Conference focuses on restoring Omaha's history

The 10th annual Restore Omaha conference brought hundreds of do-it-yourselfers together to learn more about remodeling and refurbishing.

The event caters to people who have an appreciation for bringing new life to old structures.

We are a generation of community-minded people, and we want to make our mark, said Bernice Radle, the event's keynote speaker.

Conference attendees learned how to give historic structures some love, along with information on how to get a house onto a national register or how to repair an old window.

(We're) teaching them and motivating them to restore and preserve them, Kristine Gerber of Restoration Exchange said. Your city cannot be strong unless your historical urban core is strong.

Craftsman Tim Christenson demonstrated that just because windows are old, it doesnt mean that they have to be replaced.

And that's the way of making an old window thermally rival a new one, Christenson said.

He also showed people how to use old plaster.

You would be surprised what goes in the dumpsters, Christenson said. There's something to be said for purity in a house, and every time somebody takes away a little bit of a house, it's gone forever.

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Conference focuses on restoring Omaha's history