Do you own a historic home, are thinking of buying one, or simply admire the older homes that give our area so much character?

The Historical Society of Sarasota County will host a panel discussion about owning and curating vintage homes at its next Conversations at the Crocker at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 8 at the Crocker Memorial Church.

Erin DiFazio, a realtor with Premier Plus Realty and a member of both the Historical Society and the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation, will lead the panel discussion.

DiFazio moved to Sarasota four years ago after spending 10 years as a historic restoration contractor in Connecticut. Of course, historic took on a different meaning there; DiFazio restored homes from the 1700s and 1800s. In our area, historic can mean anything from the Mediterranean Revival residences of the 1920s to the Sarasota School of Architecture homes of the 1950s. “My goal is expanding people’s awareness that there are historic properties here,” she says, “and redefining what historic is.”

Joining her on the panel will be Jesse White, owner of Sarasota Architectural Salvage,  who will talk about the relationship between preservation and demolition and the importance of salvage in preservation, restoration and documentation; and architect Greg Hall, who won an AIA Florida/Caribbean Honor Award of Excellence for his restoration of Paul Rudolph’s midcentury icon, The Umbrella House.

Conversations at the Crocker is free to Historical Society members, $10 at the door for nonmembers. Arrive early and you can tour the adjacent Bidwell-House, circa 1882. Now that’s old. Details here.