Over the course of his career, Nicholas’ work has impacted important places across the nation, always with a focus on saving places that matter to the people who live there.
Historic property redevelopment
Redding led the charge to re-establish Preservation Maryland’s historic property redevelopment program. In addition to overseeing complex acquisitions, Redding also helped to re-establish a six-figure revolving fund to support the financial needs of the program.
In 2021, the organization completed its first rehabilitation project in over 45 years — saving a 282-year old log cabin in the historic African American Jonathan Street community of Hagerstown, Maryland. The building was sold for owner occupied affordable housing as a way of helping to catalyze redevelopment of the community.
Today, the organization is partnering with government agencies, towns, nonprofit partners and rehabilitation developers across the state to manage complex projects and accelerate the revitalization of communities.
Learn more at presmd.org/jst
Dedication of 417 North Jonathan Street, Hagerstown, MD
Campaign for Historic Trades
The Campaign is a dynamic national partnership between Preservation Maryland and the National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Training Center.
Established in 2018, the Campaign is now the largest nonprofit-led historic trades initiative in the nation. Through partnership and direct action, the Campaign is accomplishing its mission by registering new apprenticeships for in-demand historic trades; developing open source trades’ training curriculum; funding research on the need for these positions and helping place young adults and recent veteran trainees in National Park units across the nation.
Learn more at historictrades.org
Redding with Park Service partners, speaks with U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen at the Historic Preservation Training Center.
preserving gettysburg’s future
In 2010, for a second time, investors proposed the construction of a casino on the very edge of the iconic Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Billboard outside of Gettysburg during the campaign
Redding, then the Deputy Director for Advocacy at the Washington, DC based American Battlefield Trust, was charged with assisting and coordinating local preservationists and community leaders in their grassroots effort aimed at defeating the licensure of the casino.
A year-long struggle ensued — pitting the community against each other and attracting international attention as a result of advocacy operations led by Redding and his colleagues at the American Battlefield Trust, National Trust for Historic Preservation, National Parks Conservation Association and Preservation Pennsylvania.
In the end, deafening local and national opposition to the battlefield casino resulted in the state denying the permit — protecting the sanctity of the battlefield for generations to come.
J.M. Kaplan Fund Innovation Prize Recipient
Nicholas’ innovative work on the Campaign for Historic Trades was recognized by the J.M. Kaplan Fund of New York City, with an Innovation Prize for Heritage Conservation.
“To historic conservation leaders across the nation, we urge you to examine the work of this innovator . . . we believe this innovator focusing on historic conservation could not only have tremendous impact in its community, but offer lessons for the larger field.”
