Taking A New Approach To Historic Preservation

https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/historic-preservation-new-action-agenda-legacy-cities

Old U.S. Mint
San Francisco, California
cnn.com

Hello Everyone:

Historic preservation can sometimes be a frustrating thankless task.  Between balancing out community interests, researching the historic significance of a place or thing, dealing with bureaucrats, dealing with developers and civic officials, and so on, it is enough to make even the sanest among preservationists go mad.  However, Cassie Owens's recent article for Next City, "Why It's So Exciting to Work in Historic Preservation Right Now," serves a form of encouragement for those of us who have just had enough and want to curl up in a corner.  Ms. Owens reports, "National advocacy and education group Preservation Rightsizing Network released a new action agenda..."(http://www.rightsizeplace.org)  The focus of the agenda is on legacy cities and the points in the plan aim to "widen the interpretation of historic preservation, connect the saving of old buildings to everything from municipal code enforcement to warding off modern redlining."  This sounds like encouraging news.

Detroit, Michigan
Kevin Chang/flicr.com
citylab.com

In recent times, preservationists have allied themselves with people like bloggers such as Carol Ott (https://slumlordwatch.wordpress,com) and artists like Candy Chang the creator of the "I Wish This Was..." project (http://www.candychang.com).  What the new focus on legacy cities demonstrates is how this magnified view is refracted inward:

Preservationists need to pursue strategic efforts in foreclosure prevention, down payment assistance, homesteading, code enforcements, and strategic property acquisition and disposal...Intangible heritage and culture-the stories that make a community what its-should be recognized and preserved through oral histories, community storytelling events, and in other ways.

In short, historic preservation should take more holistic approach, not just focus on the tangible and intangible historic and cultural properties.

Baltimore, Maryland-area row houses
theatlantic.com

There is a large gulf between the preservationists that work to stabilize neighborhood and the stereotypical one-the historian who flies into save a building deemed significant enough to warrant protection.  Yours truly is more of the former rather than the latter.  Most practitioners are the latter, the architectural historian variety.  The campaign to save a preservation-worthy place usually takes place in the form of some activity, like hugging a building (no not really but close).

A number of preservationists have told Ms. Owens that the interdisciplinary approach, the one favored by blogger, is a matter of necessity rather than ambition.  Patrick Grossi, the advocacy director at Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia told Ms. Owens, If I'm not initiate with zoning codes if I'm not following what's happening with the land bank, if I'm not conscious of what certain members of city council's priorities are, I don't think I'm actually doing my job.

Lakewood, Ohio mid-2010
edgeofspace.net

Emilie Evans, the director of the Rightsizing Cities Initiative and is the co-leader of Brick + Beam, a Detroit-based organization that supports rehabbing houses for nonprofits, developers, and residents.  Cassie Owens asked Ms. Evans if she saw herself sharing tips for Do-It-Yourself home renovators when Ms. Evans was still in graduate school for historic preservation.  Emilie Evans replied,

...did not see [that] coming explicitly...Who knows where we're going to end up as professionals...But it's really exciting.

The Preservation Rightsizing Network's action plan is divided into three sections: "calls for a new approach (which focuses on the healthy urban fabric), a new toolkit (programs and policies to buttress this broadened vision), and nice cross agency partnerships."

Downtown Cleveland, Ohio
commons.wikimedia.org

 Preservation Rightsizing Network Chair Cara Bertron said,

We have good preservations tools, but they don't go far enough...Many preservationists working locally in legacy cities and distressed neighborhoods have known for a long time that historic tax credits are not going to be applicable to every neighborhood.  They're a great tool.  But they can only be use in locally or nationally designated properties.

The action plan is, in one sense, a broad view of how preservationists are addressing this gap.  Ms. Bertron was quick to point out that "preservation that focuses on the built environment rather than the gems within in it isn't new."  Michael Allen the director and architectural historian for the St. Louis-based Preservation Research Office and editor of the action plan agrees.  Mr. Allen said,

Downtown St. Louis, Missouri
explorestlouis.com

As much as I believe in the principles, I don't believe that they're new or radical...This challenge is how do you move these points of view from the margins to the center of practice.

Mr. Allen continued, saying that preservationists advocating for new strategies are those who are on the ground and being frank practitioners saying "This in't working.  Here's something that might work...The wrong way to do this is the that fails to save the buildings, right?"

There is the stereotypical preservationist who is fixated on architectural detail.  Ms. Bertron said,

And we love those people.  They're great!  They have to be only a small part of the choir in legacy cities...Talking about revitalizing neighborhood instead of rehabbing [sole] buildings, it's more complicated, so it's a harder sell.  I think sometimes we as movement, default to talking about something that's an easier win.

Downtown Eagle Rock, California
dosoftherock.com

Patrick Grossi believes that only 3 percent of Philadelphia's buildings are protected.  A tough win "...would be a series of district designations, particularly those outside of the city's core."  Mr. Grossi said,

Even more important I think is just reframing what the values of preservation are...Preservation does play a role in how you approach and navigate growth, how you provide a sense of empowerment in neighborhoods that are lacking.  And that's really more of a hearts and minds campaign about what the historic built environment can do for you.  As opposed to "Hey we're preservationists and we haven't been here in a while, and we think all these buildings belong the register.  How do you feel about that?

Cara Bertron concurs with Mr. Grossi (as does yours truly) that inscription on the National Register of Historic Places cannot be the end goal.  She added, "Community needs" should be,...the field needs a larger, more collaborative set of strategies.

Cara Bertron has the last word,

It's been fun to be able to say, this is a movement.  And because you guys are here, you're part of it.  Because you're reading this, you're part of it, because you care about cities and historic neighborhoods, you're part of this movement...[The agenda] is not the only document.  It's not the first time you'll read any of these ideas.  But it helps to frame what we're doing.