Toggle navigation Chapter Sections. Section 1. Learn how to encourage historic preservation and the economic and other benefits. What do we mean by historic preservation? Types of historic elements Structures Houses, commercial and industrial buildings, barns, bridges, monuments — any man-made structure that has some historical value or significance.
Neighborhoods Neighborhoods may be historically important because of their architecture, or because they still present a picture of a previous era. Landscapes A landscape itself may be either historically valuable or historically significant. Building or landscape features Neon or tavern signs, 18th or 19th Century wall plaques from insurance companies, pre-World War II gas pumps, stone walls snaking through forests that were once farm fields, 1,year-old trees, murals — all of these and many other features may be historically important.
Culture Although historic preservation most commonly refers to the preservation of physical places, it can also apply to aspects of cultural heritage. Preservation Preservation is preserving a place as it is in the present. Rehabilitation Rehabilitation fixes up a deteriorated historic property often for a use other than its original one some former textile mills in the Northeast have been turned into condominiums, for example.
Reconstruction Reconstruction is the creation of a historically accurate copy of either a specific historic property that no longer exists or an example of one from a chosen historical period.
Some factors to be considered might be: The uniqueness of the structure or landscape either as a historical place or in its current condition or position Its community significance Its possible future Its current use Its state of repair The cost of preservation vs.
It preserves the historic, architectural, and aesthetic character and heritage of a community or area, and helps to provide a sense of place and continuity. As suburban sprawl and roadside development make more and more places look the same, it becomes important for communities to keep their identities intact.
Even one or two striking historic buildings can help to define a community and hint at its past. If whole neighborhoods or rural areas can be preserved, the effect is that much greater. It is an efficient use of resources.
Historic preservation conserves resources, reduces waste, and saves money by repairing and reusing existing buildings instead of tearing them down and building new ones. Reusing a historic structure versus tearing it down and building with new materials helps to greatly reduce the carbon footprint of a building.
It preserves old methods of workmanship. Because many modern buildings are built on the assumption that they will only be needed for a relatively short time — 25 to 30 years — before they are replaced, workmanship and building methods of all but the most significant buildings are not as careful or durable as methods used in the past, when buildings were expected to last indefinitely.
By working on historic buildings, new generations of craftsmen learn the techniques to improve modern buildings as well. The preservation of old buildings, neighborhoods, and landscapes can determine the look of a community, and may be an attraction for tourists as well.
If these elements are historically significant or unusual, they can also be a source of community pride, and lead to other improvements. It can attract investment and change the nature of a deteriorating neighborhood or area. A rehabilitated historic building or neighborhood might be the focus of a new residential or commercial development. An area restored to its original appearance could serve as a magnet for tourists, and provide jobs for local residents.
Local residents could also be employed in rehabilitation or restoration as artisans or workers, if they have the skills, or as trainees. In the latter case, by the end of the project, many may have developed enough competencies as carpenters, masons, or the like to start new careers.
It can provide an opportunity for the imaginative or creative use of a building that has stood empty because it outlived its previous use, and at the same time solve a community problem.
An empty historic industrial building turned into an affordable or mixed-income residential development both rescues the building and provides much-needed housing for the area.
An old hotel rehabilitated as a public school might address both overcrowded classrooms and the question of what to do with a large, unused building. It can be a good investment. Historic buildings can be affordable for businesses to rehabilitate because of the possibility of tax incentives, grants, and other support for that activity.
In addition, they may attract business in and of themselves, simply because people are often fascinated by them. Just as many tourists like to stay in old houses that have been restored as bed-and-breakfasts, others might be excited to stay in a hotel that was once an old mill or in a restored once-famous hotel, for that matter , or to eat in a restaurant that was a railroad station or a church years ago.
An interesting office or commercial building, by the same token, especially one that clearly started out as something else a railroad roundhouse or a high school , might attract clients to an architect or designer, or customers to a complex of stores and restaurants. When should you encourage historic preservation? Some particularly good times to address historic preservation: When the community is engaged in creating a comprehensive plan for growth and development.
Many communities devise comprehensive plans, based on their visions for the future that are then revisited and revised regularly usually every five or ten years. Structures that are truly historic — unique, designed by famous architects, extremely old — may anchor the neighborhood and help to define it as a neighborhood. They need to be preserved for that reason as well as their historic value. Planners and consultants can help residents understand how to preserve the identity of the neighborhood and the physical presence of significant buildings.
The preservation or rehabilitation of old or historic buildings is often an important part of neighborhood revitalization, providing a physical and psychological focus for the neighborhood, and creating jobs and investment opportunities. When affordable housing or another specific need is clear in an area and historic buildings are available to meet it.
The rehabilitation of an abandoned school, library, or hotel for affordable housing can solve two problems: that of what to do with an abandoned building that may be a magnet for vandalism and drug dealing, and that of where to find affordable housing space. The same could be true for turning an old hotel into desperately-needed office space, or an industrial building into a mall or theater complex.
When development is planned in an area that includes a historic structure or neighborhood. Developers can be offered incentives to rehabilitate or restore historic properties as part of the overall development scheme, or regulations and limits might be placed on the use of those properties.
If the community is celebrating a significant anniversary of its founding — or years, perhaps — event planners and residents may be eager to restore structures that hark back to the beginning or other meaningful times of its history. When the focus is on community history, the connection between historic properties and community identity stands out, and their importance becomes clear.
When a historic property is threatened. Even classic structures are sometimes threatened with demolition. It has been the scene of some of the most famous music performances of modern times, as well as the first concert hall where jazz — in the form of the Benny Goodman band — was given respect as an art form. Neglect can be just as harmful. Once a building is empty and maintenance stops, water damage and insects can slowly take it down just as surely as an explosive charge or a bulldozer.
Once original features are gone, they can never truly be replaced — only imitated. Thus, if a developer intends to change the face of a historic building, cut it down a story, or gut the inside completely, the historic character of the building can be ruined just as thoroughly as if the building had been demolished.
Officials may be willing to change regulations or policy to keep the building intact, citizens may take action on their own, or the threat of public outcry and bad feeling may convince a developer to agree to preserve the structure in some way. When the community is engaged in a heritage tourism effort. It includes cultural, historic and natural resources. Attracting heritage tourism is linked to historic preservation, and there is a great deal of funding and technical assistance available from government and non-profit sources to support it.
As part of a job training effort aimed at at-risk populations or individuals. Such a program can accomplish several purposes: preserving a historic element of the community; training preservationists who will then have the skills to work on other projects; and helping individuals, particularly youth, in difficult situations — poverty, recovery from substance abuse, gang membership, etc.
There are a number of people who might have an interest in encouraging historic preservation: Public officials and planners. Whether for economic or social reasons, those who make policy have an interest in preserving community history and seeing historic resources as a community asset.
Owners of historic properties, including developers, businesses and industries, and individual homeowners. The opportunity to preserve, restore, or rehabilitate their properties with funding help, as well as the reasons they own, or chose to buy, those properties in the first place, often motivate owners toward historic preservation.
Community developers. Those likely to benefit from tourism. The business community. Envisioning what life was like before the major world wars, before automobiles, and before mobile phones are interesting for people who are exploring a new location.
Old buildings have an allure to them that newer buildings cannot replicate. They have unique qualities such as aged brick, cobblestone sidewalks, and antique street lamps that resonate with senior tourists and spark the imagination of younger tourists. The imperfections of an old building are something that tourists are attracted to, including the varying levels throughout the building, the internal furnishing, etc. The oddities that historical buildings provide cannot be found anywhere else in society, so it is vital to keep them protected.
Historical buildings are always under threat from landowners and city planners looking for a way to make money and increase property value. However, if you tear down an old building that has survived through world wars and devastating weather to build a shopping centre, the future generation of citizens will never be able to breathe in its significance, and it will forever be lost.
Conclusion: In conclusion, the restoration of old buildings is extremely important from the cultural and economic perspective. Though the governments need to invest in new houses and roads, they should not compromise the funds reserved for old structures. Here are some adjectives for historic buildings: run-down, damaging, noblest, tedious, innumerable, old, several, significant, many, principal, few, grand, beautiful, other. You can get the definitions of these adjectives by clicking on them.
Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home Essay Why is it important to preserve our historical monuments? Ben Davis May 1, Why is it important to preserve our historical monuments? Should we preserve past historical buildings? How can we protect our historical monuments? What is the List of World Heritage in Danger?
How can world heritage sites which are in danger be preserved according to you? What are the benefits of preserving national heritage? What is the purpose of heritage tourism? How can we protect our environment from tourism? A listed building will also come under the care of the planning system, so that its protection will be ensured for generations to come. Buildings of old tend to be built with higher-quality materials such as rare hardwood and wood from primary forests that no longer exist.
Older buildings would also have been built by different standards which may make a century-old building more appealing in the long-term than its modern-day equivalents. Reusing and restoring old buildings almost always has less environmental impact than building new ones. The destruction of buildings result in a large amount of waste from concrete, metals, glass, plastics, wood, asphalt, and bricks etc.
This waste is often disposed of in either landfills or incinerators, polluting the land and air. Plus, the transportation required to remove the waste impacts on the environment too.
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