Calling all carpenters, masons, painters, and craftspeople: New York needs you. State and federal tax credits are making it more financially feasible for property owners to restore historic buildings, but there’s a challenge when it comes to finding people with the skills to do the work. While there are veteran craftspeople of the traditional trades in our area, many are approaching retirement, leaving a valuable skills gap.
The traditional trades were on the Landmark Society’s “Five to Revive” list last year, and creating more pathways to these careers has been identified as a priority for the New York State Historic Preservation Plan.
So how can we inspire and train the next generation of craftspeople? The Landmark Society of Western New York will explore this question during its upcoming “Preservation NYS” conference. Our guests preview the conference and discuss efforts to revive the traditional trades. In studio:
- Caitlin Meives, preservation planner for the The Landmark Society of Western New York
- Wayne Goodman, executive director of the The Landmark Society of Western New York
- Amy Nicole Swift, principal and owner of Building Hugger
- Daniel McEneny, public outreach coordinator for the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation
