President's Note: Preservation's Potential
When we say “preservation creates,” we acknowledge the power of historic places to inspire, anchor, and open us to new insights and experiences. But for too many people living in historic districts across the country, preservation has also come to mean “preservation prevents.” Prevents repairs. Prevents dignity. Prevents staying in the homes they’ve long cherished.
That tension arises from a system that often expects low- and moderate-income homeowners to meet rigorous historic rehabilitation standards without adequate financial support. In the face of those costs—and the real threat of fines or forced disrepair—the only feasible response for many is to do nothing.
But that’s changing. More and more, preservationists are reimagining how our work can put people and the homes they love first. In this issue of Preservation magazine, you’ll find a powerful example of that transformation in New Orleans, where the nonprofit Preservation Resource Center’s Revival Grants program is providing up to $20,000 in free repairs for eligible homeowners. With support from the National Trust’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, the city of New Orleans, and others, this program makes it possible for longtime residents in historic districts like Tremé and Bywater to remain in their homes, meet local preservation standards, and avoid punitive consequences.
The story profiles three women whose homes—and hope—have been renewed through this effort. Their experiences illuminate what inclusive, justice-centered preservation can look like.
Through grants, technical assistance, and community-first partnerships, the Revival Grants program and related programs are saving buildings as they strengthen cultural continuity and neighborhood resilience.
This is what preservation can and should be: a tool that sustains healthy, vibrant, proud communities as it honors the particularity of our built environment and the stories it holds.
As we commemorate 75 years of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, we’re reminded that this work can steward what we’ve inherited to build a shared and humane future. The Revival Grants program at the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans embodies that vision.
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