Heritage Ohio’s 2025 Preservation Month Photo Contest | Where Life Happens
Heritage Ohio’s annual Preservation Month Photo Contest returns this May with a new theme: Where Life Happens.
This year, we focus on how buildings and architectural details carry life forward—through use, memory, and presence. We welcome images of places that serve their communities now, have recently come back into use, or still wait for someone to step in. Each stage tells a different part of the preservation story.
The contest opens the first week of May and runs through the end of the month. Full entry details will be available at heritageohio.org and shared on our social media accounts: @heritageohio on Facebook and LinkedIn, and @ heritageohiomainstreet on Instagram. We’ll highlight select entries throughout the month and feature one winning image on the cover of the next issue of Revitalize Ohio.
Contribute a photo that helps document what preservation looks like in Ohio right now.
Dates to remember
Entries accepted: Thursday, May 1st – Saturday, May 31st
Winner announced: Friday, June 6th
Photo Submission Requirements
Image Quality: Ensure images are sharp, well-lit, and free of distractions. No collages.
Format: JPEG or PNG format.
Resolution and Size: At least 300 DPI with a minimum physical size of 1,000 PX x 1,000 PX.
Avoid Overly Edited or Manipulated Images: While minor adjustments are acceptable, avoid
excessive editing that could distort the image’s authenticity.
Copyright: No watermarks on photos.
2025 Preservation Month Photo Contest
Use this form to enter your image in our photo contest, and remember: one entry per person.
Webinar: Fire Protection & Life Safety for Historic Preservation & Adaptive Re-Use
Wednesday, May 14th – 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Description
This presentation is an overview of the building codes and standards applicable to historic preservation and adaptive reuse projects, including an overview of alternative approaches to building, fire, and life safety code compliance. The program also includes two case studies based on two Ohio projects as examples of two tools available to design professionals to demonstrate compliance using an alternative approach to compliance.
This webinar is registered for 1.00 AIA HSW continuing education credit.
Our Presenter
Scott Voelkerding the Director of Fire and Life Safety at Osborn. He is technically experienced in many aspects of fire protection engineering including fire, building, and Life Safety Code consulting, hazardous materials storage, due diligence studies, and various design concepts for fire protection systems, fire alarm systems, sprinkler systems, smoke control systems, means of egress, and other life safety systems. Scott has managed a range of projects from engineering studies to Blank Purchase Agreements (BPAs) for fire protection services. He is member of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and an Associate Member of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE). Scott passed the Fire Protection Engineering PE Exam administered by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) and practices engineering as a full-time fire protection engineer and life safety consultant.
Webinar: Growing Global: Over a Century of the Formica Brand
Wednesday, April 30th – 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Description
Founded in Cincinnati, Ohio, the Formica company has evolved alongside global changes, both reflecting and influencing consumer perceptions of homes, workplaces, and entertainment spaces. Since 1913, Formica’s modern ‘insulating’ material has adapted to technological advancements in the automotive, radio, and airplane industries, ultimately focusing on the decorative aspects that shape interiors worldwide. This presentation will provide a visual overview, decade by decade, of how the Formica brand has kept pace with societal changes over the past 12 decades.
This webinar has been approved for 1.00 AIA LU continuing education credits.
Our Presenter
With over four decades in the international design industry, Renee began her career in product design at Kohler Co. She spent the past 36 years at Formica Group, ultimately leading design development teams across five continents.
Renee directed the global efforts for the company’s 100th anniversary in 2013 and acts as the brand historian, collaborating with museums and publications. A recent project was to document all products produced and marketed by Formica Corporation for a major donation to The National Building Museum in Washington DC.
Renee holds a degree in architecture from UW-Milwaukee and a master’s in industrial design from The Ohio State University. A strong advocate for education, she serves on the Dean’s Advisory Boards at both OSU and the University of Minnesota. A member of Color Marketing Group since 1986, she expanded international activities during her Board tenure, earning the President’s Award in 2008. Renee now supports the organization as Secretary. In 2018, Interior Design magazine recognized her for a ‘Lifetime of HiPness.’
Webinar: The Single Family Tax Credit Program
Wednesday, August 7th – 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
The Ohio Housing Finance Agency’s Single Family Tax Credit program leverages public-private partnerships to increase the inventory of affordable, single-family housing for Ohio’s growing workforce. The program encourages the development of single-family housing opportunities, through either new construction or rehabilitation, by providing a tax credit to encourage investment in the project.
This webinar will provide insight into the program requirements and eligibility criteria for the Single Family Tax Credit program. OHFA staff will outline the thresholds that would make a project, dwelling, and homebuyer eligible for the program. Information will be provided on what requirements exist for projects that include rehabilitation of single-family dwellings, and the discussion will include how the tax credit is calculated and distributed. Additionally, OHFA staff will discuss some of the components of submitted applications from a practical and purposeful perspective.
About Our Presenter
Carrie Manno joined OHFA in November 2023 as the Single Family Tax Credit Section Chief, where she administers the Single Family Tax Credit program. Prior to joining OHFA, Carrie served as the Deputy Chief of the Office of Grants and Tax Incentives and Executive Director of the Ohio Tax Credit Authority for the Ohio Department of Development. She has worked as an economic development professional for over 20 years at the city, county, and state levels, focusing on the administration and oversight of property and business tax credit programs and economic development-related grant programs. Carrie earned her bachelor’s degree in economics from the University at Buffalo and a master’s degree in city and regional planning from Ohio State University.
Webinar: Historic Preservation Pipeline Initiative & CLG Grant Funds
Wednesday, August 14th – 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Join us for a conversation with the Ohio Department of Development and the State Historic Preservation Office to discuss two funding sources to assist with National Register of Historic Places listings.
The Historic Preservation Pipeline Initiative provides small grants and technical assistance to assist in nominating buildings and districts to the National Register of Historic Places. The program creates a pipeline of properties that are eligible for redevelopment assistance through the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit program and helps communities and property owners advance redevelopment of underutilized historic buildings.
The Certified Local Government (CLG) Program facilitates cooperation between state and local governments with Federal partners to promote nationwide preservation initiatives. Through the certification process, local communities make a commitment to national historic preservation standards. This commitment is key to America’s ability to preserve, protect, and increase awareness of our unique cultural heritage found across the country. Certified Local Governments range from small villages to major urban centers. Once certified, Certified Local Governments may compete annually for grants to help carry out a wide range of historic preservation activities.
About Our Presenters
Lisa has been the Program Manager for the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit program at the Ohio Department of Development since 2018. She earned an MA and PhD in geography from the University of Kentucky with a focus on cultural landscapes, historic preservation, and community values for places. After beginning her lifelong love of abandoned places with exploring derelict farmsteads around her home in Southwestern Minnesota, then finding a niche in Kentucky mapping abandoned railroads, she can’t believe people keep paying her to creep around in abandoned buildings. She is thrilled to be working with communities to revitalize beloved places.
Nathan Bevil, Community Planning & Preservation Manager at the State Historic Preservation Office, holds a bachelor’s degree in history and historic preservation from Mary Washington College and a Master of Historic Preservation degree from the University of Georgia. He administers the CLG program, guided the development of the State Historic Preservation Plan, and provides technical assistance to communities on local historic preservation matters.
Webinar: Ephemera, Artifacts & Photographs, Oh My! Tackling Conservation & Preservation Quandaries
Wednesday, November 6th – 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
In this presentation, we will talk about how to tackle conservation concerns, including some resources for handling artefacts, rehousing materials for long-term care and when to reach out to a conservator. Presenters will also share information about the Ohio Preservation Council, and there will be time for questions and discussion.
About Our Presenters
Marcela is the head of conservation at The Ohio State University Libraries. In this role and in partnership with colleagues across the organization, Marcela is responsible for physical treatment, collection care, and preventive conservation of circulating and non- circulating collections. In this position she also serves as a resource for the university, Columbus, and the Ohio community by engaging in outreach, training, consultation, and other educational activities. She is currently the chair-elect of Ohio Preservation Council.
Virginia is the Digital Projects Librarian at Kent State University. Her specialty areas are project management and digitization, working primarily with the university’s unique collections. She holds an MLIS from Kent State University and an MA in Art Gallery and Museum Studies from the University of Leeds. Her research areas include privacy in digital collections and the Right to be Forgotten. She is author of Framing Privacy in Digital Collections with Ethical Decision Making (Morgan & Claypool, 2018) and also serves as the chair of Ohio Preservation Council.