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Preserve + Protect

Since 1960, HMI has been at the forefront of community preservation in Madison. We are happy to offer preservation help and training to many.

Loving Your Old House Returns in March!

Historic Madison, Inc. has opened registration for the next round of its preservation program called “Loving Your Old House.” This educational program will take place on Tuesday evenings in March, starting March 3, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM each week at the HMI Office. Is your historic home begging for some TLC? Want to learn the secrets to preserving its unique character for generations to come? Then look no further than Historic Madison, Inc.'s "Loving Your Old House" program! Learn how to preserve and protect your old home from the experts who do the work in our community.

This exciting five-session educational program equips homeowners with the knowledge and skills to care for their historic buildings. Led by experts who work directly on historic preservation, the program delves into essential topics like:

Taking a “Light Touch” with Your Historic Home: Address typical situations owners find themselves in when living in, maintaining, adapting, and preserving historic homes
Hardwood Floors 101: Understand how to care for the floors around your home, from identification, basic maintenance, updates, and contractor repair
History of Window Glass: Learn how to date window glass, how the process has changed over time, and why your windows are essential to the character of your old home
Caring for Your Art Glass: Explore the questions, challenges, and problems regularly encountered with stained glass, leaded glass, and other glass issues in historic building openings
Masonry Basics: Understand how to care for the brickwork around your home, including problem identification, basic maintenance, and contractor repair

"Loving Your Old House" offers flexibility for busy schedules. Each session is independent, so you can choose the topics that best suit your needs. Attend one session for $30 (non-members) or $25 (HMI members), or take advantage of a $5 discount by registering for multiple sessions. These programs will take place on Tuesday evenings in March from 6:30 to 8:30 PM each week at the HMI office.

Limited Spots Available!

Space is limited to ensure personalized attention from the experts. Register now via the link below. Registration is required for all sessions. Enrollment is limited to 15 attendees per session.

Don't miss this valuable opportunity to invest in your historic home's future. We look forward to welcoming homeowners of all experience levels, DIY enthusiasts, contractors, students, and anyone passionate about historic preservation!

Participants will have time with each of the session experts to learn how to care for the different parts of their home. This program is a great opportunity for anyone interested in preserving an old home for future generations, inside and out. This program is generously sponsored by the Virginia Kerst donor-advised fund.

Purchase Your Tickets for Loving Your Old House Today!

March 3 - Taking a “Light Touch” with Your Historic Home

The first session will feature Tom Collins discussing the idea and practice of taking a “light touch” with your historic home. Tom is an Associate Professor of Architecture at Ball State University. He is the past Vice Chair of the Muncie Historic Preservation and Rehabilitation Commission, which oversees the city’s only National Register and locally designated historic district. Tom will highlight typical situations owners find themselves in when living in, maintaining, adapting, and preserving historic homes. Using his own 148-year-old Muncie home as a precedent, he’ll discuss how to “read” an old home to understand and respect its character, features, layout, and evolution over time. At a time when “gut renovations”—especially to interiors—are often recommended and promoted by contractors, realtors, and the media as the way to make old houses current and usable, he’ll present an alternate approach whereby historic homeowners can understand and appreciate what they have and make strategic, sensitive, and nuanced changes that protect its integrity.

March 10 - Hardwood Floors 101

The second session will feature local expert and business owner, J.R. Phillips. J.R. was born and raised in Jefferson County, Indiana, where he started working in the family sawmill and lumber business. He is the third generation to run Phillips Lumber and Millwork since it began in 1963. The mill is the oldest still operating in Jefferson County. The plans are for the business to continue with the next generation in the years to come. J.R. will be focusing on how to care for the hardwood floors around your home, from identification, basic maintenance, updates, and contractor repair.

March 17 - History of Window Glass

The third session on March 17 will feature Orbin “Sonny” Ash, retired Historic Sites Restoration Manager for the state of Indiana Historic Sites, and a preservationist practicing his many crafts for more than 4 decades. Sonny will focus on the history of window glass, exploring how you can determine its age and the different types, while also elaborating on how the process of making window glass has changed over time. Throughout his many projects, Sonny has seen the need for the protection and restoration of windows and their glass to better share the history of the buildings being preserved for future generations. Join this session to learn the importance of all those panes of glass from a true preservation expert.

March 24 - Caring for Your Art Glass

The fourth session on March 24 will feature Rhonda Deeg, and will focus on the questions, challenges, and problems regularly encountered with stained glass, leaded glass, and other glass issues in historic building openings. Rhonda has devoted much of her career to teaching the construction trades, historic preservation, and stained glass in the vocational trades, both at the high school and college levels in Michigan, Wisconsin, Maryland, and Indiana. She currently teaches for Community Adult Learning at both Mid-Michigan and Alpena Community Colleges in Michigan. She has over 30 years’ experience in stained and art glass repair and restoration, and is the sole owner of RLD Glass Art. A large percentage of her business includes the restoration/repair and conservation of window and door panels for historic buildings, both in commercial and residential types, dating from the early 1800’s through the 20th century. Attendees are encouraged to bring photos of examples, small panels to show, etc. Time will be given to demonstrate some of the techniques used in repairing and maintaining glass.

March 31 - Masonry Basics

The fifth and final session on March 31 will feature Sam Anderson from Anderson Restoration in Crestwood, Kentucky. Sam will speak about caring for the brickwork around your home, including problem identification, basic maintenance, and contractor repair. Sam has worked on the restoration and care of historic masonry and stone for more than 10 years. He completed the stone masonry course at the International Masonry Institute in 2004. He is also a US Heritage Group lime mortar certified contractor. He is currently working on the interior brick walls at the Sullivan House, but has completed projects big and small in the area. This session will take place at the HMI Office - Talbott-Hyatt House, but will include examining some of the brickwork at the Sullivan House next door.

Check Back Soon for More Workshop Dates!

Previous Programs

Loving Your Old House

July 2025

Session 1: Historic Windows

Session 2: Stone

Session 3: Historic District Fact or Fiction

We learned a lot in 2025 and hope our attendees did too! If you’d like to join us for our next sessions, make sure you’re on our email list or sign up for our emails via the link below. The next round of Loving Your Old House will be in 2026!

March 2025

On Tuesday nights in April, attendees learned about the materials that make up their historic home and how to care for them. Each session featured a special topic and speaker. The gathering of old house lovers was a spectacular success. Check back soon for dates and topics for the next round of sessions in 2026.

Session 1 - Thermally Modified Lumber with J.R. Phillips of Phillips Lumber & Millwork

Session 2 -

Storm Windows with Seth Elder of Elder Restoration

Session 3 - Hierarchy of Space with Ben Ross of Ratio Design

Session 4 - Paint with David Cart of HMI

July 2024

Session 1 - Masonry with Anderson Restoration

Session 2 - Paint & Wallpaper with David Cart & Marva Hereford

Session 3 - Trims & Mouldings with Sonny Ash

Session 4 - Caring for Historic Windows with West Louisville Window Restoration & Preservation

Session 5 - Historic Landscaping with Cookie Block

Archicamp 2025

We hosted yet another successful Archicamp this year. Archicamp is a program to teach our community's children about preserving and protecting our historic buildings and the ARCHitecture of Madison! Campers met at the Windle Auditorium for 3 days in June, where they learned about historic trades like painting, and wallpapering, and weaving. They used this knowledge to develop their skills to decorate a box of their own to remember their work. They even had the chance to try weaving at the Jefferson County Historical Society! Campers also learned to identify Federal, Greek Revival, and Italianate architecture around Madison. It was a fun week for both campers and teachers, and we look forward to seeing campers again next year when we will focus on another interesting part of Madison’s architecture and historic buildings.

Save That Sash Window Workshop

June 17 & 18, 2022

It was a marvelous weekend in Madison! Participants learned about windows from 4 amazing experts. Special thanks to Indiana Landmarks, Indiana Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Humanities who sponsored this program through a Historic Preservation Education Grant.

Have a Historic Property in Madison, But Not Sure Where to Start?

Did you know that Madison’s 130-block historic district is protected by the Madison Historic District Ordinance? The ordinance was enacted into law in 1982, though the idea had existed long before then. It was created to monitor and control changes to existing structures and any new construction in the district, keeping downtown’s historic charm safe. The key tenet of the ordinance includes a review by the Office of Planning, Preservation, and Design staff at the city, and depending on the work, additional review and discussion with the Historic District Board of Review, for any work done to the exterior of buildings within the limits of the downtown Madison historic district. This is all outlined in the ordinance, which you can find here: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/madisonin/latest/madison_in/0-0-0-17543

Another important part of the ordinance relates to the Madison Historic District Design Guidelines. These guidelines include many Historic Madison, Inc. properties as examples of Madison’s architectural styles, like the recently restored Greek Revival-style Shrewsbury-Windle House. You can read the guidelines by clicking the link below.

Madison Historic District Guidelines

Today, the city’s Office of Planning, Preservation, and Design and the seven-person Historic District Board of Review help preserve Madison’s historic character and retain its unique architectural features. However, if you have questions about how to proceed with your property's preservation or what is needed to be done, you are welcome to contact HMI for assistance.

Contractors Who Can Help with Window Restoration & Repair

Courtesy of research done by a Madison Historic District Board of Review member, a list of contractors who could work on historic windows has been compiled. You can find it via the link below.

Window Contractors