To celebrate May is National Preservation Month, the Lombard J. Pozzi Center for Historic Preservation Education at the Bristol Historical & Preservation Society is offering a series of six workshops for homeowners of historic houses. Generally speaking, any house 50 years or older is considered historic, and all homeowners who are seeking more information about bringing their pre-1972 era homes into the 21st century are welcome to participate.

Presented by experts in their fields, these homeowner workshops are designed to teach homeowners how to balance the condition, energy and other 21st-Century needs of their houses with its historic value. Ultimately the goal is to help homeowners make informed decisions about work needed on their own homes.

Roberta Randall, the Principal Historical Architect for the State of RI and the RI Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission in Providence, begins the series with a workshop on how to listen to your historic house. Randall will teach homeowners how to identify and think about the character-defining issues of their homes. She will also discuss finding creative solutions to retaining the home’s historic character when making 21st-century repairs and upgrades, all while keeping in mind such topics as “replacement-in-kind” and understanding the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Restoration for work done within certified Historic Districts.