Get Rich by Saving Old Buildings (Or, why is Historic Preservation so smart)....
Saving History & Making Money
Tearing down existing infrastructures, not to mention irreplaceable architecture is not only short-sighted, it's the opposite of "going green." You destroy all the energy that went into constructing the building in the first place, and then you recreate all that energy to build a new building. Beyond that, renovation creates two to five times as many jobs than new construction.
"One might be tempted to compare the recent green wave with the rise of modernism more than a half-century ago. Planners and architects back then didn't just want buildings to look different; they also wanted to change the direction society was headed. The old ways of thinking were outmoded. Yesterday's buildings solved yesterday's problems; new buildings were needed to solve the problems of today and tomorrow. Of course, many people will recall what happened to America's historic fabric the last time we undertook a nationwide revamping of the built landscape. The result was urban renewal, and it left many of our best urban areas in tatters and many of our historic buildings in piles of rubble."
[Wayne Curtis, from Preservation Magazine, Jan/Feb 2008]
Tell us your story!
My credentials?
I am always thrilled to meet comrades in the fight to preserve our past. I have studied and practiced Interior Design and Feng Shui for 16 years. I think my love affair with architecture started at Harvard with my "History of Boston" class. I used to love walking around Boston and regaling my friends with the deep dark history of buildings that we ordinarily walked past.I was also engaged to a guy pursuing his Masters in Architecture at MIT, and I used to do his elevation drawings.
As for me, I went to Massachusetts College of Art and Harvard, so I saw a pretty broad spectrum of opinions and design styles. I've (interior) designed hundreds of homes to date, and have done specific restoration projects on quite a few. Right now, I'm living in an 1895 Queen Anne Victorian in the Bay Area of California, and my office is a 1901 Victorian. I'm in the process of Feng Shui'ing and designing both of them. I've also been a professional photographer, and a graphic artist at various points.
Coming from Boston, I really have no use for anything built much past 1890..... I realize that "true" architecture snobs would probably prefer the cutoff point to be around 1830. I am not that extreme. Furthermore, I LOVE Victorians. Having lived in several spectacular Victorians, I am definitely acquainted with the pleasurable difference between living in a well designed gem, and "a box". I have also lived in Florence Italy, where something built in 1850 is NEW!
I feel quite passionate about preservation, and architecture in general. Toward that end, I offer the following blog to share all the reasons why preservation is so much smarter than tearing down our past.
Table of Contents
San Jose City Hall, before demolition, 1955
Twenty Reasons why Historic Preservation is Smart!
On March 3, 1999, at the National Audubon Society of New York's Conference on Smart Growth, Mr. Donovan Rypkema gave the following speech on the economical benefits of historic preservation.
[Some of the list was edited for brevity]
Reason Eighteen
No new land is consumed when rehabilitating a historic building.2 points
Reason Four
If we are to expect citizens to use their cars less, and use their feet more, then the physical environment within which they live, work, shop and play needs to have a pedestrian rather than vehicular orientation.1 point
Reason One
Public Infrastructure. Almost without exception historic buildings are where public infrastructure already exists. No new water lines, sewer lines, streets, curbs, gutters required.0 points
Reason Two
Municipalities need financial resources if they are going to grow smart. Vacant, unused, and underused historic buildings brought back, to life are also brought back as tax generating assets for a community.0 points
Reason Three
New activities-residential, retail, office, manufacturing-in historic buildings inherently reinforce the viability of public transportation.0 points
Reason Five
Another element in the drive to encourage human movement by means other than the automobile is the interconnection of uses. Based on the foolishness of post World War 11 planning and development patterns, uses have been sharply separated. Historic neighborhoods were built from the beginning with a mix of uses in close proximity. Cities with the foresight to readjust their zoning ordinances to encourage integration of uses are seeing that interconnectivity reemerging in historic areas.0 points
Reason Six
As a strong proponent of economic development, I am certainly glad the phrase is Smart Growth as opposed to no growth. Smart Growth suggests that growth has positive benefits and I would agree that is true.
The encouraged reinvestment in historic areas in and of itself revitalizes and revalues the nearby existing investment of both the public and private sectors.0 points
Reason Seven
We see periodic headlines about some real or imagined "Back to the City" movement.
Certainly people moving back to the core of a town or city of any size have a positive impact on a whole range of environmental goals. In nearly every instance it is back to the historic neighborhoods and historic buildings within the city. We need to pay attention to market patterns, and if it is back to historic neighborhoods to which people are moving, we need to keep those neighborhoods viable for that to hap...0 points
Reason Eight
Smart Growth also implies economic growth means new jobs. But who is creating the new jobs in America? Not General Motors, or IBM, or Kodak. Eighty-five percent of all new jobs in America are created by small businesses. And for most small businesses there are few costs that are controllable, but there is one: occupancy. Older and historic buildings often provide the affordable rent that allows small businesses to get started.0 points
Reason Nine
Business districts are sustainably successful where there is a diversity of businesses. And that diverse business mix requires a diverse range of rental rates. Only in downtowns and older commercial neighborhoods is there such diversity. Try finding any rental-rate diversity in the regional shopping center or the s-called office park. There ain't none. Older business districts with their diverse rents are Smart Growth.0 points
Reason Ten
Let me distinguish new construction from rehabilitation in terms of creating jobs. As a general rule new construction is 50 percent labor and 50 percent materials. Rehabilitation, on the other hand, is 60 to 70 percent labor. While we buy an HVAC system from Ohio, sheetrock from Texas and timber from Oregon, we buy services of the carpenter and plumber, painter and electrician from across the street. They subsequently spend that paycheck for a hair cut, membership in the local Y and a new car, r...0 points
Reason Eleven
Solid waste landfill is expensive in both dollars and environmental quality. Sixty to 65 percent ofmost landfill sites are made up of construction debris. And much of that waste comes from the razing of existing structures. Preserving instead of demolishing our inventory of historic buildings reduces that construction waste. Preserving instead of demolishing our inventory of historic buildings is Smart Growth.0 points
Reason Twelve
Its critics have pointed out that so-called New Urbanism is neither new nor urban. New Urbanist development is fully compatible with the goals of Smart Growth. I would argue that New Urbanism reflects good urban design principles. But those principles have already been at work for a century or more in our historic neighborhoods. The sensitive renewal of those neighborhoods is Smart Growth.0 points
Reason Thirteen
Smart Growth advocates a density of use. Historic residential and commercial neighborhoods are built to be dense.0 points
Reason Fourteen
Historic buildings themselves are not liabilities as often seen by public and private sector demolition advocates, but are assets not yet returned to productive use.0 points
Reason Fifteen
The rehabilitation of older and historic neighborhoods is putting jobs where the workers already are.0 points
Reason Sixteen
Around the country historic preservation is the one form of economic development that is simultaneously community development.0 points
Reason Seventeen
Reinvigorating historic neighborhoods reinforces existing schools and allows them to recapture their important educational, social and cultural role on a neighborhood level.0 points
Reason Nineteen
The diversity of housing sites, qualities, styles and characteristics of historic neighborhoods stands in sharp contrast to the monolithic character of current subdivisions. The diversity of housing options means a diversity of human beings who can live in historic neighborhoods.0 points
Reason Twenty
I'm not opposed to acquiring greenbelts around cities or development rights on agricultural properties. Those are certainly important and valuable tools in a comprehensive Smart Growth strategy. But they only reduce the supply of land to be developed; they do not address the demand for the new use of that land. The conversion of a historic warehouse into 40 residential units reduces the demand for ten acres of farmland. The economic revitalization of Main Street reduces the demand for another st...0 points
Denver's Lost Theater District
From @CPVLIVE at http://forum.skyscraperpage.com
With the rebirth of Denver's new Theater District there has been a lot of recent dialog about the district - both pro and con. Often referenced is Curtis Street which was once known as Denver's 'Theater Row'. I managed to pull together some old photos and commentary that will further describe this piece of Denver history as many folks, even many Denver residents, are completely unfamiliar with it. Apollo Hall was Denver's very first theater and it opened its doors on Curtis Street in 1859 and clearly started a trend. Following the 1881 opening of the Tabor Grand, numerous other theaters sprang up along Curtis Street. The dazzlingly illuminated theatres inspired Mayor Robert Speer's promotional publication Denver Municipal Facts to tout Curtis Street between Fifteenth and Nineteenth streets as "Denver's Great White Way."
Photo Above: The Strand, 1921
The Empress Theater, Denver, CO. Gone.
The Isis Theater, Denver, CO. Gone.
The Princess, 1922. Gone.
Tabor Grand, 1920. Gone.
The Orpheum. Gone.
Center Theater, Denver, CO. Gone.
Denver Theater District. Gone.
And now, for a little good news?
The Amazing Winchester Mystery House
Case Study in Preservation Gone RIGHT!
The Winchester Mystery House, San Jose, California
Sarah Winchester built a home that is an architectural marvel. Unlike most homes of its era, this 160-room Victorian mansion had modern heating and sewer systems, gas lights that operated by pressing a button, three working elevators, and 47 fireplaces. From rambling roofs and exquisite hand inlaid parquet floors to the gold and silver chandeliers and Tiffany art glass windows, you will be impressed by the staggering amount of creativity, energy, and expense poured into each and every detail.
This economically viable masterpiece is now San Jose's most famous building. Talk about adaptive reuse! With a little creativity, many important historic buildings could be saved this way.
Amazing Facts!
Number of rooms: 160Cost: (circa 1884) $5,500,000
Date of Construction: 1884 - September 5, 1922 (38 continuous years!)
Number of stories: Prior to 1906 Earthquake - 7; presently 4
Number of acres: Originally 161.919; presently 4
Number of basements: 2
Heating: Steam, forced air, fireplaces
Number of windows: Frames 1,257; panes approx. 10,000
Number of doors: Doorways 467, doors approx. 950 not including cabinet doors.
"Winchester Ghost on the Stairs"Number of fireplaces: 47 (gas, wood, or coal burning)
Number of chimneys: Presently 17 with evidence of 2 others
Number of cars at her death: 2 (a 1917 Pierce Arrow Limousine & a 1916 4 cyl. Buick truck)
Number of bedrooms: Approx. 40
Number of kitchens: 5 or 6
Number of staircases: 40, total of stair steps - 367
Number of skylights: Approx. 52
Number of gallons of paint required to paint entire home: Over 20,000
"The Winchester Crew"Number of ballrooms: 2 (one nearly complete, and one under construction)
Blueprints available: No, Mrs. Winchester never had a master set of blueprints, but did sketch out individual rooms on paper and even tablecloths
More of my Recommended books from Amazon
Yikes! Urban Planning gone wrong!
The Dey House goes the way of the Buffalo....
Hot Historic Preservation Pages!
- Beautiful Buildings
- A blog about beautiful buildings - ones we've saved, ones that are threatened, ones that have been restored, ones we've lost - it's all here.
- International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture & Urbanism
- INTBAU is a world wide organization dedicated to the support of traditional building, the maintenance of local character and the creation of better places to live. We are creating an active network of individuals and institutions who design, make, maintain, study or enjoy traditional building, architecture and places.
- The Institute of Classical Architecture & Classical America
- The Institute of Classical Architecture & Classical America, founded as two separate nonprofit organizations in 1991 and 1968, respectively, merged in 2002 as a national organization dedicated to advancing the classical tradition in architecture, urbanism and their allied arts. It does so though education, publication, and advocacy.
- Veritas et Venustas
- "Hello, my name is John. I'm a recovering architect."
I like all sorts of towns, cities and buildings, but what I design are Classical buildings and Traditional cities. - Did you know Historic Preservation is "GREEN"?
- Once they're gone, they're gone. All over this country, people are tearing down our past, our communities, and our livelihoods. They are building McMansions, and faceless, gutless commercial buildings, all in the name of the all-mighty dollar. They are mowing down fruit orchards, filling them with concrete, and throwing up condos (pardon the pun).
Chinatown, Los Angeles ~ A shining example of financially viable preservation
Cool Preservation Links
- HGTV's "Restore America"
- HGTV has teamed up with the National Trust to "Retore America". Read all about it here.
- Current Historic Properties for sale through the National Trust
- Review all properties, or narrow the results by state.
- Old House Property Specialists
- They track antique and historic homes for sale in Virginia built prior to 1920 from Fredericksburg to the North Carolina border and from Charlottesville to the Chesapeake Bay including all of the Northern Neck and the Middle Peninsula.
- Historic Property Search
- HistoricProperties.com was conceived by and for historic house lovers. We appreciate older properties for their uniqueness, architectural style, handiwork of earlier generations and oftentimes their location in the historic center.
Welcome History Buffs, Architects, and Building-Huggers of all shapes and sizes!
If you've enjoyed what you've read, please take a moment and go back to the top of the page and give me a "Like".
Thanks for stopping by!
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---Chazz
Nov 7, 2011 @ 10:38 am | delete
- As a decorator who specializes in historic home interiors, a board member of my local landmark and historic societies, and the owner of an 1880 Victorian, I really appreciate the work you've done on this lens. We need to preserve our history and these buildings. Blessings. Your lens has been added to "Wing-ing it on Squidoo," our tribute page to some of the best lenses we've found since donning our wings.
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PamPeterson
Sep 27, 2011 @ 4:04 pm | delete
- Great lens! As a historic home owner I fully support the preservation of these beautiful buildings.
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Ali_Baba
Aug 13, 2011 @ 6:24 pm | delete
- I cannot believe that Denver's amazing theater district fell to the wrecking ball. That is a crime. Thanks for doing this lens. ~ Alison
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Nov 11, 2010 @ 9:48 pm | delete
- Nice lens! Great information. Your readers might also be interested in discount luxury hotels and luxury hotels information. Feel free to visit and leave a feedback!
Good luck!
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EditionH
Aug 21, 2008 @ 12:54 am | delete
- Great lens,I agree the economic reasons for preservation of historic buildings are neglected to often.
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Motocross_Life
Aug 1, 2008 @ 3:43 am | delete
- Your lens should be mandatory reading in architecture class.....
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Jeffreyteta12 Apr 7, 2008 @ 10:36 am | delete
- Wonderful lens. Awesome information about the importance of preservation of old historic buildings and how to make money by doing so. Well try and keep it on. Thanks for your good effort and for sharing. I like this lens and rated 5 stars. Please find an equal important and interesting site about Portable buildings on Portable Buildings If you have time please visit this site to surf more information about Butler Buildings, Garages Buildings, Portable Buildings Plans, Portable Commercial Buildings, Portable Metal Building, Portable Modular Buildings, Relocatable Building, Relocatable Buildings and Transportable Buildings.
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Tiddledeewinks
Apr 2, 2008 @ 3:26 pm | delete
- I love old houses, and agree they should be preserved! Nice informational lens.
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Mar 15, 2008 @ 10:32 am | delete
- nice lens! i found out some good information regarding on preservation of old buildings.I also want to share to you information about electrician house.Please drop by. Thanks!
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Mar 15, 2008 @ 10:32 am | delete
- nice lens! i found out some good information regarding on preservation of old buildings.I also want to share to you information about electrician house.Please drop by. Thanks!
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Bio: I am insanely passionate about old buildings. As a Feng Shui Consultant, I transform relationships, health & finances. I live & work in 1895 & 1901 Victorians.
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Want to help save buildings in your area? Join the National Trust!
Helping people protect, enhance and enjoy the places that matter to them.
- The National Trust for Historic Preservation
- The National Trust for Historic Preservation provides leadership, education, advocacy, and resources to save America's diverse historic places and revitalize our communities.
To join the National Trust, click on the pic above.
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Jennifer is a Feng Shui Consultant and Interior Designer with over 16 years experience, and hundreds of clients. She has designed homes, offices, businesses,... more »
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