Preservation Maryland

Imagine a future where our communities are walkable and safe, where our farms are well-preserved, where our historic buildings are being restored at a steady pace, and where the history and culture of Maryland is one of the first things our elected leaders think about when they make their plans.

That's the future Preservation Maryland sees when we look ahead. Our organization's job is to connect the dots between those who love the places and experiences that make Maryland great, and historic preservation. Historic places make for great communities and Preservation Maryland is working hard to help Marylanders of all stripes reuse historic buildings and find ways to use our past to make a better tomorrow. Since our founding more than 4 generations ago, Preservation Maryland has expanded its mission by looking at preservation as a tool for community development. From heritage tourism to reinvesting in historic legacy communities, preservation is a proven sustainable strategy.

Our main focus is on growing and expanding the capacity of the statewide preservation movement. In practice, that means bringing more individuals, organizations and partners into our ranks by showing them how much historic preservation means to the future of our communities. Through an increased awareness, appreciation and understanding of the role preservation can play, we are optimistic that we can expand our capacity and in turn increase our impact. Every day we lose another irreplaceable historic resource -- that's what we're fighting to prevent -- and only a diverse and innovative preservation movement can overcome that challenge.

Our primary focus of advocacy, outreach & education and funding remains the strategic and targeted set of strategies we have chosen to make this happen.

We are Maryland's oldest, largest and most effective preservation organization. As an 80+ year old organization you might think we've slowed down a bit – but we're still full of fight. Today, our mission and fight remains the same as when we started in 1931: Preserving Maryland's Heritage.

To make measurable impacts, our work has been divided into three specific, targeted and strategic efforts:

Advocacy: Speaking up and making the case for the policies, programs and funding that makes preservation possible.
Outreach & Education: Rolling up our sleeves and working to support and empower preservation efforts statewide through coordination, training and direct engagement via Maryland's Six-to-Fix.
Funding: Directly investing in preservation projects through our Heritage Fund and by working to secure additional private philanthropy in our state's historic resources.

This work is implemented by a dedicated staff of six full-time employees. Each team member oversees a different and equally compelling aspect of our mission. Though technically a 'small non-profit,' we pride ourselves on being alarmingly effective. We keep our administrative expenses low and have re-organized our organization in recent years to become increasingly more effective -- wringing every ounce of donor support we can into our programs.

Since our creation in 1931, the brief highlights of our impact include:

Participated in the creation of the National Council of Historic Sites and Buildings – the predecessor to the National Trust for Historic Preservation (1947).

Spearheaded the creation of Maryland's state historic rehab 20% tax credit – leveraging over $3 BILLION in private investment since its creation in 1997 – and saving thousands of historic structures.

Provided nearly $1 million in grants, in partnership with the Maryland Historical Trust, via our Heritage Fund – enabling the completion of $16 million worth of projects.

Advocated for the creation of Maryland's Heritage Area program – a recognized national model – that returns nearly $4 in economic activity for every $1 in state investment.

Oversaw the rehabilitation of 27 priceless tobacco barns with Save America's Treasures funding.

Funded the creation of dozens of historic districts in Baltimore City, in partnership with the Abell Foundation, via our Historic Communities Investment Fund.

Coordinated 35 straight years of professional development seminars and conferences.

Participated in countless pitched battles to defend Maryland history, including opposing an out-of-scale hotel in the Annapolis historic district (1967), defeating a planned Chestertown Wal-Mart (2001), opposition to the East-West Expressway in Baltimore's Inner Harbor (1966), supporting the expansion of the Antietam Battlefield boundaries (1992), opposition to the Baltimore Superblock (2010), efforts to save Whites Hall, Johns Hopkins boyhood home (2016), and many, many more.

MOVING FORWARD: In the years ahead, we as an organization and movement must continue to grow and expand our base of support and find innovative ways to save important places. Increasingly our work has become more community focused, with a goal of adding to the vibrancy of a neighborhood a compelling and important component of our work. By saving historic places we are also making livable, sustainable communities for the 21st century.