Bridging The Divide: NC Preservation Groups Announce Spring Trip To Cuba

DURHAM, N.C. - Dec. 18, 2013 - PRLog -- (Durham, NC) – Preservation Durham and Preservation North Carolina will co-host an exclusive trip to Cuba from April 6-12, 2014, entitled “Preservation, Architecture & Design in Havana Today.”

The seven-day, six-night program will feature seminars and talks by English-speaking Cuban experts on such subjects as Cuba’s colonial heritage and restorations in Havana, Havana’s pre-Revolutionary modern architecture, Cuban interior design, and the work of noted Cuban architect Mario Romanach.

Participants will meet with local residents, have the opportunity to dine at local homes and in an artist studio, visit Havana museums specializing in colonial history and architecture, and deliver much-needed humanitarian supplies to a charity, among other activities.

The program includes an overnight stay in Miami with an orientation dinner prior to departure, then five nights at the Hotel Parque Central in Havana’s historic Old Quarter.

According to Preservation Durham’s Executive Director Wendy Hillis, she and Preservation NC’s executive director Myrick Howard were attending a National Trust event in Spokane, Washington, when they first heard about this U.S. government-licensed exchange program.

“We looked at each other and decided right then that we were going to make it happen,” she said.

The per-person cost for the entire trip with double occupancy at the hotels is $4225 ($370 more for single occupancy). This cost includes hotels, airport transfers, flights between Miami and Havana, a private air-conditioned tour coach, local guides, meals as indicated, all gratuities, and all seminars.

For more details on the itinerary and other fine print, go to http://preservationdurham.org and click on the announcement.

About Preservation Durham:

Preservation Durham is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to preserving Durham’s architectural heritage. The organization was founded in 1974, originally as the Historic Preservation Society of Durham. Preservation Durham has worked to establish historic districts in Durham that provide tax credits for homeowners of historic houses. Preservation Durham ’s Endangered Properties Fund helps buyers and sellers of historic properties protect them with preservation covenants. Its Renovators Network provides information and expertise to homeowners and other renovators. For more information visit www.preservationdurham.org.

About Preservation NC:

Founded in 1939, Preservation North Carolina promotes and protects the buildings and landscapes of the state’s diverse heritage. Through its award-winning Endangered Properties Program, Preservation NC acquires endangers historic properties then finds new owners to rehabilitate the. The organization also cares of several historic stewardship properties in the state. For more information visit www.presnc.org.