm’s commercial and industrial activities, with special emphasis on grain marketing and processing. Fittingly, this area of South German Street overlooks, beyond the open area of South German Park, the mills, elevators, and railroad yards associated with such functions. Attendees will be transported by horse drawn trolley, walking between houses, with the tour concluding at Black Frost Distilling located in the former New Ulm Wholesale building in the city’s historic industrial district.
TOUR 2: Downtown Commercial Historic District & the U.S.–Dakota War of 1862
Led by Terry Sveine, former Mayor of New Ulm and Tourism Manager of the Chamber of Commerce, along with his daughter-in-law, Sarah, of Teutonic Tales & Trails, this walking tour will focus on the city’s historic center of commerce located along North Minnesota Street. Gaze upon the buildings that resulted from New Ulm’s economic boom in the last quarter of the 19th century, fueled by the “Bs”, as the Redwood Gazette labeled the key local industries of beer, bread, butter, and bricks. Learn about the profound impact the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 had on New Ulm. The tour will conclude at Black Frost Distilling located in the former New Ulm Wholesale building in the city’s historic industrial district.
TOUR 3: New Ulm Industries: American Artstone and the August Schell Brewing Company
American Artstone is a nationally recognized innovative manufacturer of cast stone and architectural precast. Founded in 1914, the company started by fabricating a variety of building and construction materials including drain tile, silo staves, and concrete building blocks and trim for houses and commercial buildings throughout south-central Minnesota. This walking tour of Artstone’s factory will allow participants to see how the concrete products are manufactured from start to finish. Note: Some parts of the tour will include loud noises. The bus will then travel to Schell’s Brewery, where we’ll see the brew houses and bottling/canning/kegging areas that produce beer for the nation’s second oldest brewery. The tour will conclude at Black Frost Distilling located in the former New Ulm Wholesale building in the city’s historic industrial district.
