Thank you for a successful workshop!

Sign-up for our newsletter to learn about events to come from the Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation!

Preservationists, developers, architects, planners, and community leaders gathered at Taliesin on April 28, 2026 for a focused, one-day workshop exploring how historic buildings can help address today’s housing needs. Through case studies, panel discussions, and rapid-fire PechaKucha presentations, participants examined real projects across Wisconsin—from successful adaptive reuse developments to buildings that present challenges and opportunities for housing.

Agenda Overview

Workshop sessions explored financing tools such as historic tax credits, navigating building codes for existing structures, forming effective project teams, and identifying overlooked historic resources that could be repurposed as housing. The program also highlighted strategies for reusing large institutional campuses and activating underused downtown buildings.

Add-on events allowed participants to get a fuller Taliesin experience:

Guided Taliesin Tour — Behind the scenes with the people who know and care for this extraordinary site
Evening Reception at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Home — A rare opportunity to gather in an unforgettable setting with speakers and fellow attendees

Program Booklet

Download the program booklet to explore the full agenda for Historic + Affordable: Housing That Works, including presentations and panel discussions from preservation leaders, architects, and developers focused on the future of adaptive reuse and affordable housing in Wisconsin.

The booklet also features detailed speaker biographies and a compelling collection of student work produced through the UWM Historic Preservation Institute, showcasing drawings, photographs, and adaptive reuse studies created from advanced digital scans of historic buildings across the state.

These projects highlight architecturally significant structures whose historic character and structural configurations make them strong candidates for transformation into affordable housing—demonstrating how preservation, technology, and design can work together to revitalize communities.