Preservation Programs
The Madison Trust's programming provides our members and the public with opportunities to learn about historic preservation through webinars, seminars, and workshops.
These may include best practices for the restoration and maintenance of older and historic homes; how to contribute to historic preservation work happening in your community; discovering more about architectural history; and a better understanding of local, state, and national designation tools and resources.
2026 Architectural Series
Landmarks
Tickets: $5 Madison Trust Members, $10 General Public
Garver Feed Mill at dusk, courtesy of Jason Tish, Madison Landmark #117
Madison Landmarks - Why We Do It (plus My Favorites)
Thursday, March 19 at 7:00 PM
Jason will talk about 9 of his favorite Madison Landmarks and the fascinating details about their place in Madison history - plus one that he nominated for Landmark designation. He'll also discuss the big picture of why communities adopt such ordinances, how they're different from the National Register of Historic Places, and how they can be used together.
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Jason Tish
Speaker Jason Tish has worked with historic preservation policies at the national, state, and local levels since 1996. He has worked in the public and private sectors as an archaeologist, architecture historian, historic preservation consultant, and director of the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation. He currently serves as the Certified Local Government and Preservation Education Coordinator at the Wisconsin State Historic Preservation Office, where he advises Wisconsin municipalities on planning for cultural resources and leveraging them for economic and community development
*Special in-person program!*
Frost Woods: Wisconsin’s Next National Register Historic District
Saturday, April 25, 2026
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Refreshments will be provided after the program.
Tickets: $5 Madison Trust Members, $10 General Public
Tickets open April 1
Nestled in the gently rolling terrain along the east edge of Wiicawak Bay, the Frost Woods neighborhood began as a cluster of modernist houses for University of Wisconsin faculty in the 1930s and exploded in the 1950s during a post-WWII population boom. Guided for decades by a homeowners’ association, the neighborhood contains a wealth of midcentury architecture, along with the earliest and finest concentration of the International Style in Wisconsin.
The Wright and Ednah Thomas House, designed in 1931 by Hamilton and Gwenydd Beatty, was the first International-style house in Wisconsin. Courtesy of Justin Miller.
The story of Frost Woods stretches back millennia, however, from Late Woodland effigy mounds to Ho-Chunk seasonal camps to a 19th-century white settler who spared an oak forest. Today, careful stewardship preserves this layered landscape of archaeology, architecture, and community planning.
The neighborhood is in the process of being listed in the National Register of Historic Places. This presentation will highlight the history and architecture of the neighborhood and will explore what makes Frost Woods a unique place and worthy of preservation.
Speaker Justin Miller is an architectural historian at UW-Milwaukee Cultural Resource Management, a research center specializing in historic preservation and archaeological consulting. Justin served as the primary author of the Frost Woods National Register nomination, a collaborative process that brought together the Frost Woods Homes Association, the Monona Landmarks Commission, and the State Historic Preservation Office.
Program & Ticket Information
10:00 - 11:00 a.m. ~ Frost Woods program
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. ~ Social hour and refreshments
Venue: Monona Public Library
Tickets: Madison Trust Members: $5.00 | General Public: $10.00
Members will be asked to provide their Member ID when purchasing a ticket. If you cannot locate your Member ID, please contact us at info@madisonpreservation.org. Click here for more information on membership with the Madison Trust.
Ticket sales close at 11:59pm on April 23.
Refunds may be requested up to 3 days (April 22) before the event. Fees are nonrefundable.
Have Questions?
Do you have questions about our programming? We're here to help!
Contact us at (608) 441-8864 or by email at info@madisonpreservation.org.