For the sake of preservation

National city revitalization figure Stanley A. Lowe wowed an audience of more than 300 people at the Cincinnati Preservation Association's 11th Annual Fall Forum Friday at the Hilton Netherland Plaza.

Lowe lives in Pittsburgh, but works in Washington as the vice president for community revitalization with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Of Cincinnati, Lowe said it has some of the most beautiful architecture in the country and that it's the kind of city people want to move to when they visit. He said Findlay Market is one of the best markets in America.

Lowe told personal stories about how he became a preservationist after overseeing the demolition of blighted buildings as executive director of the Housing Authority of Pittsburgh. But using federal grants to leverage capital, he has led the charge to revitalize historic housing and commercial stock in inner-city communities throughout Pittsburgh and the country. He likened the work to that occurring in Over-the-Rhine and other areas of Cincinnati.

The Trust is currently working with Gulf Coast communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

During his speech, Lowe wondered out loud where former Pittsburgh resident Steve Leeper, the president and chief executive of Cincinnati Center City Development, was.

He's at Fountain Square, audience members joked, personally "laying granite" for Saturday's opening.