Rosin Preservation Collection Now Available to Researchers
Sarah Biegelsen
July 16, 2025
The Rosin Preservation Collection (SC241) documents the historic preservation projects of the firm from 1998 to 2018 and consists of 184 archival boxes containing tax credit applications, correspondence, photos, site plans, research, and other records. Thanks to their efforts, hundreds of buildings and historic sites were preserved for future generations.
In 2019, Rosin Preservation donated their materials to the Kansas City Public Library. Special collections archivists have since rehoused, described, and digitized portions of the collection to provide access to researchers.
Founded in 2006, Rosin Preservation was based in Kansas City, Missouri, but offered comprehensive consulting services to clients nationwide. Prior to establishing the company, preservationist Elizabeth Rosin was a partner at Historic Preservation Services L.L.C., where she worked on numerous projects between 1998-2006. Many of these earlier projects were brought over and became the foundation of Rosin Preservation’s portfolio.
The firm’s expertise included all stages of historic preservation and adaptive reuse. From building planning to rehabilitation to guiding clients through regulatory processes triggered by local, state, and/or national preservation laws, Rosin Preservation safeguarded historic places across the United States.
Rosin Preservation researched the original use of historic structures and sites to determine the ways in which they were built and the ways that they have been used over time. Their staff worked to revive old properties and districts worthy of historic designation and rehabilitation.
The types of historic structures and sites Rosin Preservation worked on include, but are not limited to: airports, churches, commercial and office buildings, government buildings, hospitals, hotels, neighborhoods and districts, schools and universities, single and multifamily dwellings, and transportation sites.
The organization nominated significant buildings, sites, structures, and districts for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. Administered by the National Park Service, the register includes sites and properties that have national, state, or local significance in historic, architectural, archaeological, engineering, or cultural areas.
Additionally, the firm helped clients secure historic tax credits that reduce the cost of restoring older structures and often vary state by state.
Between 2010-2016, Rosin Preservation’s team grew from three to seven staff members to keep up with the demand of historic preservation services, especially in Missouri, one of the top users of historic tax credits in the country.
Leading by example, Rosin Preservation restored a 1926 building, originally a brass foundry in the East Crossroads District in Kansas City, Missouri, and turned the building into its headquarters in 2016.
The major role of Rosin Preservation in protecting the American architectural landscape has helped preserve iconic — and even overlooked — 19th and 20th century buildings and sites.
Some of the collection’s highlights include the Black Archives of Mid-America Building, Kemper Arena, schools in the Kansas City Missouri School District, the Western Auto Building, the former Kansas City International Airport, and the Empire State Building (yes, that one).
In 2024, Rosin Preservation was acquired by Heritage Consulting Group, a nationally recognized historic preservation organization founded in 1982.
This collection can be accessed by visiting the Missouri Valley Special Collections on the fifth floor of the Central Library. Some photos have been digitized and a finding aid is available.
Sarah Biegelsen
July 16, 2025
The Rosin Preservation Collection (SC241) documents the historic preservation projects of the firm from 1998 to 2018 and consists of 184 archival boxes containing tax credit applications, correspondence, photos, site plans, research, and other records. Thanks to their efforts, hundreds of buildings and historic sites were preserved for future generations.
In 2019, Rosin Preservation donated their materials to the Kansas City Public Library. Special collections archivists have since rehoused, described, and digitized portions of the collection to provide access to researchers.
Founded in 2006, Rosin Preservation was based in Kansas City, Missouri, but offered comprehensive consulting services to clients nationwide. Prior to establishing the company, preservationist Elizabeth Rosin was a partner at Historic Preservation Services L.L.C., where she worked on numerous projects between 1998-2006. Many of these earlier projects were brought over and became the foundation of Rosin Preservation’s portfolio.
The firm’s expertise included all stages of historic preservation and adaptive reuse. From building planning to rehabilitation to guiding clients through regulatory processes triggered by local, state, and/or national preservation laws, Rosin Preservation safeguarded historic places across the United States.
Rosin Preservation researched the original use of historic structures and sites to determine the ways in which they were built and the ways that they have been used over time. Their staff worked to revive old properties and districts worthy of historic designation and rehabilitation.
The types of historic structures and sites Rosin Preservation worked on include, but are not limited to: airports, churches, commercial and office buildings, government buildings, hospitals, hotels, neighborhoods and districts, schools and universities, single and multifamily dwellings, and transportation sites.
The organization nominated significant buildings, sites, structures, and districts for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. Administered by the National Park Service, the register includes sites and properties that have national, state, or local significance in historic, architectural, archaeological, engineering, or cultural areas.
Additionally, the firm helped clients secure historic tax credits that reduce the cost of restoring older structures and often vary state by state.
Between 2010-2016, Rosin Preservation’s team grew from three to seven staff members to keep up with the demand of historic preservation services, especially in Missouri, one of the top users of historic tax credits in the country.
Leading by example, Rosin Preservation restored a 1926 building, originally a brass foundry in the East Crossroads District in Kansas City, Missouri, and turned the building into its headquarters in 2016.
The major role of Rosin Preservation in protecting the American architectural landscape has helped preserve iconic — and even overlooked — 19th and 20th century buildings and sites.
Some of the collection’s highlights include the Black Archives of Mid-America Building, Kemper Arena, schools in the Kansas City Missouri School District, the Western Auto Building, the former Kansas City International Airport, and the Empire State Building (yes, that one).
In 2024, Rosin Preservation was acquired by Heritage Consulting Group, a nationally recognized historic preservation organization founded in 1982.
This collection can be accessed by visiting the Missouri Valley Special Collections on the fifth floor of the Central Library. Some photos have been digitized and a finding aid is available.