Thinking Ahead: Forum Members Share Vision for Preservation’s Future

Last June, in anticipation of this issue of the journal, we asked Forum members to tell us about their hopes and dreams for the future of historic preservation. We posed the following question: “What is your vision—your wish—for an ideal preservation world?”

Some three dozen Forum members responded with thoughtfully written emails about their vision for the next 50 years of the preservation movement. Not surprisingly, several common themes emerged.

BROADEN PRESERVATION’S OUTREACH

The need for preservation to broaden its reach and engage new audiences came through clearly in many of the responses. Brittany V. Lavelle Tula, owner of BLV Historic Preservation Research and adjunct professor of historic preservation at the College of Charleston, writes that we need a “young army of motivated, inspired Americans, who not only understand the importance of preservation as seen through historic materials and cultural heritage, but also as it relates to urban planning, community pride and a healthy future for our country.” “Keep [preservation] relevant and necessary!” she says.

Sarah Marsom, historic preservation advocate for the German Village Society in Columbus, Ohio, writes: “[We need] creative and inspiring engagement to catapult unique projects and minority interpretation...Whether we are teaching people traditional trades, promoting tax credits, or advocating for structures to be saved, marketing preservation through new methods that resonate with broader audiences is at the forefront of importance for a positive preservation-focused future.”

Educating all Americans about historic preservation and the tools used to protect our heritage will be important to achieving this goal. Raina Regan, a community preservation specialist with Indiana Landmarks, writes: “With a common understanding of preservation vocabulary, Americans will understand the significance of our built heritage and the importance of its continued use to building sustainable communities.” Jim Bertolini from Carson City, Nevada, agrees. He writes: “I hope the next half century is defined by strengthening the outreach and preservation programs that focus more on why we preserve, not just how.”

Other respondents suggest that we try to do a better job of engaging politicians. Kendra Parzen, a conservation intern working in Washington, D.C., writes: “My hope for the next 50 years is that we will finally be able to convince the majority of politicians to support preservation efforts and incentives. Extensive research clearly demonstrates that preservation is the right move to rejuvenate communities, attract businesses, generate jobs, and foster creative environments…Yet preservation offices and programs are facing cuts across the country! I’d like to see more of the government working with preservationists, not against them.”

EXPAND TRAINING IN TRADITIONAL BUILDING METHODS

Training more people in traditional building trades and crafts will prepare workers for skilled employment, promote greater respect for those specialties and for good stewardship, and make restoration work more affordable. Shown here, a worker tests a mockup of a new cornice section for the 1860 Iron Block Building in Milwaukee.

PHOTO BY MARK DEMSKY, AIA-DENTAL ASSOCIATES.

Several respondents commented on the need to train more people in traditional building methods and crafts. Katie Totman, a recent graduate of the historic preservation program at the University of Texas in San Antonio, says she would love to see more trade-based professionals sharing their knowledge with younger preservationists. Dena Kafallinos, an architectural conservator in San Francisco, hopes that preservationists will spend more time researching technical means and methods to preserve. She writes: “The destruction and sometimes mediocre restorations of historic resources are often due to the fact that historic preservation treatments are still in their infancy.”

“If we make it more affordable to repair historic materials such as windows, homeowners will not be ‘forced’ to replace the historic materials,” writes another respondent. She explains that where she lives, there are only a handful of window restoration specialists, and they charge approximately $1,000 per window for a repair. Many homeowners would not be able to afford that expense, she notes.

Elizabeth Hallas, AIA, an architect with Anderson Hallas Architects in Golden, Colorado, agrees: “Rather than have the latest and greatest zippy ‘green’ products...