Heirlooms, Artifacts, and Family Treasures: A Preservation Emporium

• Event Date: Saturday, February 20, 2010
• Time: 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm (Keynote speaker–1:00pm - 2:00pm) (CST)
• Location: Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory St., Urbana, IL
• Cost: Free Admission

• Special Event

Organized by the Preservation Working Group of the University of Illinois, this informational event welcomes visitors to meet and talk with preservation specialists whose expertise ranges from antiquities to modern digital media. Have you ever wondered how to preserve that old film of family memories or take care of grandma’s quilt? Bring your small, hand-held items to the Museum or come with images of larger items and have your preservation questions answered by the presenting experts.

Keynote Speaker: Bob Swisher
"Historic Preservation in Champaign County"

Many individuals have worked to turn the tide of development in our community. Historically significant commercial buildings were abandoned for years due to the lack of insight and effort of their owners and were nearly lost to neglect. Many have only been restored by the efforts of a new business owner. Older apartment houses, which are often deeply neglected in our community, are once again finding life by the restoration efforts of new owners who see the beauty and financial viability of these charming old buildings. The University of Illinois now has an officially adopted Preservation Plan (although often ignored), and a preservation ethic has slowly been instilled in some of the administrators as well as the operations and maintenance staff. Bob Swisher, lifelong collector and preservation enthusiast will speak about historic preservation efforts in Champaign County—touching upon many of the projects that PACA (Preservation and Conservation Association) has steered to preserve the built environment and our local architectural heritage.

Bob Swisher is the local collectibles columnist for The News-Gazette. In addition to his weekly columns on antiquing and collectibles, he has served on the PACA Board of Directors twice, and has helped develop an architectural salvage program into the ongoing PACA program.