Preservation roundup

1. Hmm, I'm guessing that the case is being made for the Louisiana State Historic Preservation Office to weigh in against the preservation of the St. Frances Cabrini Church in Gentilly in New Orleans, if one reads between the lines of this article from the New Orleans Times-Picayune, "Lieutenant governor enters fray over Cabrini church."

There are letters back and forth in the paper too "Widow misses church" and "Demolition kept under radar?" are pro-preservation, while "To neighbors in Gentilly, debate isn't academic" and "Let damaged building go" favor demolition.

According to my sources on the ground, this debate is very contentious, close to fisticuffs.

Still, doing the right thing, in any event, should be done. If a case is made for a project of special merit (allowing for demolition) then fine, but a case must be made in face of evidence to the contrary, rather than just a rush demolition job. Allowing the Catholic Church to get away with misleading members of the parish, as well as for federal law to be broken with impunity (using federal funds to destroy rather than preserve cultural resources) cannot be justified.

2. Famed writer Tom Wolfe is not happy with the cozy relationship of New York City's Landmark Preservation Commission with developers, according to this opinion piece in Sunday's NYT, "The (Naked) City and the Undead." Also see this blog, Citizens Emergency Committee to Preserve Preservation.
Catholic Church officials say razing the Rochambeau (right) would help highlight the restored Basilica of the Assumption (left).(Baltimore Sun photo by Kenneth K. Lam) Jun 1, 2005

3. I'm somewhat distressed that this article, "Baltimore Basilica reborn," in Preservation Online, published by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, about the restoration of the Basilica in Baltimore, fails to mention the demolition by the Church of the Rochambeau Apartment building.
A giant wrecking claw releases a torent of debris as demolition of the 100-year-old apartment building begins. It will take six weekends to complete the razing.(Sun photo by Doug Kapustin) Sep 16, 2006.

4. I like the idea of teaching children the value of preservation through practice, such as described in this article from the Detroit Free Press, "RENOVATING HISTORY: Detroit students revamp a home at Historic Ft. Wayne." From the article:

The house they were repairing Wednesday is at least 130 years old and sits among rows of similar crumbling buildings with sinking rooftops. But unlike other deteriorating structures in the city, this house casts its shadow over antiquated tanks and cannons, monuments to the days when pre-Civil War soldiers trained in what is now southwest Detroit.

It sits on the site of Historic Ft. Wayne, where 20 construction-trade students from the Detroit Public Schools' A. Philip Randolph Career and Technical Center have been working to preserve the house as well as the fort's 160-year-old wall.

Now that old, empty buildings in downtown Detroit are being renovated into lofts, the project is the kind that could help the students learn restoration skills for good-paying jobs, while bringing luster back to landmarks and historic buildings.

"A lot of construction today is in new housing," said Jim Turner, an instructor. "But there is a very viable career opportunity in historic preservation here in Detroit. And it's a skill that's portable. They can fetch a very decent wage. ... Everybody wins."

The 8-week project, called Preservation Field Study: Building Arts Lab, is funded by a $28,000 grant from the state's Historic Preservation Office.

Would that DC-based construction trades training programs for youth, such as ARCH's Youthbuild program, promote historic preservation. Preservation spends more on labor than on materials, and more money remains within the local economy as a result. (Compare this to the approach of the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild in Pittsburgh.)
Instructor Jim Turner, 58, of Detroit helps Northern High School senior Justin White, 17, of Highland Park fix a windowpane for a 130-year-old house. Students in the program are learning skills that can lead to employment in rebuilding. (MANDI WRIGHT/Detroit Free Press)

Index Keywords: historic-preservation