Now more than 35 years old, Bristol’s local Historic District Commission has had a major impact on the town’s historic core. Yet even with this lengthy history, its value is not always fully understood by local residents. How does the HDC protect property? How does it curate our historic resources? Why is appearing before it so stressful?

Join the Lombard J. Pozzi Center for Historic Preservation at the Bristol Historical & Preservation and its partners, the New England Chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art and Andreozzi Architecture, on Saturday, May 31 at 10 a.m. for a round table discussion that explains how Bristol’s HDC came to be and why it is of value to historic small towns like Bristol.

Panelists, all former HDC commissioners, will tell the tales of their best and most interesting moments while serving on the HDC, as well as their lessons learned. They will also offer their thoughts on the future of Bristol’s historic buildings and National Register district. The roundtable will be moderated by Bristol Historical & Preservation Society Director Dr. Catherine Zipf.

The round table will be followed at 1 p.m. by a “This Would Not Be Here” walking tour. The tour will visit local buildings that were affected by HDC intervention in order to understand how the HDC operates and why its decisions are so important to Bristol’s historic resources.

The panelists will include Dr. Kevin Jordan, the first Director of the Historic Preservation Program in 1976 at Roger Williams University, Chair of the Historic District Study Committee which wrote the proposed ordinance that was accepted by the Town of Bristol, and the first Chair of the Commission; David Andreozzi, a past Bristol Historic District Commission chairperson and founder of Andreozzi Architecture; Andrew Teitz, a partner in the law firm of Ursillo, Teitz & Ritch, Ltd, and an AICP-certified Professional Planner who represents the Historic District Commissions in East Greenwich, South Kingstown, and Bristol; Eric Hertfelder, a Bristol resident and former member of the Historic District Commission who has served as Executive Director of the R.I. Historical Preservation Commission; and moderator Catherine Zipf, an award-winning architectural historian and Director of the Bristol Historical & Preservation Society.

The round table will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 31 at Linden Place Museum, 500 Hope St., Bristol. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Participants can register online at BHPSri.org.

The walking tour will leave at 1 p.m. from the Bristol Historical & Preservation Society, 48 Court St., Bristol. It is also free and open to the public, with registration required. Participants can register online at BHPSri.org.

For more information, visit the Bristol Historical & Preservation Society at BHPSri.org, email info@BHPSri.org, or call 401/253-7223.