Beyond Preservation - alligning the past with the future

Beyond Preservation: Using Public History to Revitalize Inner Cities, Andrew Hurley’s examination of preservation efforts across America, looks at several examples of historic, architectural, and economic preservation projects over the last one hundred years or so. He begins with those famous examples of historic preservation such as the Washington residence, Williamsburg etc. but then moves on to look at entire neighborhoods including Santa Fe, Georgetown, New Orleans, and Old North St. Louis.

Early examples of preserving neighborhoods highlight the many directions this can take. With Georgetown, for example, the narrow streets lined with rows of uniform townhouses formerly home to poor workers and a largely African American base, were reinvented to become ‘enclaves of affluent white people.’ Property values rose and those former diverse neighbors were pushed out. People loved the tall, narrow houses, brick-paved streets and businesses and artisans flocked to meet the demand.

Santa Fe used a different tactic and preserved the architectural design of the original Spanish settlers and Native Americans not by reclaiming older examples of those buildings but by asking property owners to use the adobe and stucco design in new buildings and storefronts. This allowed the city to have a distinct branding that gave a nod to the past while welcoming in new investment. And it worked. The city thrived.

One of the problems preservation societies and urban planning committees have is bringing together the needs of both in a way that will preserve history but also stimulate new growth. It’s impossible, (unless you have a very rich investor or benefactor,) to maintain a building or a neighborhood without the economic stimulus to continue those efforts. Hurley points out the early raze and rebuild process did revitalize some areas and neighborhoods but it created worse problems in its wake. Displaced communities and people created a burden on the larger area and saw an increase in crime and dependency. Hurley uses the term ‘urban surgery’ which describes its effects well - you can see the economic and community impact the freeway had, here in Spokane, on the East-Central neighborhood for example.

Another term Hurley uses is ‘adaptive reuse’ which describes the final outcome of the Jensen-Byrd building here in Spokane. Originally a warehouse built in 1909, it changed hands over time and was adapted but essentially remained a storage/warehouse property. When WSU bought it their original idea was to tear it down and build a modern college dorm as part of their expanding campus. Local people and preservation societies got involved, despite the fact that it wasn’t listed on a register. Eventually, after much lobbying and the fact that the construction company pulled out, WSU decided to repurpose or adaptively reuse the building instead. They plan to keep its basic structure and integrate it into their campus and the wider community.

And, that appears to be the way forward. People love old buildings with history and a sense of the past. Keeping that past while integrating it into the social and economic community allows everyone to win.