Celebrate Erie's Preservation Wins with Preservation Erie
Annual awards paired with keynote speaker from Fallingwater
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 14
Local historic preservation group Preservation Erie will be hosting their annual Greater Erie Awards at the Erie Center for Arts and Technology (ECAT), the adaptively reused former Wayne Middle School building on East Sixth and East Avenue. This event will celebrate local preservation success stories, by awarding six local businesses/people who have taken excellent care of their buildings. The awards will be given in four categories: adaptive reuse, preservation excellence, education and advocacy, and design excellence. Preservation Erie board member and local architect Dave Brennan comments on the importance of celebrating local preservation wins, "The Greater Erie Awards create preservation positivity. Too often, preservation discussions begin when a building is threatened or facing demolition. The awards begin with success. They celebrate the people and organizations investing in Erie's buildings, landscapes, and cultural resources."
In addition to the awards presentation, the group will host a keynote speaker. This year's speaker is Justin Gunther, vice president of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and director of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater, in the Laurel Highlands of the Allegheny Mountains near Pittsburgh. Gunther's talk is entitled "Why Modern Matters," and he will examine and discuss the need for preservation of modern structures – those built in the mid-century through the 1970s. Brennan comments on this speaker choice, "Justin Gunther's message will ask us to broaden how we think about historic architecture. Erie has long recognized its commercial, industrial, and early 20th-century heritage, but our Modernist buildings represent another important chapter." He continues, "As director of Fallingwater, Justin brings a strong preservation perspective to this discussion. His topic … can help us look beyond whether we simply like a building's appearance – to better understand the ideas, materials, technology, and optimism that shaped modern architecture."
Join the nonprofit for heavy hors d'oeuvres provided by Cali's West catering and beverages provided by Lavery Brewing Company, as they celebrate Erie's built history (from the Victorian to the modern) and uplift the conversation around preservation.
Brennan adds, "(The Greater Erie Awards) also remind us that preservation is not about resisting change but is about stewardship, creative reuse, and carrying meaningful parts of our community forward. Celebrating good stewardship encourages more of it and helps build appreciation for the places that tell Erie's story."
6 to 8 p.m. // ECAT Ada Lawrence Community Room, 650 East Ave. // $28 // For tickets and info: tickets.eriereader.com or preservationerie.org
