The Preservation Alliance of Minnesota, in partnership with the Minnesota Historical Society, announces the launch of Cornerstone Academy, an innovative statewide preservation education program. Cornerstone Academy offers workshops, tours, classes and continuing education for homeowners, students, Realtors®, handy-people and pros who work with old buildings.

Financed in part with funds provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, Cornerstone Academy aims to show how old buildings enhance the present and impact our future. Future workshops will be held at other historic sites around the state.

Cornerstone Academy can also create custom trainings or workshops for communities, businesses or neighborhood groups, notes Beth Rutledge, program coordinator.

This summer, Cornerstone Academy is offering three workshops at Historic Fort Snelling that will teach participants ways to preserve historic buildings. Presenters include members of the MNHS Preservation Office staff. The first workshop, Repairing Old Windows on June 28, is sold out.

Remaining workshops at Historic Fort Snelling include:

Event: Cornerstone Academy: Old-Home Contractors, Parts Workshop
Date: July 15
Time: 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Fee: $19 per person.
Reservations required: register online

The care and feeding of an older home is like nothing else. In this fast-paced and fun class, learn how to find and interview contractors, get tips on shopping for salvage and reproduction home parts and discover where area home rehabbers find their own unique décor, hardware and more. Tickets must be purchased by July 7.

Event: Cornerstone Academy: Understanding Historic Tax Credits Workshop
Date: Aug. 6
Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Fee: $79 per person.
Reservations required: register online

Historic Tax Credits are changing the landscape of Minnesota. By offering tax relief when historic buildings are revitalized, Historic Tax Credits create fresh possibilities for developers, neighborhoods, businesses and contractors. This all day workshop is team-taught by experts who will speak in detail about how to use tax credits; applications at the federal and state level; why and how these credits work; financial options and implications. Understanding Historic Tax Credits is essential for developers, architects, planners, engineers and investors. Tickets must be purchased by July 31; lunch is included with the price of this program.

Cornerstone Academy has also developed a Realtor® certification series. The first workshop in the series is Old Home Certified Designation Course, July 16 and 17 at Keller Williams Integrity in Uptown Minneapolis. Topics include historic districts, marketing old houses, architectural styles of Minnesota and more.

About Historic Fort Snelling

Historic Fort Snelling is located near the airport at the intersections of Hwys. 5 and 55. Originally a frontier outpost, this fort was later used for military training from the Civil War through World War II. Overlooking the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers, the site is staffed with living-history interpreters who portray the soldiers, cooks, laundresses, storekeepers and craftspersons who inhabited the fort in the 1800s. The stone and wood-frame buildings have been restored to their original appearance. For more information, call 612-726-1171.

Cornerstone Academy is made possible by the Legacy Amendment's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on Nov. 4, 2008.

The Society’s calendar of events is posted online at www.mnhs.org/calendar. The website also has information about all of the Society’s programs, museums and historic sites.