NOW is the TIME

Editor Dorothy A. Clark spoke with President and CEO Vin Cipolla about the impetus for initiating the Historic New England Summit and its role in expanding the organization’s objective to protect historic resources and support neighborhoods.

Dorothy Clark: What makes the Historic New England Summit unique?

Vin Cipolla: Historic New England has a responsibility to convene. As the largest preservation organization in the region, operating in all six New England states, we are in a distinctive and strong position to bring the preservation community together to share and learn. To me, this is more essential than ever. Our communities are under enormous pressure everywhere you look. Poor zoning regulations. Misplaced development incentives. An extreme lack of affordability. Displacement. A “tear-down” craze in many areas. Sustainability threatened due to climate change. Historic preservation offers many solutions for these issues. Historic New England has an incredible toolbox. Protecting our history, buildings, and landscapes for future generations, we have a track record of supporting community fabric and eliminating waste.

But preservation also has often been unevenly applied and poorly used. Historically, we have not been an inclusive movement. That is changing. We all benefit from the conversation a convening like the Summit facilitates. And, by committing to an annual event, we foster accountability around our actions and ideas.

DC: What makes this moment the time for Historic New England to launch the Summit?

VC: I’ve had the privilege to run the Municipal Art Society (MAS) of New York, the city’s oldest preservation organization, and the National Park Foundation. In both cases, we convened— and the dividends from those conferences continue to manifest in significant—large and small—and unexpected, ways. I regularly receive emails from attendees of these past sessions about how meaningful those conversations were for them and their work. Ideas form and people forge new connections that expand with time.

Historic New England is transitioning into a more dynamic and comprehensive period in its history. Jane Nylander and Carl Nold, my two predecessors, brilliantly moved the organization to a higher level in preservation services, collections management, and visitor experience. I’m enormously proud to follow them as we launch The New England Plan, our new strategic agenda that establishes key initiatives to make the organization even more civic and inclusive, and broaden our impact and reach across the region. There couldn’t be a better time for this convening, and after 112 years, we’ve earned the opportunity to host something of this scale. Dave Martland concluded a six-year term as chair of the Historic New England Board of Trustees this past summer; his was a remarkable tenure, leading us through a period of historic growth for the organization and setting the stage for this conference.

DC: What are you most excited about for the Summit?

VC: The people. Full-stop. First, being with folks from across New England and the nation who care about the world we live in. And the transdisciplinary conversation we’ll be in because our work—our work as preservationists—draws on and integrates so many disciplines to be rich and effective. I teach at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University. My students over the last few years don’t think in silos, and this is very exciting. They easily move across architecture, preservation, planning, art, and technology. They’re willing to build a new solutions set: employ new models around reuse, sustainability, access, and experience. To me, the Summit is a provocation in real time to spark new ideas, partnerships, and action.

DC: What Historic New England initiative do you think will benefit most from the Summit?

VC: Hard to choose! Of course, we hope that the initiatives and plans of our peer organizations and advocates will benefit mightily from Summit participation. For Historic New England, I have to say our initiative to transform our facility in Haverhill, Massachusetts, into a dynamic, public-facing experience is hugely exciting. This is a big, ambitious, widely inclusive, and really important step for the organization. Already, a growing number of very talented people are considering the possibilities and potential for Haverhill. It will be thrilling to broaden and expand the conversation through the Summit.

October 13 & 14, 2022

Mechanics Hall, Worcester, Massachusetts, and via livestream