Presented annually by the board of Preservation Erie to those who are exceptional stewards of our physical and cultural landscape and featuring a keynote presentation from a regional or national figure in historic preservation, the 2023 Greater Erie Awards will be held on Thursday, September 14.

The event will include the presentation of the Greater Erie Awards and a keynote address by Stephanie Phillips, Deconstruction and Circular Economy Program Manager for the City of San Antonio, Texas. Stephanie administers the largest deconstruction ordinance in the United States and the first administered by an Office of Historic Preservation. She will discuss how dismantling and reclaiming what we can’t save - instead of losing everything, including intangible and often underrepresented histories, to bulldozers and landfills - is not only an issue of cultural importance, but an urgent, undeniable climate change, waste, public health, and equity issue. Through her work, Stephanie is shining a light on the intersection of heritage conservation and the circular economy, and aims to inspire widespread action in policy, instruction, intersectional partnerships, and practice for a more just, resilient future.