Join AIA Milwaukee & CSI for a presentation on 30 Years of Historic Preservation: Lessons from Milwaukee’s Past, Tools for Its Future

Milwaukee’s skyline isn’t just steel and glass — it’s a living record of choices made over decades. Some buildings were saved and restored to their former glory. Others… disappeared into memory. Why do some preservation efforts succeed while others fail? And what can today’s architects, specifiers, educators, and community advocates learn from 30 years of wins and losses?

In this joint program presented by CSI–Milwaukee and AIA–Milwaukee, you’ll hear from Matthew Jarosz, AIA, architect, professor, preservationist and director of the Historic Preservation Institute at UW–Milwaukee - in an engaging, image-rich session exploring the forces that shape our city’s architectural heritage.

This program begins by looking at the people and organizations that shape preservation outcomes, then examines how policy, funding, and technology influence what gets saved. It all comes together in a 30-year retrospective of preservation successes and missed opportunities in Milwaukee.

Presenter: 

5:00 – Networking Cocktails/Social with AIA-Milwaukee

6:00 – Dinner & Chapter Announcements

6:45 – Presentation (1 hour)

Details: 

• Dinner included.
• One drink ticket will be provided for each registered attendee.
• Free valet parking, just say your’re with CSI or AIA
• Meeting Room: Sundeck
• AIA Wisconsin student members can attend for free. If you are an AIAS member, you can become an AIA WI student member for just $10, or $25 for non-AIAS students. Click here for more information or to join.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize the roles of key stakeholders — including architects, specifiers, educators, preservation commissions, manufacturers, and community advocates — and explain how collaboration drives successful preservation outcomes.
• Explore preservation successes and setbacks from the past 30 years in Milwaukee, uncovering lessons that blend cultural values, economic realities, and adaptive reuse strategies.
• Understand how building codes, historic tax credits, historic districts, preservation trust funding, and community priorities influence project feasibility and decision-making.
• Discover how advanced documentation tools — such as laser scanning, drones, and photogrammetry — support preservation, reuse, and public engagement with historic places.

Submitted for AIA/CES approval

No refunds day of event.

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