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| Villa Aurelia at the American Academy Rome, Italy artsbeat.blog.nytimes.com |
We're visual people. We like to look at pretty things. In preservation terms, getting people excited about an unattractive building or place is more of a challenge than rallying the troops around a beautiful places or building. The old aphorism, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" definitely applies to preservation. Julia Rocchi, in a recent blog post for the National Trust for Historic Preservation titled, ""[Preservation Tips & Tools} How to Save Ugly Buildings offers some helpful ideas on how to save those ugly buildings. Styles with challenging architectural features, sites with more history then aesthetic delight, and spaces with so caked in grime that they obscure their beauty often require a little more work to prove to the general public that these places are worthy of saving. Thus, how you do go about accomplishing this task. With the help of Tom Mayes, Ms. Rocchi sets before a tool kit for persuading the general public that just because it's ugly, it doesn't mean it should be demolished. On a personal note, I was inspired to write this post by some photographs of urban ruins in Berlin, Germany I saw on my instagram feed this morning
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| Former Detroit ballroom Detroit, Michigan all-that-is-interesting.com |
Join the debate of what defines beauty
According to Tom Mayes, "As I talk to people about beauty and old places, I note that many architects and artists-like many preservationists-hesitate to talk about beauty. The hesitancy is for many reasons-the difficulty of defining what beauty is, the loaded cultural aspects of beauty, the subjective nature of people's experience of beauty, or even the simple fact that decision-makers sometimes consider beauty frivolous or expendable." I'm not quite sure how anyone would find something aesthetically pleasing frivolous or expendable but what I am sure about is the subjective nature of beauty. I got a lesson in that my first semester at USC when I took an elective course in architectural theory and had to listen to multiple presentations on the definition of beauty. I didn't realize that there were so many different approaches. Ms. Rocchi suggests the best "...way to engage others...to join the millenia-long discussion yourself." Even when everyone disagrees with you over the exact definition and application of beauty, at least you can focus the discuss on a place you care about, placing into the public forum long enough to alter public opinion.
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| Orange County Government Center Paul Rudolph, Goshen New York archdaily.com |
The late great writer Gore Vidal once said, "Style is about knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn." (http://www.brainyquote.com) This can also be applied places. Sometimes an architectural style, though unpopular, might represent a daring innovation or new method in the architecture profession that it should be saved. Let's use Brutalism as our example. Before I go any further, I have to disclose that I'm not a big fan of this period style but I can appreciate it for its contribution to the Modern movement. The name comes from the French words béton brut-"raw concrete." In an article titled "Defending Brutalism The Uncertain Future of Modernist Concrete Structures" for Preservation magazine, New York-based writer and playwright David Hay wrote, the style "promised a raw and rough materiality that had a social and artistic purpose," a monumental yet inexpensive strategy for public buildings. (http://www.preservationnation.org/magazine/2013/...defending-brutalism.html) A second look at these places when you understand their meaning and purpose adds a dimension that might have gone previously missing.
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| The abandoned Astrodome Houston, Texas swamplot.com |
Making an emotional connection can be fairly easy. If you want to get people excited about a places, especially an unattractive place, get them to share with you a fond memory. People connect to the stories associated with a place more so than bricks and mortar. Case in point is the Houston Astrodome. While this National Treasure can stake a claim in being the world's first domed stadium, more important is the place it holds in the hearts of football and baseball fans in Houston and throughout the country. In its forty-plus year history, this "Eighth Wonder of The World" has served as backdrop for every manner of sports and entertainment event. This past November, a crucial vote was held to determine the Astrodome's future. The National Trust led the campaign to save it by asking people to share their personal stories about the Dome: catching a home run ball, a last second come from behind win, and I'm sure at least one or two marriage proposals. The result was such an overwhelming show of love which more than countered any negative comments.
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| The porch of John Coltrane's home Dix HIlls, New York preservationnation.org |
Every place has a unique history, even the most mundane looking buildings can reveal a fascinating story. From the outside, the picture on the left may appear to be just another ranch house on the block. It's the home of the late jazz legend (and personal favorite) John Coltrane. This nondescript house was built in 1952 in Dix Hills, New York, yet within the wall of this unassuming home, 'Trane recorded, rehearsed, and wrote some his best-know work including the masterpiece "A Love Supreme," three years before his untimely death in 1967. The Friends of the Coltrane Home are diligently working to save the site with the hops of restoring it and reusing as an education center. In the interim, sharing this home's wonderful past teaches us how history can take place in the most unexpected of places. Besides that, can you imagine the music that still resonates in the walls, floor, and ceiling?
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| Miami Marine Stadium Hilario Candela, Miami, Floria photography by Spillis Candela DMJM Archives savingplaces.org |
I've always felt that in order to truly experience a place you have to go inside. Walk through the space, inhale the air, let your eyes take in the sights, touch (if you can) the objects, listen to the noises. Let your encounter with the interior of a space be sensual experience. It will allow you to gain a new perspective and make a connection to the space. Case in point, Miami Marine Stadium, another addition on the ever growing list of National Treasures. It has hosted boat races, concerts, Easter services until its closure twenty years ago after Hurricane Andrew swept through the Miami region. Despite its closure, the funky look and cantilevered roof are a beacon to teenagers, Parkour practitioners, and graffiti artists. Recently, the social media site instagram gave its subscribers a chance to capture the coolness of this local landmark and their infectious enthusiasm helped others see the hidden beauty in this neglected place.
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| Lincoln Center Manhattan, New York en.wikipedia.org |
When embarking on a preservation campaign, you have to keep in mind the real question, "What else would we lose if this place disappeared?" Tom Mayes discovered that the loss of old places, no matter their aesthetic quality, resulted in a loss of identity, continuity, and memory. Mr. Mayes writes,
Old places help people place themselves in that "great, sweeping arc" of time. The continued presence of old places--of the schools an playgrounds, parks and public squares, churches and houses and farms and fields that people value--contributes to a people's sense of being on a continuum with the past. That awareness gives meaning to the present, and enhances the human capacity to have a vision for the future.
Don't be afraid to ask the naysayers, "Imagine if this place were gone. Then what?" Preservation is not for the timid and the meek.
If nothing else, remember that perceptions can--and will--change over time
English Romantic poet William Wordsworth once said, "The human mind is capable of excitement, without the application of gross and violent stimulants; and he must have a very faint perception of its beauty and dignity who does not know this." (http://www.brainyquote.com) People are capable of great passion for period styles and technologies of their era. Without too much effort or stimulation, a human being can find beauty and dignity in the way a Victorian building drew on the Industrial Age's manufacturing prowess. The optimism in the face of desperate financial expressed in the colorful ornamentation of the Art Deco and the Ezra Pound "Make it new" breathlessness symbolized by the innovation of Modernism. All these period styles, that we now value, were derided at one time or another yet have found new appreciation as time moves on. In the words of Tom Mayes:
The history of preservation demonstrates a remarkable march of the ugly transforming into the beauty. Take heart, then, that the place you love, even if other don't find it beautiful, has a lot to offer--and you can help them discover why.
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