Awards honor excellence in local building preservation

A restored Emery Theater in Over-the-Rhine, a transformed Covington department store and a sustainability-focused MadTree project took home prizes at the 2026 Preservation Excellence Awards.

The nonprofit Cincinnati Preservation hosted the annual event May 7 at the Woodward Theater during National Preservation Month, celebrating projects and people helping preserve and revitalize historic spaces across the region. 

This year’s winners included:

• Volunteer Service Award: Nikki Garshelis, recognized for her leadership and dedication to Cincinnati Preservation’s programs, events and archives. 
• Innovation & Craftsmanship: Guilford Building in downtown, owned by Western and Southern Life Insurance 
• Sustainability: Alcove by MadTree in OTR
• New Construction: Vandalia Point in Northside, owned by Over the Rhine Community Housing 
• Commercial Projects: The Mercantile Library in downtown
• Residential Projects: Beechwood House in North Avondale, owned by Lacuk Properties
• Adaptive Reuse: SparkHaus in Covington, owned by Northern Kentucky Riverport Authority 
• Impact: The Garage / Elliott Café in Dayton, Kentucky, led by Yard & Co. 
• Preservation Champion: The Emery Theater in OTR, owned by The Children’s Theatre

“This year’s winners demonstrate how historic preservation can strengthen neighborhoods, support economic vitality, inspire creativity, and ensure that the places we value most continue to serve future generations,” said Beth Johnson, executive director of Cincinnati Preservation

Celebrating the region’s architectural legacy

Founded in 1964, Cincinnati Preservation works to protect historic buildings, neighborhoods and landmarks across Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. The organization, based in the historic John Hauck House in the West End, previously operated as the Cincinnati Preservation Association.

Its annual Preservation Excellence Awards honor the people, organizations and projects working to preserve and revitalize some of the region’s most important places.

This year’s theme, “Timeless Cincinnati: Stories Built to Last,” focused on projects that continue shaping neighborhoods while protecting the region’s architectural history. To qualify, projects had to be completed within the last three years.

Several firms earned recognition across multiple winning projects. New Republic Architecture received honors for Vandalia Point and Beechwood House, while Drawing Department won awards for Alcove by MadTree and The Mercantile Library.

Urban Sites and City Studios also earned the Adaptive Reuse award for SparkHaus, transforming a historic Covington department store into a coworking hub.

More details about the awards are available on the Cincinnati Preservation website.

“Preservation is about far more than saving old buildings,” Johnson said. “It’s about protecting the stories, character, and sense of place that make Cincinnati unique.”