Overview
The Living Heritage program preserves and promotes the cultural, social, and economic, heritage of San Antonio. The program seeks to support new development and growth while protecting community character and cultural heritage. Living Heritage initiatives are focused on identification, designation, treatment of culturally significant places and economic sustainability through socially inclusive practices, development of innovative and proactive methods of preservation, education and outreach, and the revitalization of traditional building crafts and trades. The Living Heritage program is internationally recognized as the leading cultural preservation program in the United States. Staff works as a consultant with other city departments and external organizations on matters where cultural preservation intersects with projects and issues.
Con SaFo San Antonio
Preservation is all about People + Place. Local heritage is more than just our historic buildings. It the personal and shared experiences that give places meaning. We launched the Con Safo social media campaign in 2015 to provide a method for people to share their favorite places and stories. Con Safos is a term used to mean “this is protected, don’t mess with it” (among its other meanings), and it's the perfect phrase for San Antonians to use when sharing the stories of places that matter to them. Read more about Con Safo San Antonio
Cultural Mapping
What's your San Antonio story? Share your experiences and memories of events, traditions and people that need to be preserved and passed down to future generations and help OHP create cultural maps of San Antonio.
Read more about Cultural Mapping
Cultural Significance Reports
Cultural significance is evaluated by identifying and assessing heritage values associated with a site. Values, as identified in the Burra Charter, are organized in categories of aesthetics, historic, scientific and social values. For these reports, values have been determined through research, engagement with community, and primary information gathered through site visits.
Heritage Education
The Heritage Education Program celebrates the heritage of San Antonio, promotes civic engagement and fosters a preservation ethic in grade school students in the San Antonio area. Read more about Heritage Education
Legacy Business Program
OHP’s Legacy Business program is a component of the Living Heritage Initiative. Businesses eligible for this program have been around for 20 years or more and contribute to the history, culture, and authentic identity of San Antonio. Read more about Legacy Business Program
Living Heritage Symposium
The San Antonio Living Heritage Symposium gathered presenters from around the world for a ground-breaking collaboration to advance new ideas and models for cultural sustainability. Read more about the Living Heritage Symposium
Traditional Building Trades Academy
The Traditional Building Trades Academy provides training of traditional building crafts and skills through on hands on training or in class instruction on topics related to restoration and construction of traditional methods and materials. Read more about Traditional Building Trades Academy