Preserving a Town's Culture Through a Historic District

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Come join this roundtable discussion on how Bristol's Historic District Commission (HDC) came to be and why it is valuable to historic small towns like Bristol, RI. The discussion will be followed by the "This Would Not Be Here" walking tour of Bristol's downtown, highlighting what might have been lost without the HDC.

Bristol’s local Historic District Commission has had a major impact on the town’s historic core. Yet even with its 38-year history, its value is not always fully understood by local residents. How does the HDC protect property? How does it curate our historic resources? Why is appearing before it often so stressful?

Roundtable panelists are past members of the HDC and include David Andreozzi, architect; Dr. Kevin Jordan, RWU Historic Preservation professor emeritus; Eric Hertfelder, former executive director of Blithewold Gardens and Arboretum and of the Fort Adams Trust; and Andrew Teitz, attorney. The moderator will be Dr. Catherine Zipf, executive director of the Bristol Historical & Preservation Society.

The HDC Roundtable will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, followed by the "This Would Not Be Here" Walking Tour at 1:00 p.m.

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Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.