Changing Venues, or Who Can
Do Preservation Best?
Historic Preservation?
Preservation is a multi-faceted activity. To ask questions
about the future of Historic Preservation it is first
necessary to declare what elements of HP are being
examined or explored.
Domain of activity—a field of action.
Philosophy(s) of how to approach that field
Professional practice(s)
Tools, knowledge, and skills
An agenda(s)
A community of active participants
A value structure(s)
An audience(s)
What is the emphasis of Historic Preservation?
Material culture–history as represented in objects,
buildings, districts, and landscapes–is the strength of
our national program.
How can preservation practice demonstrate the
relationship between material culture-a building, a
group of buildings, a landscape, a structure, an
archaeological site–with the larger set of intangible
social and environmental values we seek to portray and
preserve?
If the preservation movement does not speak out for
retaining, documenting, and respecting old buildings,
places, and neighborhoods, no one else will.
Has Preservation attempted to absorb too many
social concerns?
1. Heritage Tourism
9. Sustainable development
2. Economic development
10. Downtown revitalization
3. Open space protection
11. Cultural celebration
4. Heritage education
12. Archeology
5. Rehabilitation of historic buildings
13. Design and craftsmanship
6. Community conservation
14. Energy conservation
7. Affordable housing
15. Reducing pollution
8. Neo-traditional planning
16. Global warming
17. Preservation of everything that is
irreplaceable.
Where does “historic preservation” end? What are its proper
boundaries?
1. The preservation community must recognize that direct, active involvement
with issues related to environmental protection, growth management, and landuse planning, though achieving societal ends, also has the potential to seriously
jeopardize the identity and effectiveness of the historic preservation movement
itself.
2. [Expansive philosophy] If preservation takes inflexible stands in opposition
to big-box retailing and promotes preservation as an either-or alternative to
sprawl, it will not only confront powerful and well-organized construction,
investment, and real estate interests whose political strength is well established,
it will also run the risk of losing the support of an equally powerful (and
numerically greater) compromise-minded segment of its customary constituency.
3. [Philosophy of achievement] On the other hand, if it concentrates on the
rehabilitation of older neighborhoods and the landmark buildings such as
schools and churches that anchor them, finding acceptable design compromises
on the new forms of retailing and on the revitalization of downtowns,
demonstrating their benefits to the public, it can make a difference.
4. Avoid oversimplified opposition. The growth patterns that presently disturb
environmentalists and preservationists alike have emerged from historical
patterns that are inextricably interwoven with cultural and historic places that
have long been an important focus of the preservation movement.
Places
The 1980s a discussion began to move beyond academic categories
to the experience of people through the concern for place.
Underlying all is an emphasis on local initiative and cooperation.
The downside to such an approach is that some of the values and
interests inherent in the concept of heritage areas are difficult to
measure, to describe, and to quantify.
Stipe says, “the reality is that since 1966 we have become quite
competent at saving historic carpentry, but we remain relatively
incompetent at saving historic context.”
Preservation can support the concept of heritage, but conceptually
and for practical purposes, each of the two approaches must be
regarded as distinctive and separate, each supportive of the other.
Changing Imperatives for Preservation
The American preservation movement has made serious, sustained, successful efforts to
become much more inclusive of human values.
Native Peoples have sought and received support for protection of their cultural
heritage.
Concerns for rural and urban constituents have been addressed.
The gay and lesbian community, have sought public acknowledgment of their
special contribution to historic preservation.
What is the long-term effect of this emphasis on diversity?
Will it lead to a greater appreciation and acceptance of diverse groups?
Will it lead to resentments and alienation?
Will these efforts knit the nation together into a coherent whole?
Will these efforts lead to the unraveling of national unity?
Is it possible to manage situations in which one historical tradition conflicts with
another, or where jurisdictions overlap, and whose history is the more important?
Preservation changes as the core disciplines change
The three disciplines most closely associated with Historic Preservation are history,
archaeology, and architecture.
History. At the heart of preservation practice is the ability to assemble and associate
information about past events with surviving objects and artifacts.
Essential to this work is the creation of documents about objects in such a way as to
allow the use of the documentation in telling historical narratives. The accurate
documentation of the buildings, sites, and objects of the past must continue. At the core
is the physical examination of the object.
The opportunities to expand the means of documentation through examination,
recordation, and monitoring continues to grow.
Preservation documentation will increase being science-driven.
Preservation documentation will increase being technology-enhanced.
The individual observations will increasingly need to be folded into larger
documentation data sets. This will drive the need for meta-data [data about the data].
Informed interpretation remains within the realm of preservation practice.
The new technology creates new types of documents that never have all the
content or capacity of the technology it replaces. Today the digital images have replaced
the past generation’s microfilm, which replaced the indexes compiled of the physical
documents. Yet the microfilm is never completely scanned, and neither did the past
generation complete the task of making microfilm copies of past records.
Preservation changes as the core disciplines change
Archaeology. Though the discipline has brought substantial organizational, narrative
power, and investigative innovation to all preservation, archaeology (when part of
historic preservation practice) is essentially history with a special domain and special
tools of documentation. Archaeology will continue to be important for the narratives of
the periods prior to the thresholds of standing structures. This threshold is a moving
line.
To be clear archaeology has never been so constrained in its consideration of the artifact
assemblage as architectural study. Much archaeology is done as a business and those
businesses will expand to offer documentation for clients with both above and below
ground resources.
After R. W. Brunskill, Handbook of Vernacular Architecture
Preservation changes as the core disciplines change
Architecture (within Preservation ). Architecture cleaves into two main activities, recordation
and conservation, whose tools and goals differ.
Architectural history uses of the documentation of standing structures, and the
descriptions of architectural expressions surviving as paper records in telling historical
narratives. The majority of the contemporary standing architecture has either no surviving
documentation, or incomplete documentation because buildings are constantly changing
through use and deterioration. At the core is the physical examination of the object,
although a large number of architectural historians are not disposed to engage in
documentation.
The opportunities to expand the means of documentation through examination,
recordation, and monitoring continues to grow.
Preservation documentation is increasingly science-driven.
Preservation documentation is increasingly technology-enhanced.
Architectural Conservation is the task of identifying the causes of premature failure in the
life-cycle of building materials and stabilizing, or reproducing the features to retain
structural or visual integrity. Architectural conservation is distinct from object conservation
insofar as the conservator must work with the building on site.
Conservation is science-driven.
Conservation is technology-enhanced.
Conservation is currently too expensive for most buildings.
Fundamental Elements of Local Preservation
There continues to be division between local government preservation and the preservation
efforts in the volunteer and nonprofit sectors.
Volunteers remain the heart and soul of the preservation movement. The task of “making
preservation real” at the local level is still carried by the volunteer and local nonprofit sector.
Today there is a heavy reliance on local government regulation of private property. Principally
enforced under Euclidian zoning. Zoning is only as effective as the knowledge and
documentation that under lies its decision-making. Preservation that seeks to make the
present mimic the past will be unsuccessful.
Local citizens play an extremely important role in the regulatory area involving the
administration of historic district and landmarks ordinances. The members of the
Architectural Review Boards are not professionals.
Each generation disposes of time outside of work in different ways. Alienation caused by shared
social discourse will continue to make the social satisfactions of participation in local
historical narratives attractive.
The networking of local preservation must include a face-to-face component, but it will be
mediated by the technology of modern communication.
The narratives of local preservation must continue to be told—enacted—to maintain
participation. Some predict increased participation as other mediums of social interaction
whither to virtual replacements.
How Do We Prepare for the Next Twenty Years?
Is it time for a new paradigm for the preservation movement?
Important to recognize that if, or as, the paradigm changes, so
will the list of our supporters (and detractors)
In the political context in which we work, some institutional interests
and players will move up, others will move down.
The movement will gain some new supporters and inevitably lose
some old ones.
The future direction of the American preservation movement will depend
to some extent on the emergent physical form of our cities and towns.
It is hard to imagine that countervailing economic or technological
centripetal forces will pull us back to a more compact, physical form
of development.
Historic Preservation in the mainstream
Owner repair of homes and “restoring” features is a national business,
though not controlled by the Secretary of Interior Standards.
Teaching heritage through objects will continue moving into public
education. The resources are now being created.
The National Park Service developed “Teaching with Historic Places”
Can preservation be a mass media experience? National Register Rap?
Not as we have defined it, but the likely semantic drift of the
expression “historic preservation” will force the profession to
constantly re-define the core.
Heritage areas force governments to consider concepts as “stability” and
“accustomed comfort” to be sustainable as tourist destinations.
Focus on place is most difficult to administer at the local level, though
easiest to identify at that scale.
The future for Federal programs
Relative increase in federal support for state programs, but less federal
involvement in defining their content and administration.
There may be an increasingly important role for the expanded or supplemental
use by States of state registers.
If, as many argue, real preservation happens at the local level, the argument for
unrestricted block grant funding at both state and local government levels is
greatly strengthened. If this occurs the results will be identical to earlier
efforts of this kind—monies will be shifted from the supplier goal to meet the
tactical goals of the local community. Block grants mask the need for citizen
agreement on new spending.
Need to protect the National Register.
Will moved buildings solve some issues?
Will reduced funding clog the system?
Should properties of local significance be on the National Register?
What legacy will there be for the next generations?
We cannot determine their history.
The concerns of the future are beyond our reach.
We can extend the life of some, but not all of the past objects that were left
to us.
We can create data-rich documentation of objects, properties and
structures that preserves the possibility of re-interpretation, but it is
uncertain what format will best serve this transfer of information. Digital
format changes much faster than perceived needs for information.
We can maintain and strive to improve the standards of accuracy and avoid
approaches that compromise the reputation of our field, or movement.
Each generation must essentially re-create the body of documentation and
interpretation for succeeding generations. How well are we doing?
Where will you be?
Imagine your personal life as a directed activity that cannot create
the opportunities, but can be poised to apply and achieve
employment and intellectual engagement within preservation.
Short term
Where do your avocations and education meet?
Enrollment in a class is not equivalent to obtaining the knowledge
and skills.
What is more important, location or opportunities?
Everyone must work. Do I want to work hard at work and then
leave, or do I want to live my work?
Employers always want motivated, skilled workers. Acquire the
skills that are crucial to the jobs that you want to achieve. Degrees
will get the first interview, but then it is your accomplishments that
will create a professional persona.
Learn to listen, speak and write carefully—these are not options.
Enjoy the ride
The future is a fantasy. Long term goals are patterns of thought,
manners of approaching issues, and measures of achievement.
Know your own values, strengths, and beliefs.
carpe diem