Creating Historic Preservation In The 21st Century

A must-read for professionals and advocates of historic preservation who are concerned about preservation’s future, this volume is a compendium of powerful essays by thought leaders in the field first presented in 2016 as part of the fiftieth anniversary observation of the US National Historic Preservation Act. Once primarily the concern of historians, antiquarians, and historic architects in the last century, today historic preservation is a popular public movement, a critical component of local land-use ordinances, a regional economic driver, and a significant contributor to the nation’s cultural identity. By any measure, the preservation of the built environment has been a success. However, as demographic, economic, and technological changes alter our future, how will preservation be affected? How will changes in the natural environmental and preservation education change the policies and practices of historic preservation during the 21st century? The contributors here, who are drawn from some of the leading academics and practitioners in preservation, as well as environmentalists, economists and historians, provide answers to these and other questions about the future of historic preservation.

* A practical guide to understanding historic architecture and its preservation * Shows how to analyze and evaluate historic buildings in order to better renovate existing ones and create outstanding new ones * Heavily illustrated with plans, diagrams, and photos

Surveying the past, present and future of historic preservation in America, this text features 15 essays by some of the most eminent voices in the field, essays which highlight the principle ideas and events that have shaped and continue to shape the movement.

"The year 2016 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act, the cornerstone of historic preservation policy and practice in the United States. The act established the National Register of Historic Places, a national system of state preservation offices and local commissions, set up federal partnerships between states and tribes, and led to the formation of the standards for preservation and rehabilitation of historic structures. This book marks its fiftieth anniversary by collecting fifty new and provocative essays that chart the future of preservation. The commentators include leading preservation professionals, historians, writers, activists, journalists, architects, and urbanists. The essays offer a distinct vision for the future and address related questions, including: Who is a preservationist? What should be preserved? Why? How? What stories do we tell in preservation? How does preservation contribute to the financial, environmental, social, and cultural well-being of communities? And if the 'arc of the moral universe...bends towards justice,' how can preservation be a tool for achieving a more just society and world?"--Provided by publishe

"Preserving historic houses. Preserving Colonial-era Georgian to Gilded Age mansions. History of the Preservation Society of Newport County, Rhode Island, 75 years. Conservation of American architecture, decorative arts and landscape design. Fully illustrated account, heritage, architecture and preservation enthusiasts"--

Historic Preservation for Designers offers a comprehensive overview of historic preservation with a focus on historic interiors, historic building materials, and the adaptive reuse of interiors. This text includes a brief history of preservation in the United States, criteria to determine whether a building is historic, a discussion of preservation law, and how to document historic buildings with a focus on design and understanding functional and aesthetic requirements. The text explores issues including building restoration and rehabilitation standards, adaptive reuse principles,and codes and accessibility requirements. Designers will discover timely information on inspecting historic buildings to determine their age and condition as well as the growing relationship between historic preservation, green design, and the environment.

Heritage Conservation in the United States begins to trace the growth of the American historic preservation movement over the last 50 years, viewed from the context of the civil rights and environmental movements. The first generation of the New Preservation (1966-1991) was characterized by the establishment of the bureaucratic structures that continue to shape the practice of heritage conservation in the United States. The National Register of Historic Places began with less than a thousand historic properties and grew to over 50,000 listings. Official recognition programs expanded, causing sites that would never have been considered as either significant or physically representative in 1966 now being regularly considered as part of a historic preservation planning process. The book uses the story of how sites associated with African American history came to be officially recognized and valued, and how that process challenged the conventions and criteria that governed American preservation practice. This book is designed for the historic preservation community and students engaged in the study of historic preservation.

At its most basic, historic preservation is about keeping old places alive, in active use, and relevant to the needs of communities today. As cities across America experience a remarkable renaissance, and more and more young, diverse families choose to live, work, and play in historic neighborhoods, the promise and potential of using our older and historic buildings to revitalize our cities is stronger than ever. This urban resurgence is a national phenomenon, boosting cities from Cleveland to Buffalo and Portland to Pittsburgh. Experts offer a range of theories on what is driving the return to the city—from the impact of the recent housing crisis to a desire to be socially engaged, live near work, and reduce automobile use. But there’s also more to it. Time and again, when asked why they moved to the city, people talk about the desire to live somewhere distinctive, to be some place rather than no place. Often these distinguishing urban landmarks are exciting neighborhoods—Miami boasts its Art Deco district, New Orleans the French Quarter. Sometimes, as in the case of Baltimore’s historic rowhouses, the most distinguishing feature is the urban fabric itself. While many aspects of this urban resurgence are a cause for celebration, the changes have also brought to the forefront issues of access, affordable housing, inequality, sustainability, and how we should commemorate difficult history. This book speaks directly to all of these issues. In The Past and Future City, Stephanie Meeks, the president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, describes in detail, and with unique empirical research, the many ways that saving and restoring historic fabric can help a city create thriving neighborhoods, good jobs, and a vibrant economy. She explains the critical importance of preservation for all our communities, the ways the historic preservation field has evolved to embrace the challenges of the twenty-first century, and the innovative work being done in the preservation space now. This book is for anyone who cares about cities, places, and saving America’s diverse stories, in a way that will bring us together and help us better understand our past, present, and future.