Why We Started Historical Brick & Beam Preservation

Historical Brick & Beam Preservation started with one building, a lot of questions, and a belief that small-town history deserves another chance.

It Started With One Building

There are buildings you can drive past for years without really thinking about them - until suddenly there is a possibility they may not be there much longer.

For us, that building was the historic Citizens State Bank of Green Isle, Minnesota.

What started as an effort to save one building quickly became something much bigger. We began learning just how complicated historic preservation can be, especially in a small community where resources, funding and experienced professionals can be difficult to find.

We didn't start this journey as preservation experts. We started because we believed this building deserved another chance - and then began figuring everything else out along the way. We also came across others who had the same struggles. And some which had lost their battles because they didn't know where to find the right resources.

We have learned very quickly that saving an old building isn't simple. There have been plans, inspections, permits, funding questions, grant applications, research, unexpected costs and plenty of waiting! There have also been setbacks.

This experience made us realize something important: we cannot possibly be the only people trying to figure this out.

That's why Historical Brick & Beam Preservation was created. Not only to preserve buildings ourselves, but to eventually become a place where other property owners, community members and small towns can find information, resources and encouragement when they're trying to save a piece of their own history.

We want to share what works. And just as importantly, we want to share what doesn't.

We're going to share the real journey.

We'll share the progress, but we'll also talk about the delays, mistakes, funding challenges and lessons we learn along the way. We'll share resources about grants, contractors, restoration methods, historic materials, hazardous materials, permitting and other things we've had to learn ourselves.

Because maybe something we struggled to figure out can make the process a little easier for the next person.

Why We Keep Going

Old buildings are more than structures. Sometimes, they are all a small town has left to provide small businesses to utilize. They hold stories. They give communities character. They remind us where we came from - how the town was built. Sometimes they can become part of where a community is going next.

Our goal isn't simply to keep old buildings standing. It's to find ways to make them useful again. To give forgotten spaces another purpose. And to prove that preserving the past and building for future don't have to be two different things.

We're still at the beginning of this journey. But we're excited to share it - the good, the difficult and everything in between.

Welcome to Historical Brick & Beam Preservation!!

We're glad you are here.