Historic Renovations: Preserving the Stories of Extraordinary Buildings

This Is Concrete

Sarah McInerney is a Senior Project Manager at Walter Parks Architects, a company dedicated to creating buildings that support the continued growth of cities. Sarah has been with the company since 2003, combining her passion for historic buildings with extensive federal and state historic tax credit experience. Her design work honors and responds to existing spaces and communities while imagining exciting opportunities for new uses.

In this episode…

In the construction industry, it can be cheaper, faster, and easier to build new. But when you opt for new development, you erase the history that lies within a landmark. So, how are renovators working to preserve the stories while putting old buildings to new use?

Every building has its own unique story. That’s why Sarah McInerney is so passionate about historic renovations. While she preserves the best qualities of original buildings, she also explores new opportunities for these old spaces. Updates to make the buildings safer, energy-efficient, and habitable bring life back into them — without sacrificing their rich histories.

In this episode of This is Concrete, Chad Gill talks with Sarah McInerney, Senior Project Manager at Walter Parks Architects, about the process of preserving historic buildings. Sarah discusses the reasons behind historic preservation, how state and federal historic tax credit programs aid renovators, and the beauty of imperfect buildings.