The Village of Roslyn is famous nationwide for its pioneering efforts in landmark preservation. This includes such organizations as the Roslyn Landmark Society, the Roslyn Preservation Corporation, and the Historic District Board, which overlooks the village's own historic district. Over the decades, hundreds of historic structures have been saved from the wrecking ball by preservation efforts. So it is fitting that the village will play host to a preservation symposium, one to be sponsored by the Town of North Hempstead.

The symposium will take place this Saturday, April 13 at the George Washington Manor. "Symposium 2002" will, according to TONH officials, attract people with diverse interests in the field of preservation, including government officials and members of landmark commissions as well as anyone interested in historic preservation. Among the many topics that will be covered are historic preservation and economic development, the identification and assessment of landmarks and how to research the history of homes.

Following the symposium, there will be a walking tour of Old Northern Boulevard in downtown Roslyn. There will also be access to the interior of the Clock Tower, a structure not usually open to the public. TONH officials claim that Old Northern Boulevard is a "superb example" of a successful commercial street that owes much of that success to historic preservation.

Speakers at the Saturday symposium include experts from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities and the town. Participants will include TONH Supervisor May Newburger, Dr. George Williams, president of the Historical Society of the Town of North Hempstead, and Jean Celender, a professional planner and mayor of Great Neck Plaza, the most recent village to pass a landmark preservation law.

The walking tour, including the visit to the Clock Tower is free and open to the public. The workshops are also open to the public. The cost for attending the workshops is $15 for Town of North Hempstead Historical Society members, and $25 for nonmembers. The workshops will begin at 9 a.m. and last until 3 p.m. The walking tour will begin immediately following the workshops.

In November 2000, the Town of North Hempstead held its first Landmark Symposium at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point. The event turned out to be so successful that since then, there have been numerous requests to make it an annual event. And so, the town has joined with the Historical Society of the Town of North Hempstead and the historic societies of its villages and hamlets to offer this Saturday's symposium.

"I am very grateful to our wonderful historic societies," said Supervisor Newburger. "They do so much to keep our heritage alive. Without them, these symposiums would never happen."

The supervisor also announced that with the support of a grant from the New York State Certified Local Government Program, the town's historian, Joan Kent, is now writing a comprehensive history of the Town of North Hempstead. "This has long been a dream of mine and now it is well under way to fulfillment," Supervisor Newburger said.