PLANNING COMMISSIONERS An Introduction to Historic Preservation Planning How communities are benefiting from local preservation policies. 3 Historic N EWS & I NFORMATION FOR C ITIZEN P LANNERS Preservation is Smart Growth LANNING FOR Why preservation is one — P — of the most important tools in the Smart Growth movement. Historic Preservation 12 Preservation Ordinances FAQ about local preservation ordinances. 14 Preservation Takes Center Stage Bravo! 16 Boosting Local Economies The positive impacts of historic district zoning. 20 PLANNING COMMISSIONERS JOURNAL / NUMBER 52 / FALL 2003 www.plannersweb.com FROM THE EDITOR PRESERVATION PLANNING PLANNING COMMISSIONERS 3 C’s of Preservation 3 An Introduction to Historic Preservation Planning Continuity. In our rapidly changing world, by Amy Facca it is vitally important to preserve our links to the past. Yes, change is inevitable, and it often leads Planning for historic preservation has Champlain Planning Press, Inc. to improvements in our towns and cities. But evolved far beyond saving the homes of P.O. Box 4295, Burlington, VT 05406 rapid change also carries its costs, threatening famous people. As preservation planner Tel: 802-864-9083 • Fax: 802-862-1882 our sense of stability, and our feeling that we’re Amy Facca describes, it now involves the E-mail: [email protected] connected to past generations. Preservation also revitalization of historic downtowns, as plannersweb.com visibly reminds us of how our communities have well as commercial, residential, and even evolved over time. industrial districts. As such, preservation Editor Editorial Coherence. Much of what was built in the has become an important economic devel- Wayne M. Senville Advisory Board 19th and early 20th century worked well as an opment tool. A look at the basics of plan- Larry Frey, AICP “ensemble.” Neighboring buildings comple- ning for historic preservation. Office Staff Bradenton, Florida mented each other, much better than has usually Elizabeth M. Krumholz Lee A. Krohn, AICP been the case in recent decades. Just consider 12 Historic Preservation is Smart Growth Office Manager Manchester, Vermont the typical groupings of commercial buildings by Donovan D. Rypkema that lined – and still line today – Main Streets Margaret Ellis-Green Wayne Lemmon from coast-to-coast. They provide a sense of Why historic preservation is integral to the Kelly Horan Somers, New York coherence to cities and towns, large and small. principles of “Smart Growth.” Assistant Editor Christopher Leo As historian Richard Francaviglia has observed: Winnipeg, Manitoba “Although our Main Streets may have individual 14 Historic Preservation Ordinances: Larry Pflueger Frequently Asked Questions Clearwater, Florida King Leonard, AICP personalities and regional characteristics, they Lompoc, California are instantly recognizable as American.” by Julia H. Miller, Esq. PCJ Columnists Ross Moldoff Creativity. It is not a contradiction to say Perhaps the single most important tool in Salem, New Hampshire that historic preservation values creativity. In local historic preservation efforts is the Elaine Cogan Portland, Oregon fact, there has been much more creativity in the preservation ordinance. Yet these ordi- Christine B. Mueller adaptive reuse of historic buildings than in the nances are often controversial and poorly Michael Chandler Lawrenceburg, Indiana bland character of many new buildings. understood. Answers to some of the most Blacksburg, Virginia Irv Schiffman Preservation has evolved far beyond its early frequently asked questions about preserva- C. Gregory Dale, AICP Chico, California focus on the restoration of historic properties of Cincinnati, Ohio tion ordinances. Bryan Stumpf, AICP famous Americans. Preservation today is Indianapolis, Indiana engaged in questions of how to keep our down- Cover Illustration 16 Preservation Takes Center Stage towns and older neighborhoods vibrant by Paul Hoffman Barbara Sweet by Wayne Senville Hyde Park, New York respecting the past, while fostering infill devel- Greenfield, Massachusetts opment to fill in the gaps. Indeed, developers Over the past two decades hundreds of Ilene Watson and local officials recognize the enormous eco- historic theaters have been reborn. Indeed, Design Kelowna, B.C. nomic benefits that strong local historic preser- one of the most dramatic impacts historic Ned Corbett Lindsley Williams vation programs can yield. preservation can have is through the Ferrisburgh, Vermont Washington, D.C. So put it all together: continuity, coherence, restoration of the grand movie palaces and and creativity. 3 C’s of preservation. opera houses that still stand in the heart of many communities. Subscription Information 20 Preservation Boosts Local Economies Published 4 times/year. Standard Rate: $55/year. Addition- by Ed McMahon al subscriptions mailed to the same address: $10 each/year. ISSN 1058-5605. Postmaster and Subscribers: Send A look at some of the impacts historic dis- address changes to Planning Commissioners Journal, P.O. trict zoning has on tourism, job creation, Box 4295, Burlington, VT 05406. and property values. Editorial Policy Articles and columns contained in the Journal do not necessarily reflect the views of the Journal. The Journal is copyright protected by Champlain Planning Press 2003. Returning in the Winter PCJ: For permission to reproduce or distribute any portion of the Burlington, Vermont’s historic Flynn Theater is just Because of the extended coverage of Journal, contact the Editor. This publication is designed to two blocks up Main Street from the PCJ's office. historic preservation in this issue, we did provide accurate and authoritative information on the sub- not have room for our regular columnists: ject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting Elaine Cogan, Mike Chandler, and or other professional services. If legal or other expert assis- Greg Dale will return in the Winter issue. tance is required, the services of a competent professional Wayne M. Senville, Editor should be sought. PLANNING COMMISSIONERS JOURNAL / NUMBER 52 / FALL 2003 2 PRESERVATION PLANNING An Introduction to Historic Preservation Planning by Amy Facca Across the country there are Charleston, South Carolina, established signs of a renewed interest in our the nation’s first local historic district. communities’ historic resources. Preservation no longer concerned itself Abandoned, vacant, and underutilized just with individual structures, but also historic buildings are being creatively put took into account the historic value of to new use. Neglected, but once spectac- groups of buildings, districts, and even ular, theaters are being restored as new whole communities. performance spaces. Historic residential districts and neighborhoods are being View of President Thomas Jefferson’s home, reinvigorated. As these transformations Monticello. take place, historic preservation is being PRESERVATION IN AMERICA seen as providing tangible benefits to LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, PRINTS & PHOTOGRAPHS DIVISION, FSA-OWI COLLECTION communities large and small. The first interest in preserving his- Many of us have taken time to visit toric structures can be found in the mid- places noted for their historic character, 19th Century efforts to acquire and whether larger cities like Savannah, restore the homes of famous Americans Georgia; San Antonio, Texas; or New like George Washington’s Mount Vernon Orleans, Louisiana, or smaller communi- and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. ties like Natchez, Mississippi; Virginia Beginning in 1927, the scope of historic City, Nevada; Port Townsend, Washing- preservation expanded dramatically with ton; and Quincy, Illinois. Virtually every the start of John D. Rockefeller’s restora- one of us has undoubtedly spent time tion of Williamsburg, colonial Virginia’s pleasantly walking through historic Main capital city. The next, and perhaps most Street and residential districts. The important, step in the preservation appeal of these areas is universal. Reflect- movement was taken in 1931 when ing this, a growing number of communi- ties have been incorporating historic preservation into their comprehensive RUDOLPH SIMON, 1927 MUSEUM OF THE CITY NEW YORK plans, downtown revitalization strate- The main waiting room in New York’s Pennsylvania Station, demolished in 1965. gies, neighborhood improvement plans, and zoning ordi- But major losses also acted to ener- nances. gize the preservation movement. As This article is planning historian Larry Gerckens has intended to provide noted, “The demolition of New York a brief introduction City’s Pennsylvania Station in 1965, one to historic preserva- of the nation’s most magnificent railroad tion planning. You stations, shocked many New Yorkers, as will read about well as citizens across the country. Out- some of the benefits raged by the fact that there was no legal Elaborate iron gates of preservation, and recourse to stop the demolition (the are common in find information on building was privately owned by the Charleston, South how communities AMY FACCA nearly bankrupt Pennsylvania Railroad), Carolina’s, historic are implementing Vacant for many years, the Rice Building in down- New Yorkers responded by enacting later districts. local preservation town Troy, was redeveloped by a partnership of that year a comprehensive landmarks the Troy Savings Bank, Rensselaer Polytechnic preservation law.” See “H is for Historic policies. Resources are also listed for Institute, and