Conference Destination 2025

Fort Wayne Hosts Statewide Conference

In 2025, Indiana’s preservation conference heads to Fort Wayne, where history comes alive in Indiana’s second largest city.

Photo courtesy Visit Fort Wayne

About Fort Wayne

Preserving Historic Places changes locations every year in order to showcase Indiana’s historic communities. Our upcoming conference, Sept. 30 – Oct. 3, 2025, celebrates Fort Wayne, Indiana’s second largest city. Discover the legacies of Native Americans, fur traders, ethnic groups, industrial pioneers, and a vibrant post-industrial revival. During the conference, we’ll explore the Electric Works, a visionary adaptive reuse of a former industrial campus transformed into a dynamic mixed-use facility. We’ll also visit the iconic National Historic Landmark Allen County Courthouse and experience the grandeur of the Embassy Theatre.

Note: Conference organizers offer sincere apologies to our speakers and attendees for the overlap of Preserving Historic Place 2025 with Yom Kippur. This significant scheduling oversight, though unintentional, is one we recognize as counterproductive to hosting an inclusive event. Unfortunately, the 2025 dates, which were chosen several months ago based on facility availability, could no longer be changed when the oversight was brought to our attention.

Conference LocationS & Parking

On Tuesday, September, multiple pre-conference workshops will be held at locations throughout Fort Wayne. View the conference agenda for details.

Wednesday, October 1 – Friday, October 3 you’ll find the conference headquarters at the Grand Wayne Convention Center (120 West Jefferson Street), near Harrison Room A.

Parking is available for $8 per day in the Plaza Garage, 315 South Calhoun Street, or the Skyline Garage, 220 West Wayne Street.

On Friday, October 3, following a plenary at the Grand Wayne Convention Center, enjoy tours of Arts United Center and Concordia Theological Seminary.

Arts United Center parking is available in a metered city lot east of Arts United Center on the north side of Friemann Square Park. See downtown map for details.

Free parking is available on the Concordia Theological Seminary Campus.

Conference Schedule

See Conference Agenda.

Lodging

See Hotel Accommodations.

Things to Do

The conference schedule does not allow us to visit all the amazing museums and historic places Fort Wayne offers.

Consider a self-guided tour of one of several Fort Wayne districts offered by ARCH, the local non-profit preservation organization serving Allen County and northeast Indiana.

For a list of additional things to do and places to see, checkout Visit Fort Wayne’s website.

Partners

Three primary partners—Indiana Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology, Indiana Landmarks, and Indiana University—stage the annual Preserving Historic Places conference. Special thanks to the City of Fort Wayne for their financial assistance. We’re grateful for the essential support the conference receives from generous sponsors.