Accessibility in Historic Buildings
September 17-18, 2025

Our Preservation Retreats at the Grand Isle Lake House are an immersive adult learning experience designed to support anyone undertaking or considering a community development or historic preservation project.

This retreat will explore the complex balance between accessibility and preserving the integrity and character of historic properties. Our retreats employ a unique structure that allows each group to present a summary of their project and a specific challenge or opportunity their project is facing, followed by group discussion and troubleshooting.

Project presentations will be interspersed with presentations by a professional architect, a specialist in accessibility, and representatives from the Preservation Trust of Vermont, the VT Division for Historic Preservation, and the Vermont Arts Council.

We allot 5-7 minutes for each group to present (which is not a lot of time – be prepared with a concise summary and challenge/opportunity to present) followed by up to 20 minutes of group discussion. While there will not be time for PowerPoint presentations, hardcopy photographs or project brochures are useful in sharing your project with the group, but are not required.

Over the course of the 24-hour retreat, you will be introduced to technical service providers and potential funders who can help you along the way. And it will be a great chance to network, meet other folks doing similar work in other parts of the state, eat some fabulous food, and spend time relaxing on the glorious shores of Lake Champlain.

Presenters:

All retreats begin at 3:00 pm and end after a delicious lunch the following day. The cost is $135 per person ($65 for a second person from the same project with whom you share a room). Space is limited. Retreats often fill up well before the registration deadline so please register at your earliest convenience.

REGISTRATION FULL

Register Today!
Back To Top