WEST TAMPA - The country's economic slump might sour development, but it also might offer a silver lining for historical buildings.

Developers and investors may turn to preserving and rehabilitating older homes and buildings, said Gus Paras, president-elect of the Tampa Bay Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

"We are in a downturn in new buildings," Paras said. "It doesn't mean we have to ignore the existing buildings and historic buildings or that we can't apply new energy-saving measures to those buildings."

Paras has developed the Renew Tampa conference, which runs Friday through April 13 at the Berriman-Morgan Cigar Factory, 1403 N. Howard Ave. There will be guest speakers and presentations ranging from the technical and architectural to the pragmatic, with demonstrations on preserving and maintaining windows, wood floors, paint, doors and stained glass. For more informtion, please visit Tampa Bay Online.com.