Forumjournal Winter 2011 | Vol

ForumJournal winter 2011 | Vol. 25 No. 2

Contents winter 2011 | Vol . 25 No . 2

What If “the Next” Happens Without Us? Mary Means...... 3

Enforcement Methods for Local Historic Preservation Ordinances Benjamin Baccash ...... 10

Habitat for Humanity’s Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative: What It Means for Preservation (WM .) Pepper Watkins ...... 16

Jane Jacobs: Environmental Preservationist Roberta Brandes Gratz...... 26

Recognizing and Protecting America’s Public Murals Will Shank ...... 34

Available in a Historic Building Near You: Local Beer! Trent Margrif ...... 42

What If “the Next” Happens Without Us?

Mary Means

This speech was given at the Forum have nearly always been difficult to make, luncheon at the close of the 2010 National great good has come from them. Richard Preservation Conference in Austin. Moe brought major change and, over his nearly two decades as president, trans- hen I was asked to speak formed the National Trust. Now it is excit- at the annual Forum ing to imagine a woman at the helm! luncheon, I felt honored For our luncheon today, Forum leaders and a touch apprehen- asked me to listen carefully throughout the Wsive. In my three-plus decades of involve- conference, then bring together key themes ment in preservation, which includes more and point ahead to “the Next” Preserva- than a decade on the staff of the National tion. To do so, I’ve attended sessions that Trust, I’ve developed something of a seemed particularly relevant for “the reputation for having strong opinions and Next,” and there have indeed been several for sometimes criticizing the preservation threads that ran throughout the confer- movement. It is a movement I have helped ence, beginning with Stephanie Meeks’ lead, especially through my early work opening remarks all the way through to the developing the National Main Street Cen- final plenary session. A major one is the ter and, later on, heritage areas as a form connectedness of it all: We cannot separate of large-scale preservation. Looking back, preservation from the larger environmental a theme runs throughout my professional issues of our times—climate change and life: making connections—or as I used to sustainability; how we live in balance…or describe the work of my small but mighty don’t. Along with environmental challenges, planning firm, “building bridges between as a nation we are changing—demographi- plans and people.” For it is only through cally and socioeconomically. And Preserva- people finding relevance in preservation tionNation seeks to adapt. that the movement will be sustained, not History has taught us that times of great to mention to grow and widen. change are nearly always filled with societal And over the last three decades the anxiety and stress—a lot of energy is spent preservation movement and the National on trying to fight the change, to bring back Trust have experienced a lot of change the old and familiar, the milieu in which and progress. Though the needed changes we were confident, strong, and able to

The annual Forum Luncheon gives Forum function well. Those whose lives have been members the opportunity to network, celebrate less optimistic and who hope for a brighter accomplishments, and hear important figures future ahead grow restless amid the ongo- in the preservation movement present their perspectives on current and emerging issues. ing rise of individual over community good, photo by pepper watkins the patriotic cries for a return to basics,

ForumJournal winter 2011 3 citing forefathers (never foremothers), places near and dear to us, Places That hijacking and distorting history through Matter to each of us in our own ways. the lens of fear. Just this last year, it was What draws you to be in a leadership role brought to light in Virginia that the state in preservation? Deeply, personally—what education department–approved textbook draws you and keeps you? It can’t be a for fourth graders, Our Virginia: Past and desire for instant gratification, for our Present, wrongly asserts that “thousands of victories large and small all take years of Southern blacks fought in the Confederate struggle and sweat. ranks, including two black battalions under My own path to preservation began the command of Stonewall Jackson.” The in childhood in suburban Atlanta, the author admits most of her research was child of a classical architect who dreamed done on the internet. of the past, who believed the last decent We are in such a period of great change, design was done about 1815. As kids and it has been magnified and given promi- we were dragged to countless Tidewater nence in this mid-term election season. plantations, past dusty shop windows Hundreds of thousands of our fellow in Savannah and Charleston, past much citizens have been gathering today on the more interesting entryways and barkers National Mall in Washington, D.C. [for Jon on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. Stewart’s “Rally to Restore Sanity”] and As I grew up in the 1950s and ’60s, in satellite events in many cities. An odd federal highway and urban renewal pro- moment, indeed, as entertainers cross the grams were getting underway. It’s easy for line into politics, and people so desirous of us sometimes to blame “federal policy” for a change from the present gridlock turn out wreaking havoc with cities. We forget that to be together in shared community. we reap what we sow and that federal policy isn’t made in isolation: It reflects values Founding Roots of the times. Business leaders and officials Here in PreservationNation, we rally to in cities across the country were shaking share our experiences, our passion for the off the burden of the past—the decline of industrial might, the visible reminders of depression and drift. We’d won the war— together. All had pitched in and sacrificed and shared a common sense of purpose. With that confidence we created new ways of living—free of slums and smoke, free of congested streets. We built with confidence. Except for a few of us. We questioned this path to the future that left the past in remnants in landfills and carved dead zones through once thriving if messy neighborhoods. Intuitively drawn to the beauty of Forum luncheon speaker and long-time materials well crafted into humanly scaled preservation activist Mary Means urges Forum buildings and streets, we recoiled in horror members to reevaluate existing preservation practices and paradigms. at the magnitude and pace of the change— photo by pepper watkins the sheer scale of the new seemed not to

4 winter 2011 ForumJournal relate to people. Not only were buildings ing to hear Laura Bush’s story of inspira- being crushed, established communities tion that took place in a Texas courthouse of several generations were being broken whose library opened her world. I think up—the West End in Boston, Treme in my early influence—besides the classi- New Orleans, Jackson Ward in Richmond, cal father—started in Fiske Toy Store, on sections of Kansas City and St. Louis. Peachtree Street in Atlanta, where Mr. The modern preservation movement Fiske patiently treated my siblings and began in earnest in the late 1960s; it tended me like real customers as we bargained to to be made up of young people and a few combine allowances to buy cap pistols or venerable elders. It took the naïve deter- roller skates. Fiske’s building is no longer mination of youth to be bold in the face there, but that seed likely took root and of power. And we were. Gradually, often helped birth the Main Street Project. inspired by the loss of a key landmark, citizens became activists, banded together, and “The Next” Preservation formed countless organizations. Legislation Community was passed that slowed the bulldozers, Fast forward to today, this conference on that brought federal funding for historic The Next American City, Next American building surveys, that created the National Landscape. I was honored to be asked to Register of Historic Places, and that gave participate, to observe and share thoughts rise to more trained professionals in this on where we’ve come, what lies ahead. It new field: historic preservation. Within a has been a wonderful four days. Catching decade, we’d mastered tax law and politics up with old friends, reminiscing around and changed the rules to give old buildings war stories, making new friends—seeing the a chance in the real estate investment play- young faces of the preservationists of today ing field. We’d created standards to guide and tomorrow. Getting a glimpse of how the the rehabilitation of now—today—count- movement has broadened, how it has wid- less historic buildings. ened and embraced elements I couldn’t have I was drawn into this preservation imagined two, three decades ago—just as movement, the fight to beat back the societal values have also shifted. The faces tides of destruction, to build awareness are no longer just white, the hair no longer and understanding in communities It took the naïve determination of youth to be bold rich with architec- in the face of power. And we were. tural heritage. Few if any of us were professionally trained just blue, the garb is no longer just Chanel preservationists. But we knew we would suits or flannel blazers. Rainbow bands are not succeed by preaching to the choir. on many nametags, a sign unimaginable As activists, we knew we needed to forge to this then-closeted lesbian and the many, alliances, to make the case for old build- many unsung heroes and heroines of preser- ings with broader audiences—those who vation who were gay. Think about the role saw the world in real estate terms, in gays have had in preservation: Lacking open business terms—and we did. access to the mainstream, gays were often My own contributions include a focus the first to rehab in distressed neighbor- on small-town downtowns. It was gratify- hoods, places no one else wanted.

ForumJournal winter 2011 5 must embrace, understand, and adapt to in the future is not visible, not as obvious as a threat. And it’s not as easily categorized into boxes of National Significance, State Significance, Local Significance, using our tested definitions. Stephanie Meeks challenged us to make preservation more visible. I agree wholeheartedly, and have been mightily impressed with the breadth of the This Place Matters initiative as an example. In “The Next American Landscape” session, hosted by James Schwartz (right), John Bullard, former More such work is needed and I am confi- mayor of New Bedford, Mass., spoke in favor of the dent that it will come. To me, a great plus proposed wind farm for the Nantucket Sound—an example of an issue with no easy “yes/no” answers. in Stephanie’s presence at the helm is that

photo by pepper watkins she does not come from our movement, thus she is unencumbered by its sometimes Yet at the conference I’ve also been inhibiting paradigms. She brings a fresh struck by how much of our movement perspective from the conservation move- remains the same. Here in the heart of ment, which has been far wider than ours the brown belt—in Hispanic America in its popularization and alliance-building. which was here before Anglo America I was heartened that in her short time and which demographers tell us is the here she’s already been to the Lower East future of America—I have seen few people Side Tenement Museum, the National Trust with brown faces, most wearing Diversity Historic Site in New York City, perhaps Scholar ribbons. I have seen more black my favorite among the hundreds of historic faces, but it is troubling to be in an excel- sites I have visited here and abroad. It is lent session on “Preservation Strategies in a place of little architectural beauty, but Low-Income Urban Neighborhoods” and filled with profoundly moving stories of find the sparse attendance to be largely direct relevance to our own troubled times. people of color. Where are those of us It’s a place with far broader branches into who are white, who need to learn from our present than those that grew from the those who work and live there if we are Mayflower. At the Tenement Museum the ever to understand how to broaden our intangible has been made tangible through values to be more relevant to others? painstaking historical research and bril- A thread that seemed to run through- liant interpretation, bringing out from the out the conference is one that is perhaps dry pages and inanimate objects the very even more challenging than the federally human voices of people, and the stories of fueled bulldozer of old. As preservation- their endurance, sacrifice, and purpose. ists, our lens is automatically set to detect I believe it was Charles Buki in Thurs- the tangible—the place, the building, day’s general session on “The Next Ameri- the object—the visible. Paul Goldberger can City” who quoted Maya Angelou: reminded us at the plenary session of Lewis “People will forget what you said, people Mumford’s observation that “in a city time will forget what you did, but people will becomes visible.” Yet so much of what we never forget how you made them feel.” We

6 winter 2011 ForumJournal need to touch people’s hearts in big ways, those who cite the pristine nature of the my colleagues. Stephanie rightly spoke of sound which will be violated by 400-foot our need for community—a need as primal wind turbines off shore. Here, the vis- as food and water. Community that crosses ible—the landscape/seascape beauty of the boundaries of past, present, and future; sound—belies the invisible—the seriously boundaries of color, experience, suffer- un-pristine condition of the sea itself. And ing, and hope. To grow our movement in here, climate change is dramatically shifting a country whose demographics are fast the delicate balance that has for millennia changing, we must make relevant and visi- nurtured the rich ecosystems that enabled ble neglected truths: not the national myths, human occupation in the first place. but the real stories of America—sometimes And Rob Nieweg, director of the valiant, sometimes shameful, but all part of National Trust’s Southern Field Office, our shared identity, spoken or not. rightly focused on the issues raised by high-power transmission lines. To keep “The Next” Environmental up with the demand for electricity, the Challenges industry is proposing to build many more When I first saw the structure of the con- lines, some hundreds of miles in length. ference and the theme of Friday—“The With their wide right-of-ways, are they Next American Landscape”—I thought, to the preservation movement of the 21st great: There are many huge issues impact- century what the interstate highways ing large-scale landscapes and rural were to the 20th? Picture them cutting areas. I was surprised to find the focus a 200-foot-wide swath across the land, was more narrow, on the issue of renew- inevitably altering traditional landscapes, able energy infrastructure—wind farms intruding into the consciousness of nearby and high-power transmission lines. Yet it residents, of those seeking connection to was a fascinating exploration of a To grow our movement in a country whose difficult dilemma demographics are fast changing, we must make that will become relevant and visible neglected truths: not the national more and more myths, but the real stories of America. important in the decades ahead: balancing the values that nature or history. Imagine, on Maryland’s frame our carefully crafted and codified Eastern Shore, trying to channel the world preservation movement with the actions of Harriet Tubman and her frightened required to adapt to potentially cata- but courageous followers escaping under strophic change—where the evidence so cover of darkness…while one stands far is largely invisible. under a high-power transmission line. John Bullard, former mayor of New There are no easy yes/no answers to Bedford, Mass., first national direc- the questions that must be faced if we are tor of the Federal Office of Sustainable as a species to adapt to the unimaginable Development, and now president of the change that lies ahead. Who among us Sea Education Association, spoke of the can forgo our dependence on electricity— dilemma posed by the wind farm proposed for our economy, our modern medical for Nantucket Sound, fiercely opposed by treatment, our daily lives? And can we

ForumJournal winter 2011 7 conserve and shift human behavior suf- Boston, and river towns in the Midwest— ficiently quickly to adapt without serious and some of the current experience is alarm- changes in infrastructure? ing. Consider this: FEMA provides $750 These questions were amplified for me million to Louisiana to elevate houses. Some by a remarkable session entitled “Heri- 38,000 homeowners, a fourth of whom have tage and Climate Change: Strategies for historic houses, have applied. Amazingly, Adaptation.” It, too, was lightly attended each house requires a separate Section 106 and many people missed this discussion filing. As if that isn’t absurd enough, does of a vitally important issue. Two National elevating them constitute an adverse impact? Trust staff members organized it: Anthony Or should Hurricane Katrina (and soon cli- Veerkamp, director of programs for the mate change) be considered a historic event Western Office, and Patrice Frey, the and the elevation itself evidence of it? You Trust’s sustainability leader. They began guessed it: adverse impact. The waters rise… with an aerial photo of the hometown of while we remain trapped in denial. Anthony’s father in the Netherlands, a I learned that only a handful of local country of deep heritage with perhaps the governments are addressing climate change world’s longest experience in managing and rising sea levels, and the effect on water—the entire country is below sea cultural resources. New York’s PlanNYC level. Yet it took the great flood of 1953, calls for an adaptation task force, and has when some 2,000 people lost their lives in an eight-step process for approaching this one horrific night, for the Dutch to unite daunting problem. Maryland (a state with in the extraordinary effort that has led to an enormous shoreline) is ahead of nearly hardening the country against rising tides. all in terms of assessing impact on heritage Climate change is taking place all sites. At the federal level, the Department of around us. Slowly like the frog in a pot, Defense was cited as the pacesetter in doing we are being heated to the boiling point. exhaustive studies of the potential impact on its enormous We need to learn the language, values, and inventory of historic methods of other movements and to do this with structures. We need openness to changing our own established practices to take this issue and paradigms. very seriously. Preservation has Documentation is clear—photos show played an unsung role in sustainability: We the heart-wrenching loss of glaciers, of helped keep the center of cities from falling coastal Alaskan native villages, and we’ve into further decay. We in the preservation experienced Hurricane Katrina and several movement can be proud of the role we have decades of increasingly wilder wildfires rag- had in saving the hearts of Main Streets, ing in the West. Perhaps because the threat reclaiming neighborhoods in the cores of is so all-encompassing, so overwhelming, cities—the places that because they are now we in the heritage business have done little walkable urbane places are communities to even think about the consequences or to where many, many people, young and old, do any anticipatory planning. want to live…and to which they are return- New Orleans and Louisiana offer ing. This is good for climate change and the valuable lessons to Charleston, New York, environment, and it is good for us to live in

8 winter 2011 ForumJournal compact, energy-efficient walkable places. righteous and legitimate questioners are the This trend is a great start for the 21st cen- unwashed.” Grains of truth? I think so. tury, though we cannot rest on our laurels. We know we need to step back and The very popularity of “living within walk- assess where we are going in a century ing distance” will bring greater investment already dramatically different from how in older urban cores, but it will also put things were even a decade ago. We sense pressure on to increase height limits and that change is necessary, if painful to zone for higher density. Will we be able to navigate. Remember, the Next is going see the legitimacy of the case for change? to happen—with or without us. Can our biggest minds, our most respected and “The Next” Way Forward trusted preservation leaders, be harnessed The challenges of the Now and the Next in the service of helping us develop and involve the need to adapt. We need to learn embrace new paradigms that will serve the language, values, and methods of other preservation well in this radically different movements and to do this with openness 21st century? Can we have the confidence to changing our own established practices to let go of some of our familiar rules and and paradigms. Are the Secretary of the rationales and accept the new, the Next? Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation We must, and I believe we can. I hope sacred when it comes to helping lower- you do too, and that you will return to your income communities save and maintain community, your network of colleagues, their Places that Matter? Can we work even your adversaries across the table with with others to change building forms and a new, fresher sense of what is at stake. codes to allow dense housing near public We who are part of this movement transit to be more accessible to those seek- deeply love a sense of place. Most of us ing to age in place? Can we work with oth- also are in it because we sense that people ers to forge alliances to tackle effectively long for a sense of community, to be con- the daunting challenges of climate change nected with others in the public realm that and the end of cheap fuel, and not just be is the heart of our cities, our towns and the people who say “no”? villages. Never have we more needed com- Michael Dobbins, in his new book mon ground—figuratively even more so Urban Design and People, credits our than literally. Yet we have a lot of pieces to movement for providing some of the first bring back together in a world of frag- sets of rules for “enhancing the character mented, privatized, and isolated interests. of vital or promising urban places.” Yet Preservation can play an important role after citing the good we have done, he in helping return to the basics of place cautions that our practices, particularly the as common ground. To do so, we must Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, “the examine honestly how strongly we hold on guiding federal bible for administration of to the ways we fought the last wars, versus the movement, approval of districts, and the new kinds of wars ahead—where the eligibility of incentives like tax credits, challenges are far more subtle and far less tend to create an ‘either-or’ framework.” tangible than a federal bulldozer. FJ He cautions that this “either-or” character Mary Means is the director of Community can spill into “a kind of ‘them and us’ Initiatives for Goody Clancy, an architecture, dynamic where the preservationists are the urban design, planning, and preservation firm.

ForumJournal winter 2011 9 Enforcement Methods for Local Historic Preservation Ordinances

Benjamin Baccash

hile many communities universally under-funded. The majority still battle to establish of their meager budgets are allocated for some form of preserva- permit review and surveying, leaving little tion legislation, other to no funds for enforcement. One way to Wlocales are working to enhance their greatly supplement the enforcement capa- enforcement of existing laws. By doing so bility of a local preservation authority they hope to further strengthen their pro- is to involve the public. Accordingly, an tection over their community’s already- effective system must be in place to allow designated historic resources. citizens to file complaints of suspected Historic preservation has been declared unpermitted work. a worthwhile cause that is in the best In New York City, for example, interest of society. Over the past half complaints can be filed with the Land- century, historic preservation ordinances marks Preservation Commission (LPC) have been upheld not only by the U.S. by calling 311, a hotline for all city- related inquiries to ensure that local preservation laws are respected and complaints, and upheld, they must be steadfastly enforced. or by completing and mailing in a Supreme Court, but also by the growing downloadable form. To engage the public numbers of citizens who relentlessly lobby more effectively, such systems could be on behalf of historic preservation goals. improved to enable citizens to file their Now firmly established, historic preserva- complaints electronically, via either e-mail tion laws are an integral part of land-use or a web-based interface. This could also regulation. But to ensure that local preser- allow complainants to track the progress vation laws are respected and upheld, they of their complaint, further involving them must be steadfastly enforced. in local preservation efforts. This article, with a focus on practices E-mail and web-based complaint- in New York City and Washington, D.C., filing should be viewed as a minimum examines some ways to enforce preserva- standard. In an article entitled “Phone + tion ordinances that are not commonly GPS + Camera = Revolution” published practiced yet, but that have the potential in Governing Magazine (March, 2010), to be very effective. Stephen Goldsmith, director of the Innovations in American Government Empower Citizen Watchdogs Program at the Harvard Kennedy School Local preservation authorities may vary in and now deputy mayor for operations size and specific duties but they are almost in New York City, explains the great

10 winter 2011 ForumJournal potential of smartphones to help govern- vation ordinance enforcement in D.C. ments serve citizens. Goldsmith describes She attributes this, in part, to the fact how Boston “deployed a free iPhone app that D.C. Historic Preservation Office that allows citizens to use their phone’s (HPO) Enforcement Officer Toni Cherry built-in camera and GPS system to take a wears a badge that identifies her as a photo of urban blights such as potholes, “visible policing authority.” Cherry has graffiti, and trash, and report them developed a reputation as a vanguard of directly to City Hall.” Goldsmith states, preservation law there, badge in hand “Instead of inching its way through City and siren on dashboard. Hall, critical information heads straight It would seem beneficial for both com- [from the citizen with a smartphone] pliance and awareness that all preserva- to a public works crew.” Goldsmith tion agencies actively maintain a presence continues, “The free app…means Boston in the field, including using badges or instantly has more eyes to spot and uniforms to underscore their authority. report problems.” There is no reason why this type of technology could not be Publicize Violations applied to the enforcement of preserva- Another way to increase awareness and tion ordinances. deter violations of preservation regulations Whatever complaint-filing methods is to bring adverse attention to violators. are in place in your particular city or Washington, D.C.’s HPO, for town, they must be adequately publicized. example, posts Stop Work Orders A vigilant public is only able to fully printed in bright colors in highly visible complement the preservation agency if locations on a property that is being citizens know what they can and should altered without the necessary permit(s). do. A well-publicized, clear, easily utilized, In New York City, the LPC issues Stop and technologically up-to-date complaint- Work Orders that have the same legal filing system provides the means for har- authority as those in D.C., but these are nessing public support for preservation. not posted on the building in violation. This difference is key. Though they may Maintain a Street Presence carry the same legal power, the Stop It is also imperative that the regulatory Work Order of D.C. also stigmatizes preservation body maintain a street pres- the property owner as a violator—the ence. Staff members on street patrol can scarlet letter of preservation. detect permit violations, deter people Adverse publicity not only helps to from failing to obtain needed permits for curb non-compliance, it can also influ- planned work, and educate property own- ence the public’s perception of the pres- ers about permitting requirements. ervation agency as a serious enforcer of In Washington, D.C., a proactive the law. This has the potential to foster street presence is maintained and an compliance for a relatively low cost. unofficial monitoring policy is in place. Nancy Metzger of the Capitol Hill Hold Property Owners and Restoration Society, a local preserva- Practitioners Responsible tion advocacy organization, said that But there will always be non-compliant there is a definite awareness of preser- property owners. Many preservation

ForumJournal winter 2011 11 commissions around the country are provided for an increase in communica- able to penalize these property owners tion between HPC staff and contractors, by issuing violation notices and impos- and subsequently improved the latter’s ing fines that accumulate on a daily understanding of the permitting process. basis. Penalizing the property owner, Other local preservation commis- however, may not be the most effective sions could greatly benefit from adopting course of action. similar licensing policies. There are other culpable individuals involved who should be held responsible. Use a Negotiation Process For example, in New York State, licensed Violation notices and fines are not contractors are legally required to notify always effective. Therefore, it is impera- their clients of any necessary permits. tive that preservation commissions While New York City has yet to figure have in-house counsel to negotiate with out how to definitively hold contractors non-compliant property owners. When responsible for violating the Landmarks lawyers initiate a negotiation, it sends a Law, the preservation authority of Aspen, strong message to the property owners Colo., offers a promising approach to in violation that legal action may result this dilemma. from their lack of cooperation. Aspen’s Historic Preservation Com- John Weiss, Esq., deputy counsel mission (HPC) requires a contractor for the New York City LPC, indicated or superintendent to hold a specialty that although legal action is reserved for license for work being done on an the most serious instances of violation, individually designated property or negotiation and the mere threat of legal on a property within a historic dis- action can be an effective deterrent. trict. A specialty license can be earned Weiss also noted that litigation is by passing a test administered by the avoided at almost all costs and only HPC. Contractors who have earned initiated once negotiations have reached an impasse. In Demolition-by-neglect is the most common type other words, if a of civil suit brought by the LPC against a property property owner in owner who fails to maintain his or her property in a violation will- state of good repair. ingly responds to the requests of this license cannot claim ignorance of the regulator and cooperates, litigation what is required of them by the law. would seem to be both an unneces- Even more important, “We can revoke sary and potentially damaging course the specialty license and their general of action to the regulator’s resources contractor’s license,” explained Aspen and its relationship with the regulated. Historic Preservation Officer Amy Guth- Weiss also noted that “the commission rie, “which is a big disincentive for them would prefer that the money the owner to do something wrong.” would have to spend on litigation be “The historic preservation licensing spent on saving the buildings.” program has made a major difference in While neither the most transparent enforcement,” Guthrie said. It has also method of enforcement nor the most

12 winter 2011 ForumJournal binding, negotiation should not be under- Seek Injunctions estimated. Of course, when negotiation Preservation authorities can also seek fails, formal legal action is necessary and injunctions from the courts that require should be pursued. a property owner or operator to undo an unlawful condition or cease work on Pursue Demolition-by- any illegal improvements. For example, Neglect Litigation in 2000, Sushi Samba 7, a restaurant in Civil litigation has become an increas- the Greenwich Village Historic District of ingly common and effective means to Manhattan, applied for a permit from the enforce the Landmarks Law in New New York City LPC to construct an addi- York City. Demolition-by-neglect is the tion atop its one-story building. A permit most common type of civil suit brought was issued but Sushi Samba 7 did not by the LPC against a property owner follow its terms and indeed far exceeded who fails to maintain his or her property them, to its economic benefit. in a state of good repair. Weiss noted The LPC took administrative enforce- that at “any given time the LPC has ment action, which was ignored, and the 45 buildings in various stages of the restaurant attempted to have its as-built demolition-by-neglect process.” addition legalized. The commission denied In what is perhaps the best-known the application, leading the restaurant to demolition-by-neglect case in New York sue the LPC. Realizing it was dealing with City, the court held that the defendant a hostile property owner, the LPC sought had to restore the property, known his- injunctive relief to obligate the restaurant torically as the Skidmore House, to a state to remove the unapproved addition while of good repair. In this case, the property also seeking an award of fines that were owner, who also owned adjacent land, accruing at a rate of $5,000 per day. In intended to amass a larger development an article published in The Villager, a site by neglecting the landmark property. neighborhood newspaper, Mark Silber- The ruling, a huge victory for the LPC, man, Esq., general counsel for the LPC, quashed this devious plan. This decision indicated that the collection of fines was is an empowering precedent that should intended to offset the profits made by the be used to the advantage of preservation restaurant in its use of the additional, ille- agencies around the country in enforcing gal commercial space. The court ordered their landmarks laws. the restaurant to comply with the LPC’s The LPC has filed several other demands. Sushi Samba 7 did not and filed demolition-by-neglect suits that proved an appeal instead. successful. These suits have resulted in Eventually, Sushi Samba 7 signed court orders to restore the structures at an agreement with the LPC to build an issue to a state of good repair as well as approved rooftop addition in place of its settlements paid to the City of New York illegal addition and pay a settlement of of up to $1.1 million. New York City’s $500,000 to the City of New York. LPC vigorous upholding of the Landmarks Chairman Robert Tierney stated, “Our Law through demolition-by-neglect aggressive enforcement of the law has litigation should serve as an example for enabled us to preserve the character of local commissions everywhere. many of the city’s buildings and neigh-

ForumJournal winter 2011 13 laudable but many locales do not have the It took a lengthy legal battle to get the owners resources to act accordingly. of Sushi Samba 7 restaurant in the Greenwich The use of the powers of the Private Village Historic District to replace its unapproved, out-of-scale second-storey addition with this Attorney General offers a legal mechanism more-appropriate one. that has been employed to enforce other Photo by benjamin baccash types of laws, such as anti-trust laws, and borhoods. Our settlement with Sushi has the potential to be effective in enforc- Samba 7 underscores that commitment, ing preservation legislation. The Private and should serve as a deterrent to Attorney General, neither a government those who would knowingly and inten- employee nor a specific individual, is any tionally violate the Landmarks Law.” member of the public statutorily enabled Clearly the pursuit of injunctive relief to have standing in court and authorized can be a strategic course of enforce- to enforce the law. ment, especially against recalcitrant The Private Attorney General is an property owners. independent citizen “who is understood to be suing on behalf of the public, but Explore the “Private doing so on his own initiative, with no Attorney General” Option accountability to the government or the New York City’s use of its courts electorate,” as explained by J.A. Rabkin in to enforce historic preservation is an article published in Law and Contem-

14 winter 2011 ForumJournal porary Problems (Winter 1998). Environ- nent, accumulative financial resource mental laws are enforceable by the Private dedicated to supporting the purposes of Attorney General and, according to D.C.’s local preservation legislation, the Rabkin, this method of enforcement has HLDP Fund, in concept, permits the HPO proven to be a “powerful engine of public to rely less on its appropriated budget policy” in that realm. and have added resources that can be put So could historic preservation ordi- toward enforcement work. This dedicated nances be enforced by the Private Attor- fund is reminiscent of the Comprehensive ney General? While some concerns do Environmental Response, Compensation, exist, the Private Attorney General option and Liability Act, commonly known as holds promise. It ultimately empowers the Superfund, used by the federal Envi- the public to enforce its historic preserva- ronmental Protection Agency to pay for tion ordinance while reducing the The pursuit of injunctive relief can be a cost of enforce- strategic course of enforcement, especially against ment imposed on recalcitrant property owners. already financially strained regulatory agencies. While no cleanup projects. A fund like this could be locale has yet written a Private Attor- established to supplement the budget of ney General option into its preservation any local preservation commission. ordinance, this tool of enforcement has potential and merits further research. Determine Your Best Approach Using a combination of the practices pre- Supplement Enforcement sented in this article will produce a multi- Resources layered enforcement system. While their Many of the practices presented here would implementation will undoubtedly improve require additional funds largely absent the protection of resources already from the budgets of the cash-strapped designated, perhaps more importantly, local preservation agency. If the budgets future designations will be made more of local historic preservation commissions meaningful. Of course, these are general were increased sufficiently to allow for the guidelines; before any of these practices hiring of additional legal and administra- or methods are adopted, your community tive staff, the protections specified in their must carefully assess its current enforce- preservation statute would be more easily, ment system, determine where there are frequently, and qualitatively provided. gaps or deficiencies, then decide on its In Washington, D.C., the HPO’s budget priorities and best approach. FJ may be supplemented by the Historic Landmark-District Protection Fund Benjamin Baccash (M.S. Historic Preser- vation, Columbia University, 2010) wrote (HLDP Fund). The HLDP Fund contains an award-winning graduate thesis entitled amounts appropriated to it, donations “Enforcement and the New York City Land- marks Law: Past, Present, and Future” which or the money resultant from the sale of served as the basis for this article. Baccash is donated real property, interest earned on now a historic preservation researcher, writer, and consultant in New York City and can be its balance, and fines collected as a result reached at [email protected]. For more of HPO-issued infractions. As a perma- information visit www.benbaccash.com.

ForumJournal winter 2011 15 Habitat for Humanity’s Revitalization Initiative: What It Means for Preservation

(WM .) Pepper Watkins

“Habitat for Humanity is only concerned with building new houses.” “Habitat houses are not compatible with historic neighborhoods.” “Habitat is not interested in working with preservation groups.”

ylvia Oberle, executive director (the National Trust published Habitat of Habitat for Humanity of For- for Humanity as a Preservation Partner: syth County, located in Winston- Four Model Projects in 1999), the devel- Salem, N.C., has heard these opment of the NRI has contributed to an Scriticisms of the international affordable uptick in Habitat rehab projects nation- housing builder before. During her presen- ally. Some of these projects have been in tation at “Re-creating a Historic Habi- older and historic neighborhoods or dealt tat,” a session during the 2010 National with existing and historic buildings— Preservation Conference in Austin, Tex., often with the partnership of or input she noted, “We recognize…that there has from preservation commissions, organi- not been the close relationship between zations, and agencies. This trend is likely Habitat for Humanity and preservation to continue, and is consonant with the groups… and we’re hoping to change work other organizations such as Neigh- that.” In fact, she already has. borWorks and Rebuilding Together. Oberle’s affiliate (Habitat’s term for To recognize those efforts and provide its chapters) is on the leading edge of guidance and encouragement to Habitat the Neighborhood Revitalization Initia- affiliates interested in doing similar work in tive (NRI), a major push by Habitat for their own communities, the National Trust Humanity International (HfHI) to provide launched the Habitat for Humanity Preser- local affiliates with the tools to become vation Toolkit on PreservationNation.org more fully realized community develop- in October 2010. The seven case studies ment organizations. In order to reach that and FAQ section featured in the tool- goal, Habitat International is encouraging kit cumulatively offer valuable insight local groups to better align their work to preservationists about the evolving with local needs, tailoring interven- nature of community development work tions for a greater impact than could be and the role they can play in it. Forsyth achieved with new construction alone. Habitat’s recent Cherry Street project Although some local affiliates have per- introduces one possible solution to a set formed rehabilitation work over the years of urban development problems found

16 winter 2011 ForumJournal Three of Cherry Street’s distinctive Y-stair apartment buildings were rehabilitated by The Landmark Group in Winston-Salem, N.C., to create 13 units of affordable rental housing.

Photo by dewayne anderson in other cities around the country, and vacancy, absentee ownership, physical illustrates how the NRI can contribute to disrepair, and an open-air drug market neighborhood conservation as part of a that troubled the area. larger partnership. When Executive Director Sylvia Oberle (Read the full Cherry Street case study joined the affiliate in 2006, she quickly at www.preservationnation.org/resources/ became interested in the Cherry Street habitat-for-humanity/winston-salem-north- neighborhood, but neither she nor her carolina.html.) organization had experience working in a historic context. Habitat Forsyth had Cherry Street Revitalization, constructed a total of 39 homes in the sur- Winston-Salem, n .c . rounding area, but wanted to address the Built on the rapid growth of business in Cherry Street “island of disrepair” between the early 20th century, Winston-Salem’s downtown and Wake Forest University. Cherry Street was a thriving African- After attending community meetings, American neighborhood from the 1930s Oberle realized that a major intervention to 1950s. A diverse collection of housing would be necessary to generate change on types and styles, including the Y-stair the street. Aware of the historic district, apartment building, unique to Winston- she contacted Michelle McCullough, Salem and designed to meet the high historic planner for the City of Winston- housing demand of the period while Salem, to learn more. After a site visit and fitting neighborhood scale, Cherry Street initial conversations, the two began to for- was listed in the National Register of mulate a strategy for intervention focused Historic Places in 2004. This listing was on maintaining affordability, reviving the an offshoot of the city’s 2003 redevelop- original streetscape, retaining historic ment plan for the larger area, itself an fabric through rehabilitation, and con- attempt to combat severe problems of structing architecturally compatible infill.

ForumJournal winter 2011 17 Oberle’s affiliate hired an architecture to rehabilitate six single-family homes one firm experienced in historic rehab work to at a time. Seven noncontributing homes encapsulate this vision in what became the were slated for demolition—to date, only North Cherry Street Master Plan (2009), five have been razed. “Instead of losing a an unofficial but sympathetic update to whole street to blight, we lost…just five the city’s 2003 redevelopment plan. structures,” said McCullough. With the plan complete, Oberle and Habitat planned to use HUD funds on McCullough took a series of steps to its share of the project, triggering Section make the plan a reality. Working with the 106 review through the North Caro- City and the state historic preservation lina SHPO. Oberle and McCullough’s office (SHPO), Habitat acquired houses advanced planning paid off: The state and vacant lots in the area and con- approved Habitat’s design guidelines structed 16 Craftsman-style infill homes for new construction in the historic according to the new plan. The Landmark district (part of the 2009 neighborhood Group, a private company with experi- plan), requiring that the structures to ence developing and managing rehabili- be demolished first be documented, and tated properties, rehabbed four Y-stair that the city reevaluate the neighbor- apartment units to create 13 units of hood’s National Register eligibility after affordable rental housing. The company the project was complete. Oberle and worked with Preservation North Carolina McCullough agreed, and signed a memo- to place a conservation easement on the randum of agreement with the SHPO. buildings. A local real estate agent agreed As of this writing, all 16 of the infill houses are complete and occupied. The Habitat Forsyth acquired vacant lots on Cherry Y-stair apartment buildings have been Street in Winston-Salem and constructed 16 Craftsman-style infill homes that fit the scale of rehabilitated and are being rented. The first the surrounding historic neighborhood.

Photo by habitat for humanity of forsyth county

18 winter 2011 ForumJournal rehabbed single-family home is occupied it was a community development project and the second rehab is underway. Accord- that employed preservation as a strategy ing to Oberle, “Crime and loitering are to highlight and conserve the meaning of down noticeably on the street. Families the district. The meaning is reinforced by spend time on front porches, children play ongoing affordability and a diversity of in yards—none of which took place before.” housing types. Although the Cherry Street revitalization project was innovative for its particu- Why the Neighborhood lar combination of partners, it’s not dif- Revitalization Initiative ficult to understand why it worked. Sylvia Matters for Preservation Oberle understood that her organization The Cherry Street project suggests why had some of the capacity that it needed to Habitat’s new direction might be an impor- effect positive change on the street; where tant development for preservation—an she knew she needed help, she began plan- opportunity for preservationists to both ning early and engaged credible partners reflect on the work they do and to reach with like interests and a shared stake in the out in new directions. project’s outcome. Each contribu- A conscious decision [was made] to take a tor played to its step back, assess the neighborhood’s historic and strengths: Habitat community contexts, and build a partnership capable built homes that of satisfying some of the place’s bigger needs. fit the neighborhood and found people who wanted to live First, and most simply, preservation in them. McCullough advocated for the has an important role to play in commu- historic integrity of the neighborhood and nity development. Nowhere is this clearer worked in the spirit of the City’s existing than the Main Street program, which redevelopment plan. The Landmark Group fundamentally understands and values the completed four rehabs according to the investment, utility, and social and cultural Secretary of the Interior’s Standards (and value wrapped up in the built environment offset costs by earning rehab tax credits). of the American downtown. But for all the Notably, Habitat helped strengthen the success of Main Street, preservation lacks a neighborhood without actually perform- corollary vehicle for revitalizing the residen- ing rehab work—all of its houses were tial neighborhood. Historic districts (and compatible new builds. The principal neighborhood conservation districts) are difference, then, between this project and part of the solution, but such designations the traditional Habitat model was the con- cannot accomplish this alone. scious decision to take a step back, assess To those engaged in community devel- the neighborhood’s historic and com- opment, preservation can provide wisdom munity contexts, and build a partnership about identity and cultural history; about the capable of satisfying some of the place’s role of architectural, urban, and neighbor- bigger needs. No single party could have hood design; and, not least, about funding achieved these ends alone. streams and technical assistance. Preservation Cherry Street was neither a preserva- groups that develop partnerships with Habi- tion nor affordable housing project alone; tat affiliates have the opportunity to take the

ForumJournal winter 2011 19 guesswork out of rehab and revitalization, impact on existing and historic neighbor- but also to extend and leverage their own hoods. Habitat works through 1,500 affili- resources more effectively, particularly when ates in the U.S. alone, each of them equipped they lack capacity for bricks-and-mortar to identify and partner with low-income projects or investment in real estate. working families, originate loans, and deploy Second, despite many notable examples, volunteer construction crews to build and historic preservation has failed to approach rehabilitate housing. Despite the specialized its potential to contribute to affordable financial instruments of combinable historic housing creation at a national scale or in rehab and low-income housing tax credits, proportion to available building stock. It is affordable housing preservation projects are widely documented that historic preserva- a relative rarity. This is in part because those tion and affordable housing are often an tax incentives work best at a large scale, so intuitive, economical, environmentally and smaller projects have only isolated appeal. culturally sustainable symbiotic pair.1 But Habitat’s model of using volunteer labor on for a variety of reasons, including prob- typically single-family homes helps to break lems of scale, delivery mechanisms for this the financial barriers that might otherwise special kind of community development impede small-scale neighborhood interven- cocktail are still maturing. tion, which generates the kind of consistent As Donovan Rypkema pointed out incremental change than can become cumu- in “Historic Preservation and Affordable latively transformational. Putting “afford- Housing: The Missed Connection” (Forum able preservation” realistically into play at Journal, Spring 2003, Vol. 17 No. 3), “We the neighborhood scale—through Habitat have to find ways to reinvest so that exist- or otherwise—should be a central goal of ing neighborhoods are stabilized.” HUD’s preservationists’ work. Neighborhood Stabilization Program, cre- As an ancillary benefit, this approach ated in 2008, puts the force of 3.92 billion compliments preservationists’ efforts federal dollars behind this goal. With federal to recognize and protect places that are important to local Habitat for Humanity is uniquely poised to make communities but an impact on existing and historic neighborhoods. where a lack of high architectural merit housing policy coming into closer alignment can impede traditional preservation meth- with the stabilization of existing neighbor- ods. Older and historic neighborhoods, hoods—and funneling money to local many of them modest working-class places, governments—preservation can join Habitat often fall into this category. for Humanity in retooling for rehabilitation and community development work. The The Role of the Economy infrastructure of preservation in this country Not surprisingly, the economic downturn is built in large measure upon partnerships; is having an impact on the way that Habitat here is an under-explored partnership that groups do business. For several affiliates, can provide the preservation network with it has actually influenced the decision to access to work that it is born to do. undertake a preservation project: Third, and related, is that Habitat for ZZ In mid-2007, after its new construction Humanity is uniquely poised to make an pipeline was diminished by the lagging econ-

20 winter 2011 ForumJournal Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County (located in Bridgeport, Conn.,) rehabilitated a block of rowhouses into 12 affordable, handicapped-accessible condominiums using state historic homes tax credits.

Photo by shawn kravich omy, Habitat for Humanity of Coastal banks seeking to dispose of properties that Fairfield County (located in Bridgeport, have gone into foreclosure. In 2009 Habitat’s Conn.) undertook the rehab of a historic rehab of a 100-year-old brick shotgun house, seven-unit block of attached Queen Anne sponsored by Citibank, won a “Top Ten rowhouses that had fallen into severe dis- Preservation Successes” award from Preser- repair and was in imminent danger of con- vation Louisville. demnation and demolition. Working with ZZ In 2010 Habitat for Humanity of Kent local and state preservation officials and County, Mich., located in Grand Rapids, began a large volunteer force over nearly three rehabbing the first of five homes in the Wealthy years, the affiliate developed the building Heights National Register district, a neighbor- into 12 affordable, handicapped-accessible hood troubled by vacancy and blight. The condominiums and in the process earned affiliate acquires properties for rehab through $350,000 in state historic homes tax cred- Dwelling Place, a local housing organization, its, which it sold to offset project costs. and First Look, a Fannie Mae program that The project was cost-competitive with a enables potential owner-occupants and organi- new build of equivalent size. zations such as Habitat to have an advantage ZZ In 2007, after having refused as many in submitting offers on Fannie Mae–owned as two to three donated houses per year, foreclosed properties. Habitat of Kent County Habitat for Humanity of Greater Lou- estimates that rehab costs, including full lead isville (Ky.) undertook its first rehab on and asbestos abatement and LEED certifica- a donated, partially burned, structure. tion—which it pursues as a matter of policy on Twenty rehabs later, the affiliate contin- every project—are roughly equivalent to the ues to accept donations, principally from cost of new construction.

ForumJournal winter 2011 21 Each of these three stories has three important elements in common. First, economic conditions contributed to a new approach to project selection, and historic neighborhoods (designated or not) were the focus by default. Second, the affiliates recognized that there was a high cost of inaction: If they didn’t take the project, either Preservation Louisville awarded a “Top Ten something important would be lost or Preservation Successes” award to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Louisville, Ky., for its the larger work of the organization restoration of a 100-year-old shotgun house. would be thwarted, or both. Photo by habitat for humanity of greater louisville Third, affiliates saw the rehab projects as the means of stabilizing and improving properties as cheaply as possible; secure the the communities where they work. volunteer support of architects, engineers, and other subcontractors; become certi- New Considerations fied in lead abatement themselves; find or for Habitat train skilled volunteers passionate about preservation; find federal funds; partner Added Costs and Time with preservation groups; and budget for It is undeniable that preservation imposes surprises. When possible, they take advan- real monetary costs on Habitat affili- tage of state and federal tax credits. ates—but so does new construction. The In Bridgeport, Grand Rapids, and more these costs can be understood and Louisville, each affiliate’s executive direc- anticipated, the more comfort affiliates are tor acknowledged during interviews that likely to have with the process of rehab. rehabs are generally cost competitive with The organization’s financial model is new builds. The rehabs take longer, though, to provide partner families with houses at and for those that are new to the process, cost, and to finance them with a zero- the learning curve for staff and volunteers percent loan. On rehab projects, as with is steep. Depending on circumstances, there new builds, the goal is to keep costs to can be additional layers of city and state a minimum because expense overruns regulation (design review, Section 106, lead are ultimately passed on to the family paint abatement), and sometimes outside that purchases the home. This is also a contractors are required for specialized reason why rehabs can be challenging for work (such as repointing masonry). affiliates: The process of building new is Prior to rehabbing, affiliates often see characterized by known costs, standard these issues as opportunity costs: factors plans, and simple methods. Each rehab, that prevent the largest number of people on the other hand, is unique, and it can be from being housed in the least amount difficult to estimate final project costs dur- of time. After completing rehab projects, ing early stages due to unanticipated issues affiliates often see their achievements as that can arise. matters of growth and capacity-building Affiliates have different ways of for their organizations, and quality-of-life offsetting these costs. They acquire rehab gains for their partner families. This might

22 winter 2011 ForumJournal mean fewer roofs in equivalent time, but and decorative features in addition to the recognition has grown that maintain- meeting the exterior standards set forth by ing a neighborhood’s cultural landscape the City’s Architectural Review Commis- also matters greatly: the streets and fences, sion. In one case, construction volunteers the neighbors and activity, the occupancy painstakingly refinished a pair of original and the affordability, the church, school, interior wooden doors by hand, taking and corner store nearby. pride in the preservation of an original element and preventing the need to invest Treatment of Interiors in an incompatible new one. Even when cost-saving measures can For some preservationists, even New- be taken for rehabs, affiliates often find burgh’s approach to interiors might not be themselves making the decision to preserve enough, but from a public policy stand- the exterior of a building (perhaps to point, it’s difficult to ask for anything comply with historic district regulations or more. The Architectural Review Commis- a programmatic agreement) while making sion’s jurisdiction ends at the front door, very different decisions inside. Concentrat- and only in rare cases does Section 106 ing their efforts on a building’s exterior at come into play. Even then, there may be the expense of the interior may be seen by no review of interior work. affiliates as a necessary trade-off. Even though Habitat should be encour- Interior treatment necessarily varies by aged to accept some level of stewardship project and affiliate, but affliates work- obligation for interiors, particularly when ing with older and historic houses will acquiring property cheaply from a city sometimes strip interiors back to the studs, (and legislation or covenants requiring exposing original framing and removing this could be explored). But a preservation original features. The reassembled plans are group in a position to invest in a bricks- sometimes simplified and resemble interiors and-mortar partnership project should be in Habitat’s new builds: plain sheetrock willing to ask itself how much preservation walls, simple contemporary kitchens and it expects for the money when other social bathrooms, standard-height ceilings. or economic goals are in play. A major Habitat affiliates elect to modify investment in the building’s exterior—what interiors for a number of reasons, ranging the public actually sees and over which from the poor condition of existing struc- the city has jurisdiction—at least returns a tures (water infiltration, mold, termite lost property to the tax rolls and makes a damage) to the need to clear the way major visual (not to mention psychologi- for larger, coordinated and systematic cal) impact on the neighborhood. changes (lead and asbestos abatement, HVAC and electric updates, energy star Design for Compatible Infill and LEED modifications). As in Winston-Salem, some Habitat However, the practice of modifying affiliates will want to intervene at a larger interiors is neither universal nor univer- neighborhood scale by building multiple sally unfriendly to preservation. Habitat units of infill housing. A similar process is of Greater Newburgh, New York, has underway in Newburgh, where the affiliate done a remarkable job of preserving is redeveloping a vacant area with architec- original floor plans, woodwork, floors, turally compatible attached rowhouses.

ForumJournal winter 2011 23 In both Winston-Salem and New- Action Steps for Preservation burgh, the affiliates worked with local Partners architecture firms to develop context- These initial successes have the potential sensitive infill designs. On Cherry Street, to generate others, and the potential to the SHPO approved those designs in the generate a new culture at Habitat—per- Section 106 review process; in Newburgh, haps with some luck, maybe even a the Architectural Review Commission preservation ethic. With the economy approved the infill as well. and mindset of the NRI pushing affiliates But not every affiliate will be obli- toward rehab work in existing and historic gated by historic district design review, neighborhoods—and with federal dollars and not every affiliate will recognize the often playing a role—this creates several importance of design, site plans, neighbor- imperatives for preservation. hood planning, and design guidelines. First, pursuing National Register list- In the Weinland Park neighborhood of ing of older and historic neighborhoods Columbus, Ohio, Columbus Landmarks should continue to be a priority. The (a citywide organization) helped facilitate historic rehabilitation tax credits unlocked a dialogue between the community and by listing provide both a major incentive the local Habitat affiliate, which wanted for rehab work (as in Bridgeport) and an to construct infill in the area but met with assurance that it will meet the Secretary residents’ resistance to standardized plans of the Interior’s Standards at the level that they believed wouldn’t blend with of the individual building and larger existing housing (most of the area was not neighborhood. designated in any way). Second, statewide and local preserva- Realizing there was a lack of common tion organizations and city planning and language between the neighborhood, preservation departments should be aware Habitat affiliate, and architects, Colum- of Habitat’s new direction and take the bus Landmarks began by photographing initiative to engage early in projects where preservation could statewide and local preservation organizations play a role. Criti- and city planning and preservation departments cally, some Habitat should be aware of Habitat’s new direction and take affiliates may not the initiative to engage early in projects. be aware of the relationship between existing building stock and using the National Register listing and federal funds images to help develop a shared con- (which can come through local channels), cept for improved infill design. After an particularly in early stages when planning is iterative joint process of improving the crucial. This link needs to be clear. plans, the Columbus Foundation (a local Third, preservationists should be philanthropy) donated a per-house stipend equipped to help Habitat affiliates to cover final design costs, resulting in six understand the special role of design in house plans that all parties agree fit into neighborhood conservation, especially in the neighborhood. Habitat is now model- undesignated neighborhoods. If they have ing its approach in other parts of Colum- the capacity to offer financial and techni- bus after the Weinland Park process. cal assistance in these kinds of commu-

24 winter 2011 ForumJournal had discretion over how the money was spent, and served as an advisor to the Habitat construction team throughout. The City of Charleston’s one-third share channeled HUD HOME funds directly to the project. Fourth, in those cases in which buildings are threatened with demolition or other risks such as abandonment and neglect, city agencies and preservation organizations should consider engaging Habitat for Humanity affiliates as potential developers. As in Bridgeport, Habitat groups may ultimately have the capacity to succeed where others might fail. These projects in Bridgeport, Charles- ton, Grand Rapids, Louisville, Newburgh, Weinland Park, and Winston-Salem have shown that Habitat isn’t only concerned with building new houses, that Habitat houses can be compatible with historic neighborhoods, and that Habitat can be interested in working with preservation groups. But they cannot do it alone. In a three-way partnership with Charleston Habitat for Humanity and the City of Charleston, Historic In coming years, many of the 1,500 Charleston Foundation funded the exterior Habitat groups in the U.S. will begin preservation work on this 100-year-old-home, and so had discretion over how the money was spent. rehabilitation, repair, and weatherization photo by charleston habitat for humanity work on existing buildings nationwide. In addition to people, this work will have a nities, citywide and local preservation lasting impact on bricks, windows, roofs, groups should look for partnership. For streets, and neighborhoods. It is criti- example, in Charleston, S.C., citywide cal that preservationists understand the nonprofit Historic Charleston Founda- challenges and opportunities that these tion recently partnered with Charleston projects will present, and that they con- Habitat and the City on the rehab of a tinue to find ways to offer partnership, 100-year-old vernacular home. A pro- resources, and guidance in the process. FJ grammatic agreement codified treatment Pepper Watkins is special projects manager of the house, which lay outside of the for the Partnerships Office at the National Old and Historic District. In that three- Trust for Historic Preservation. 1 see the National Park Service’s Affordable way partnership, Historic Charleston Housing Through Historic Preservation: A Case provided $60,000 from its Neighborhood Study Guide to Combining the Tax Credits; Fannie Mae Foundation’s Historic Preserva- Impact Initiative to pay the cost of exte- tion and Affordable Housing: Leveraging Old rior preservation work; as a one-third Resources for New Opportunities; and the Bipartisan Millenial Housing Commission, partner in the project, the organization Meeting Our Nation’s Housing Challenges.

ForumJournal winter 2011 25 Jane Jacobs: Environmental Preservationist

Roberta Brandes Gratz

reservationists make good envi- amount of land devoted to blacktop, limit ronmentalists; environmentalists sprawl, regenerate pedestrian-oriented places, do not make good preservation- or rebuild communities. ists. Preservationists understand LEED (Leadership in Energy and Envi- Pconservation must cover more than build- ronmental Design) is the privately created ings; environmentalists often don’t see the standard by which the design/build industry same connection. Environmental conserva- rates levels of green construction. However, tion should include both the natural and it can be misleading. A LEED gold-rated built environment, since they are inex- Wal-Mart is still environmentally destruc- tricably linked. Upgrading and recycling tive because of its siting in a greenfield and functional buildings can be the highest its car dependency. In fact, a green Wal- form of environmental conservation, green Mart is an oxymoron. building, or sustainable development. New energy-saving green buildings, with This is a fundamental lesson of Jane all the latest technology bells and whistles, Jacobs and, as an urbanist, this is also what are the current fad of new construction. I see. Everything is connected, interdepen- But the new is valued at the expense of dent, part of a complex web that is not the often still-functional old. The value easy to recognize but is, nevertheless, the calculation for the new should be measured hallmark of urbanism. Nothing is “siloed.” by a formula that gives appropriate value Yes, an increase in wind energy would to what is being lost. It is hypocritical to be great; but windmill siting can devastate give a developer LEED points for recycling natural and built landscapes and under- elements from a demolished, highly reus- water aquatic life. The roads, the power able historic building without taking points away for demolish- The kind of observation Jacobs encouraged was ing that building in to understand how cities actually work—no theories, the first place. And no ideologies, no fixed assumptions. it is ludicrous to give a comparable lines, and the infrastructure needed to number of points for saving a building and connect windmills to the grid can be highly installing a bike rack. destructive of the natural environment, to These are the kind of connections made say nothing of birds, bats, and fish. when the “web thinking” of Jane Jacobs Impacts must be weighed. is applied. The kind of observation Jacobs Yes, more electric cars and hybrids will encouraged was to understand how cities help clean the air we breathe, but it won’t actually work—no theories, no ideologies, do anything to tame traffic, minimize the no fixed assumptions. Observation reveals

26 winter 2011 ForumJournal the inextricable connections. Nothing is EcoTrust created new business models one-dimensional. Again, nothing is siloed. inspired by nature itself, integrating social, Public discourse sometimes recognizes economic, and conservation principles. It that embodied energy of standing struc- established the first environmental bank tures exists. But where is the calculation and started an ecosystem investment fund. of its loss? How do you weigh the energy- The headquarters building is a veritable consuming production of new materials gathering place for conservation-minded against the energy-saving conservation programs and includes private and non- of old ones? How do you measure the profit environmental-based tenants. Jane negative environmental consequences of was an enthusiastic supporter of EcoTrust, innumerable truck trips for removal of a rare case in which she agreed to serve on debris? How do you measure the bal- a board. I had the privilege of touring the looning content of landfills? How do you building with Jane in 2004, not long after it measure the loss of materials, some of opened. It could not have pleased her more. which are no longer available, like wood What I observed pleased me as well. I am from old growth forests, the cypress and a passionate historic preservationist, but I barge board commonly used in old New recognize that some grand old buildings—cer- Orleans houses, or the horse hair used tainly not all—can be enhanced in the hands for insulation in threatened old theaters? of a skillful contemporary architect, particu- How do you measure the need to import larly an environmentally committed one. material from afar in contrast to greater EcoTrust converted an ordinary 1895 reliance on local suppliers? And how Portland warehouse into a model “green” do you measure the cultural diminish- building, preserving much of the exte- ment when the demolished building is an rior and interior elements while inserting important historic landmark? innovative energy and water saving systems, recycling or reclaiming 98 percent of its EcoTrust: Model Stewardship construction waste, and earning the first Not all environmentalists make poor LEED gold rating for a restoration. This preservationists. Some—though not the conversion would probably not have quali- majority—recognize both the environmen- fied for preservation tax credits based on tal opportunity and the aesthetic appeal of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for standing old buildings, whether architec- historic buildings, but many old buildings turally unique or not. The premier example don’t warrant slavish restorations. Con- of this is EcoTrust, whose headquarters versely, many historic landmarks should building is in Portland, Ore. EcoTrust was not be subjected to this kind of overhaul, founded in 1991 on the principle that good respectful as it may be of their original stewardship of the environment goes way character. Some landmarks are indeed too beyond cutting our dependency on foreign important for details to be lost; however, oil. In fact, EcoTrust was founded to pur- it should certainly be recognized that most sue a new type of economic development— standing buildings, whether historic land- conservation-based development—that marks or not, have a head start in convert- recognizes the kind of connections Jacobs ing to a green structure compared to any made between nature, community, and newly built ones. Landmark treasures, such what she called “reliable prosperity.” as Abraham Lincoln’s ancestral home or

ForumJournal winter 2011 27 the Empire State Building, usually can be ment timbers from demolished buildings. environmentally upgraded. One Long Island City woodworking firm restored the 154 benches and another Eldridge Street Synagogue: restored wood window frames and doors. Conservation and Localism And that is just the start. Another great example is the award- The attic insulation is recycled blue winning restoration of the 1887 Eldridge jeans. The bathroom stall partitions are Street Synagogue, the largest restoration recycled plastic milk jugs, and the sink in New York City of a historic landmark countertops are made with recycled glass, that is not affiliated with an institution, mostly soda and beer bottles reprocessed government agency, or private develop- at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Virtually ment. It is a green building at a higher every material element found in the dete- standard than LEED yet acknowledges. riorated building remains, a fundamental Conservation, localism, and recycling goal from the start of this rescue effort in are essential to true green building and sus- 1986, when water was pouring through tainable development. The Eldridge Street the roof, pigeons nested in the ceiling, Synagogue is a star example. The whole and dust was so thick on the pews that city, not just the building, benefited eco- initials could be left clear as day. Elements nomically, socially, and culturally from the that couldn’t be restored were replaced in restoration in both temporary and perma- kind with recycled material. nent ways. The synagogue now functions both as a continuing place of worship and A Vibrant Mix of Old and New distinctly as the Museum at Eldridge Street. As a rule, 60 to 70 percent of rehabilita- The localism aspect is, in many ways, tion costs go to labor and the rest to the most interesting and least understood materials, many of which can come from benefit of historic preservation. For the nearby salvage. That ratio is reversed for synagogue, three high-skill New York City new construction. firms—one in DUMBO (Down Under When Jane fought the Lower Manhat- the Manhattan Bridge Overpass), one in tan Expressway that would have wiped Staten Island, one in Williamsburg, Brook- out Little Italy, Chinatown, and what is lyn—restored the 66 stained glass win- now SoHo, she understood not only the dows. A Williamsburg firm with 10 to 14 destructive environmental, social, and economic conse- The essential truth is that preservation is the first quences the plan and most fundamental step of green building and good would bring to the environmental stewardship. city, but also the positive envi- Brooklyn employees restored the 237 intri- ronmental, social, and economic conse- cately detailed brass fixtures and 75-bulb quences of allowing the existing district chandelier. A Manhattan-based firm to reinvent itself. The positive results both used 45 of their mostly Brooklyn-based in conservation and historic preservation skilled artisans to conserve and restore the terms are beyond measure. exquisitely detailed interior paint work. A This was back in the 1960s, and Brooklyn salvage firm provided replace- she also made the inextricable link that

28 winter 2011 ForumJournal green building and good environmental stewardship, even if not recognized as such in the LEED rating system. In the Jane Jacobs lexicon, it was that and more. Pres- ervation is essential to a vibrant, economically viable, stable, and diverse city. The Jacobs’ quote “Old ideas can sometimes use new buildings. New ideas must use old buildings” is well known. But consider what she said leading up to that quote: Cities need old buildings so badly it is probably impossible for vigorous streets and districts to grow without them. By old buildings I mean not museum-piece old buildings, not old buildings in an excellent and expensive state of rehabilitation—although these make fine ingredients—but also a good lot of plain, ordinary, low- value old buildings, including some rundown old buildings... If a city has only new buildings, the enterprises that can exist there are automatically limited to those that can support the high costs of new construction. She then observes the uses that are made of new and old buildings: Chain stores, chain restaurants and The Eldridge Street Synagogue, which won a National Trust Honor Award in 2008, functions banks go into new construction. But as a place of worship and as the Museum at neighborhood bars, foreign restau- Eldridge Street. rants and pawn shops go into older Photo by Kate Milford, courtesy Walter Sedovic Architect, Irvington, N.Y. buildings…Well subsidized opera and art museums often go into new build- the health of everything in the built and ings. But the unformalized feeders of natural environment starts with transpor- the arts—studios, galleries, stores for tation. It was the car-comes-first era, a musical instruments and art supplies, mindset she criticized from the beginning. backrooms where the low earning At the heart of all her advocacy for walk- power of a seat and a table can absorb able, vibrant streets was the fundamental uneconomic discussions—these go need for the critical infrastructure ele- into old buildings… ment of a viable transit system. As usual, As for really new ideas of any kind— she was ahead of the times. no matter how ultimately profitable The essential truth is that preservation or otherwise successful some of them is the first and most fundamental step of might prove to be—there is no leeway

ForumJournal winter 2011 29 The restoration of the 1887 Eldridge Street Synagogue in New York demonstrates the “localism” benefits of preservation projects. Local contractors were hired to carry out the restoration of the stained glass windows, wood windows and doors, and interior paint and fixtures.

photo courtesy Walter Sedovic Architect, Irvington, N.Y.

for such chancy trial, error and (where appropriate) in place of old build- experimentation in the high-overhead ings, what she called “infill.” She saw new economy of new construction. buildings as the latest layer of an organic, Old ideas can sometimes use new evolving city; however, this presupposed buildings. New ideas must use old that the existing area was not wiped away. buildings. (Jacobs 1961, 187-188; “Adaptations, ameliorations and densi- italics added) fications,”—that was what made for a This doesn’t mean she was against healthy changing urban fabric. new buildings; she just understood way ahead of most people that most kinds of Diversity and “Organized old buildings are flexible and adaptable Complexity” for new uses. Years ago, when Westbeth Her words here reflect another basic [artists’ housing in New York City] was Jacobs’ tenet: the essential need for diver- still new, I remember her marveling at the sity. Diversity in Jacobs’ terms, it must creative conversion of the old Bell Labs be noted, is not the same as “mixed-use” into an artists’ cooperative combining live/ in planners’ and developers’ terms. An work, exhibition and communal spaces. all-new development with the so-called She admired Richard Meier’s design: “The mix of uses that includes residential, com- building spoke to him,” she observed. mercial, and retail falls into the category The place for new buildings, she Jane refers to as “economically too argued, was alongside, in between, or limited—and therefore functionally too

30 winter 2011 ForumJournal limited to be lively, interesting and conve- preservation law, even though New York’s nient. Flourishing diversity anywhere in was a few years away when she wrote it: a city means the mingling of high-yield, Zoning for diversity must be thought middling-yield, low-yield and no-yield of differently from the usual zoning for enterprises” (1961, 188). conformity, but like all zoning, it is sup- Today this is heresy in cities that wor- pressive. One form of zoning for diver- ship new development in the mistaken sity is already familiar in certain city belief that it will work as an urban regen- districts: controls against demolition of erator. True new economic development historically valuable buildings. Already follows organic regeneration; it does not different from their surroundings, these cause it. Real estate development follows are zoned to stay different from them. economic development; it does not cause it. (Jacobs 1961, 252-253) The diversity Jane considered so critical She notes that a slightly advanced cannot be achieved in newly manufactured development of this concept was proposed communities or districts. She had little by Greenwich Village civic groups for patience for highly touted, newly minted their area and adapted by the city in 1959. so-called “new traditional places,” whether Height limits were drastically reduced, billed as transit-oriented, pedestrian- making sure that “lower buildings remain- oriented, or mixed-use oriented, especially ing could not be further replaced by when such districts were inserted like a The diversity Jane considered so critical cannot patch in city areas be achieved in newly manufactured communities where authentic or districts. urban fabric still survived nearby. These new inserts too excessive duplication of the more valuable often did not reflect the organized com- high buildings.” And, she added, “Again plexity of an organically evolved place. sameness was zoned out—or, in effect, “There is no use wishing it were a sim- differences zoned in—even though in a pler problem or trying to make it a simpler most limited fashion and on relatively few problem,” she wrote, “because in real life streets.” The city’s landmarks law followed it is not a simple problem.” Instead, what six years later and Greenwich Village was is called for must reflect or help organically the second designated historic district. encourage the organized complexity she identified as the essence of a city. The kind “Organized Complexity” of infill buildings she valued fit comfortably Explained within existing scale and reflected a variety As I see it, the most important chapter in of types developed by and for a variety of any of Jane’s books is the last one in Death small and large users, enabling a “multi- and Life, titled “The kind of problem a city plicity of choices and complexities of cross- is.” In it, Jane presents the underpinnings of use.” Thus was possible genuine diversity her web thinking, an understanding of “cit- that marked an authentic urban place. ies as problems in organized complexity— Interestingly, Jane writes in Death organisms that are replete with unexamined, and Life that “zoning for diversity” is, in but obviously intricately interconnected, and effect, partially achieved by a landmarks surely understandable, relationships.”

ForumJournal winter 2011 31 She draws here on the work of Dr. factors to be studied simultaneously, but Warren Weaver, former vice president they are not problems “to which statistical of the Rockefeller Foundation. Weaver methods hold the key. They are all prob- argued that the history of scientific lems which involve dealing simultaneously thought could be understood in three with a sizable number of factors which are stages. In the first one—from 17th to interrelated into an organic whole.” 19th century—science dealt with prob- The distinction between disorganized lems of simplicity, in which two variables and organized complexity is very signifi- are directly related to each other in their cant in the Jacobs’ canon. Disorganized behavior. During this time, from theories complexity is the chaotic jumble of things of light, sound, heat, and electricity came none of which makes sense or relates to the telephone, radio, car, plane, movies, any other. Organized complexity may still turbines, and other improvements. look like chaos to the less aware observer, The second stage was the ability to but careful scrutiny reveals a logic to the deal with problems of disorganized com- complex mix. The connections among plexity with billions of variables. This elements add up to a form of organiza- highly mathematically based develop- tion, the fabric of a place. “Order exists ment led to probability techniques and beneath the chaos,” Jane said. These con- statistical approaches to understanding nections are lost when an area is “cleaned problems. Here one could ponder the up,” “renewed,” cleared and redevel- behavior of atoms and billiard balls, oped, rather than strategically repaired. heredity or thermodynamics. In effect, Social, economic, and physical connec- this is modern physics. tions are the assets to be built upon, However, Dr. Weaver observed that improved, and added to a process I call not all problems could be approached in “urban husbandry” in my two books, either of these two ways, particularly in The Living City: Thinking Small in a Big the field of life sciences such as biology Way (1994) and Cities Back From the and medicine. “Much more important Edge: New Life for Downtown (1998). than the mere number of variables is the We have Jane to thank for persua- fact that these variables are all inter- sively demonstrating that urban challenges cannot be We have Jane to thank for persuasively approached in demonstrating that urban challenges cannot be an effective way approached in an effective way unless they are unless they are examined through the organized complexity lens. examined through the organized related,” Jane quotes Weaver. Since the complexity lens—through interrela- essential feature of these problems is a tionships, interdependencies, organic form of organization, he labeled these connections. This goes to the heart of problems “organized complexity.” her criticism of the silos of city planning, As Jane quotes him: “What makes an transportation planning, project develop- evening primrose open when it does? Why ment, and housing planning, all of which does salt water fail to satisfy thirst?” All rest too much on a kind of thinking in these questions or problems involve many which organized complexity is unac-

32 winter 2011 ForumJournal knowledged. In the same vein, preserva- densification needs to follow Jacobs’ tion and environmental conservation are principles, not with high-rise barracks inextricably linked. for the rich or poor but with “ameliora- Web thinking is the core of what tions and adaptations,” along with new Jacobs is about. Thinking this way does additions appropriately fitting in and in not permit one to look at the environment scale with what exists. ignoring the intricate connections to the Each of Jane’s books underscores the built world, nor to look at the physical, connectivity of everything and the processes social, or economic world without consid- that tie everything together. The Nature ering the environment. of Economies is particularly interesting because the title could easily be turned The Environment around to The Economies of Nature. and the Economy Economies, she illustrates, like nature, func- In her fifth book,The Nature of Econo- tion according to complex processes that mies, Jane points to the inextricable con- cannot be reduced to convenient dogmas, nections between the environment and the theories, or statistical abstracts. Like cities economy. “If we stop focusing on things,” and nature, observation reveals the essen- she writes, “and shift attention to the tial clues to those processes. processes that generate the things, distinc- Fundamentally, everything Jane writes tions between nature and economy blur” is about economy. Not the economy, (2000, 9). Here again balance, environ- but economy in its broader sense of mental impacts, social values, and physical thrift and value, economy of resources— consequences all come into play, as they whether natural or man-made. In her had done in her earlier, probably most web thinking, everything is connected significant work,The Economy of Cities. in a holistic way into the interrelated “Development is an open ended system that is economy. In this way, Jane process, which creates complexity and provided the bridge between the two diversity” and “operates as a web of concepts of preservation and environ- interdependent co-developments” (2000, mentalism: each is really about economy. 17, 19). Thinning the city as urban de- The building of each on the other is a densification planning policies have done logical and natural imperative. FJ for decades and still do, she noted, also Roberta Brandes Gratz is an award-winning thins the earth’s resources—a criticism of journalist and urban critic, lecturer, and author. urban sprawl dating from before the term This essay is reprinted with permission of the New Village Press and the Center for the Living was popularly used. City, and was originally published in 2010 in the As I see it, the re-densification of cities book What We See: Advancing the Observations is the critical issue of the 21st-century. of Jane Jacobs. The advance of sustainable development Gratz, Roberta Brandes. 1994. The Living City: Thinking Small in a Big Way. New York: John depends on it. The housing of low- and Wiley & Sons. middle-income people depends on it. The —. 1998. Cities Back From the Edge: New Life for strengthening of the national economy Downtown. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Jacobs, Jane. 1961. The Death and Life of Great from the ground up depends on it And, American Cities. Modern Library Edition. New of course, the improvement of the natural York: Random House, 1993. —. 2000. The Nature of Economies. New York: environment depends on it. But that Random House.

ForumJournal winter 2011 33 Recognizing and Protecting America’s Public Murals

Will Shank

he murals of the United States there has not been suitable recognition of are an undervalued resource these works and the social role they have in American communities. played in their communities, many have Interior murals have a long and been destroyed outright or shamefully Trespected history in the United States neglected—a trend that will only acceler- (think of the Apotheosis of Washington ate unless action is taken. inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda dome, for instance, or the works of Pierre Puvis Ancient Precedents to de Chevannes and John Singer Sargent in Mexican Masters the Boston Public Library). But American The use of an architectural surface as the cities and towns have tended to shy away support for a man-made image is certainly from exterior murals, perhaps concerned not a new phenomenon. Since there have that their size and the unpredictability of been walls, there have been messages and how they will age out-of-doors will make pictures inscribed into them or painted them too hard to maintain over time. upon them. From Pompeiians advertising But America does have a legacy of their businesses—or their opinions—to the both indoor and outdoor murals that is manufacturers of cell phones and laptops only just now being recognized. The gen- illustrating their products, many societies, esis for these murals has run the gamut communities, and individuals have found during the 20th and 21st centuries from the exterior wall a useful, and always government sponsorships to corporate handy, place to state their business for and private commissions to spontaneous passersby to consider. use of an unclaimed wall. Many cities Getting organized around the business have mural programs as a part of their of exterior mural painting is, however, a relatively recent The genesis for these murals has run the gamut phenomenon. during the 20th and 21st centuries from government Beginning in Mex- sponsorships to corporate and private commissions ico with Los Tres to spontaneous use of an unclaimed wall. Grandes (Diego Rivera, José Clem- cultural affairs endeavors. And a large ente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros) percentage of America’s painted walls, in the first half of the 20th century, murals particularly in disadvantaged urban began to find their place in the annals of areas, are community or individual both art and social histories. efforts, painted with or without the per- Interior, buon fresco mural painting (in mission of the owner of the wall. Because which the pigments are incorporated into

34 winter 2011 ForumJournal the wet plaster of the wall) has a longstand- of a true fresco. The glass tesserae of mosa- ing tradition, and its technology has been ics can survive for centuries in these harsh well understood for many centuries, but conditions; paintings generally do not. the question of how to apply paint to an The Mexican muralists of the first half exterior wall has historically posed greater of the 20th century tried to overcome this challenges for artists. Fifteenth-century inherent difficulty in expressing themselves fresco artists who painted on the outside on outdoor walls. Their experiments led walls of churches or on unprotected loca- to the development of plastic paints that tions in cloisters could come to regret that had more staying power. choice during their own lifetimes, which could outlast that of their paintings. Only 1930s Social Realism the paint on the underside or interior The mural movement came north of the ceilings that was applied by the ancient border in the 1930s and 1940s, thanks Mayans to their stone buildings tends to in great part to the charisma and large remain intact today. The sun, the wind, and personal presence of Rivera himself, who the rain are not kind to a fragile layer of created major fresco cycles for the City paint clinging to the wall of a building, even Club, the World Expo, and elsewhere in if the pigments are imbedded in the plaster San Francisco; for the Detroit Institute of Art; and most famously, the controversial We Are Not A Minority, created in 1978 by Mario Torero and El Congreso de Artistas Cosmicos de and eventually destroyed Rockefeller las Americas de San Diego, is a tribute to Latin Center commission in which he included American revolutionary Che Guevara. It is located an unapproved image of Lenin, to the at Estrada Courts on East Olympic Boulevard and South Lorena Street in Los Angeles.

Photo by Leslie Rainer

ForumJournal winter 2011 35 and building interiors and exteriors of the 1939 New York World’s Fair. The WPA supported more than 5,000 artists nationwide, including painters of the stature of Thomas Hart Benton, Ben Shahn, Stuart Davis, and Burgoyne Diller, who ran the WPA’s ambitious New York chapter. As murals moved northward from Mexico, some of the technique was lost in translation. The rather complex, time- consuming, and time-sensitive medium of true fresco, which was facilitated by the existence of workshops full of assistants during the Italian Renaissance, was deemed too complex, expensive, and impractical by many WPA muralists. Some of them chose instead to use “tempera,” a generic term for water-based paints, whose matte appearance resembled that of true fresco. In addition, in order to work in the studio rather than on site, canvases Brooke Fancher’s I Never Met My Father, located in Balmy Alley, San Francisco, when new and ten were sometimes painted in one place and years later. then adhered to a wall in another. As such, Photos by Will Shank they might not technically be considered “murals” in the sense of a painting upon a horror of his patrons. Orozco also wall, but their appearance was intended to worked in the United States from 1927 simulate that of a true mural painting. to 1934, and his American work had an The content of the works of these effect upon both Jackson Pollock and “social realist” artists was intended to Philip Guston, who saw it in person, as glorify the worker, and later the war well as many others. Siqueiros worked effort. But by the 1950s, the complacent in Los Angeles in the 1930s and ran a post-war years, the angry murals had all New York workshop, which Pollock but disappeared. There is an anecdote, attended in 1936. probably true, that the San Francisco Art Many artists working under the Work Institute considered painting over its own Projects Administration (WPA, originally Rivera, the monumental The Making of a the Works Progress Administration) Fresco, but reason prevailed; and it is true Federal Art Project subsequently jumped that a curtain shielded it from the eyes onto the fresco bandwagon, leaving their of the abstract expressionism–loving art legacy in post offices around the country world until figurative art returned to favor. (most of these funded through the Section of Fine Arts of the Treasury Department). 1960s Reinvention They also graced such prime locations as By the 1960s, however, Rivera and com- the interior of San Francisco’s Coit Tower pany had become heroes to a new genera-

36 winter 2011 ForumJournal tion of activists, who took up the paint- Balmy Alley in San Francisco’s Mission brush to leave their large WE ARE HERE district, where they were given free reign messages on the walls of American cities by the local property owners to cover the from Chicago to Los Angeles. But to an fences, gates, and garage doors with their even greater extent than in the case of the bright, bold visual statements. But con- 1940s artists who chose to imitate, rather siderations of posterity for these outdoor than to replicate, the tried-and-true meth- paintings were not foremost in the thoughts ods of the fresco artists of the past, what of the muralists. Not only did building was missing was the technology. Chroni- owners who had allowed the works to be cally short on funds, the 1960s muralists painted frequently fail to give the murals tended to grab whatever paint was at hand the respect that they deserved, but the and cheaply available, and to create their paints themselves sometimes rebelled and large messages on any accepting wall— acted in unexpected ways, frequently fad- with, or often without, the permission of ing and peeling until they became mere sug- the owners of that wall. Ironically, true gestions of the artist’s original intent. Not fresco, which had been the chosen medium all paints made for easel paintings age well of leftist social expression in Mexico, was in the open air and direct sunlight. now considered precious and elitist; no one In the meantime, muralists kept paint- was teaching it, and no one was learning it. ing on whatever wall they could find There followed an explosion of com- with whatever paint they had, and the munity mural-making. From William conflicts grew as building owners bought Walker’s groundbreaking Wall of Respect and sold properties that sometimes came (1967) in Chicago, which is generally with a work of art on their wall that was acknowledged as the birthplace of the either not to their taste, or in line with national movement of a “people’s art,” their politics, or within their budget to to the Latino communities of Los Angeles maintain. Murals were painted over. This and San Francisco, walls bloomed in Building owners who failed to maintain the the 1960s with paintings on their walls became the enemy and found freshly painted, themselves as defendants in several legal cases exuberant expres- involving disappearing murals. sions of their communities’ passions and anger. If the artists being America, conflicts were resolved lacked a unified theme or philosophy, with lawsuits. Building owners who failed they shared a means of expression: using to maintain the paintings on their walls the largest possible spaces that they could became the enemy and found themselves find to paint, so that all the world could as defendants in several legal cases involv- see their messages. ing disappearing murals. In the frenzy of large public expressions Paintings faded and peeled off garage of left-wing solidarity and discontent with doors and wooden gates. Mural artists, the status quo, conflicts between murals unlike painters of easel paintings, got little and architecture began to arise. Mural- respect. Ray Patlan, one of the creators ists sometimes found the need to organize of San Francisco’s Balmy Alley and many themselves into painting ghettos such as other important murals, noted, speak-

ForumJournal winter 2011 37 ing of the pervasive sense of art-school Since 2006 it has been managed by Heri- rejection: “Murals were thought of as tage Preservation, a nonprofit organiza- trashy and gauche. The bias I encountered tion in Washington, D.C., whose success was cultural, racist, and against social with the Save Outdoor Sculpture! engagement.” (quoted in Annice Jacoby, (S.O.S.!) program served as inspiration ed., Street Art San Francisco, New York: for the mural advocates. With a national Abrams, 2009. p. 65) committee of advisors which includes muralists, conservators, art historians, Acknowledgment and public art professionals, Rescue and Protection Public Murals has created a database of A key acknowledgment of the mural individuals and organizations inter- movement as a significant artistic and ested in the plight of mural paintings in social achievement finally arrived with the America, focusing on exterior contem- symposium “The Mural in the Americas,” porary murals specifically. which took place at the Getty Conserva- The organization is also creating, tion Institute and the Getty Research with ARTstor, a database of U.S. public Institute in 2003. There the points of murals, and creating public access to view of social historians, art historians, those data. Rescue Public Murals co- muralists, conservators, arts attorneys, chair Dr. Timothy W. Drescher explains paint chemists, and managers of public the extent of its grasp: art programs were all given equal weight While RPM is limited to exterior in an effort to find common ground, and works, ARTstor’s digital archive is not, to work together to reduce the conflicts and it includes a number of interior inherent in the painting of an image on a murals. But both sorts are included wall that is visible to the general public. because of their being generated with While acknowledging the sometimes- some relation to the surrounding adversarial points of view, the goal was community, and, given that criterion, then, and continues to be, to encourage nearly any mural can be included. In some cases, One of the most shocking statistics that the preparatory draw- assembled group learned…was that there were no ings are included, significant murals left from the 1960s, and those and in a few, pro- from the 1970s were fast disappearing. cess shots indicat- ing especially the communities to embrace existing murals different stages a wall went through and to facilitate the creation of more of from blank to fully muralized. For them. One of the most shocking statistics the most part, school, children’s, and that the assembled group learned, and religious works are excluded (too that was a prime call to action, was that many, and also because they are spe- there were no significant murals left from cialized subgenres). the 1960s, and those from the 1970s were The goal is first of all to provide fast disappearing. a record of what has been painted An initiative called Rescue Public (although some other media are Murals grew out of that symposium. included, such as the occasional

38 winter 2011 ForumJournal mosaic) on walls across the country. Inclusiveness is second, with no expectation of completeness, with the exceptions of a few artists. Some spray-can work is included, but mostly narrative pieces, excluding tags, wild style, and egocentric pieces. Because the necessary work for inclusion is so much less than for preserving a building, ARTstor’s database can Homage to Seurat (1986), by Eva Cockcroft, being more easily be inclusive. Besides, very inspected by artist representative Janet Braun- few murals are ever “saved.” At best, Reinitz (left) and conservator Harriet Irgang all that is possible is a life extension Walden. The mural was restored in 2009. Photo by Kristen Laise for another two or three decades. ARTstor merely archives the image on of ownership around the preservation the wall, not the mural itself. process when they are included in the A “best practices” page on the decision-making. Heritage Preservation website advises Our first, highly successful, project muralists and arts managers about the was the conservation of Eve Cockcroft’s latest developments in painting technol- extremely important work in Harlem, ogy, which we continue to research in an Homage to Seurat: La Grande Jatte in effort to help artists create longer-lasting Harlem. Painted in 1986 by Cockcroft murals. Conservation scientists at the and community members, it had faded Getty Conservation Institute and the Uni- and peeled to an extent that it no longer versity of Delaware/Winterthur Program represented the artist’s vision, and many in Art Conservation are working along locals were not aware of its importance, or parallel lines to further our understand- even of its presence. Working with the late ing of the behavior of outdoor paints. artist’s representatives from the New York Rescue Public Murals is also fund- Art Makers, conservator Harriet Irgang ing the restoration of important murals Walden helped to re-create Cockcroft’s pal- across the country as financial sup- ette and instruct the artists and community port is secured. Working from a list of helpers on how to use the paints for the “Highly Endangered Murals,” we have restoration. The painting has again become thus far assessed more than a dozen a source of community pride on many paintings nationwide, working in teams levels. The work was funded by the Friends that include a conservator, artist (or of Heritage Preservation. Rescue Public artist’s representative), and community Murals has also been the grateful recipi- members. Getting the broadest pos- ent of funding from the Booth Heritage sible opinions about the creation of the Foundation, the Wyeth Foundation for mural, the nature of its deterioration, American Art, the Getty Foundation, and and the community’s and the artist’s the National Endowment for the Arts. desire to intervene has been an innovative The efforts of our organization comple- approach to nontraditional conservation ment the important work of such urban challenges. All stakeholders feel a sense success stories as Philadelphia’s Mural Arts

ForumJournal winter 2011 39 Program, San Francisco’s Precita Eyes, the a solution to one of the most frequent Chicago Public Art Group, and the very conflicts between mural artists and cit- ambitious and active SPARC (Social and ies. It addressed head-on a misguided Public Art Resource Center) in Los Ange- definition of “signs” (whose numbers les, as well as work by many other cities are usually limited by city ordinances) as that have inventoried and maintained their opposed to “murals” (whose presence is own painted walls for many years. ideally encouraged by arts advocates) after Several smaller communities use orga- a long, circuitous struggle during which nized programs to support the creation that definition had changed, effectively of murals in order to promote their own prohibiting the creation of any new murals unique histories and contributions to in Portland. The council’s vibrant Public society, and to teach students, tourists, Arts Mural Program is now up and run- and passersby about history…and about ning again, with the use of easements well murals. These community advocates, established for walls containing murals. from Lake Placid (“Town of Murals”), Portland’s experience serves as a prototype Fla., to Lindsay, Calif., have organized for heading off such legal conflicts. themselves into a nationwide network of supporters and promoters of murals, Major Considerations with the aid of regional organizations What are the most important consider- such as CALPAMS (California Public Art ations for those of us who work together to and Mural Society) and many others who preserve existing murals and to encourage hold symposia and meetings of muralists the creation of new murals? Chief among and mural supporters alike. them is a conviction that communities and Communities with public art pro- individual property owners must buy into grams have met the unique challenges of the idea of murals as community assets and preserving their murals individually or by support mural programs, individual com- consulting with each other. The City of missions, and plans to preserve the paintings on their walls. there is the shared understanding that a Secondly, there is the preservation plan can take many forms, from shared understand- traditional conservation of the original materials to ing that a preserva- repainting in imitation of the original to starting over. tion plan can take many forms, from Santa Monica, Calif., for instance, created traditional conservation of the original a policy of revisiting its commissioned materials to repainting in imitation of the murals after a certain number of years in original to starting over. The key to success order to agree, with the artist, the commu- is that everyone must find a way to agree nity, and the city art commission, about before any intervention takes place. how to proceed with repainting, restoring, The question of “value” is difficult or starting over with a painted wall that to apply to a painting on an immovable may or may not still be legible after bak- wall. Murals, generally speaking, can- ing in the Southern California sun. not be bought and sold, unless they were The Regional Arts and Culture Council originally created to be freestanding or of Portland, Ore., has come up with otherwise separable from their walls.

40 winter 2011 ForumJournal Muscletown, USA, is an example of a non-political, “vanity” type of mural created by Max Mason in York, Pa., in 2000.

Photo by Will Shank Value in this case comes rather from the its community is also a measure for importance of the wall painting to the differentiating true public art from various constituencies whose lives it is a vandalism. A public awareness process part of. These shareholders would be the is key to identifying existing murals muralist(s), the person or entity that com- and thus to aid in determining what is missioned the mural (if any) the original most worth saving. community that found the mural appro- American murals have long priate, and the current community that graced the walls of their communi- now lives with the mural (which may be ties, speaking silently of the struggles, grossly altered from the one that existed, the passions, and the dreams of the say, 30 years earlier). people who live there. Together we can Considerations of aesthetic quality embrace them and ensure that they live tend to take a back seat to a mural’s long into the future. FJ relevance to social history, although, of Will Shank, co-founder and co-chair of course, appearance is always an issue. Rescue Public Murals (www.heritagepreser- Because of the sheer volume and scale vation.org/RPM/index.html), is an independent conservator of modern and contempo- of walls paintings, priorities must be rary art and former head of conservation at assigned. Not every mural painted by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He presented a talk on community murals at the local grade school is necessarily a the 2010 National Preservation Conference candidate for preservation. Relevance to in Austin. Shank lives in Barcelona.

ForumJournal winter 2011 41 Available in a Historic Building Near You: Local Beer!

Trent Margrif

hat do a former post ments understood the economic benefits office in Connecticut, of allowing craft brewing establish- school in Oregon, and ments. Nearly 200 new breweries opened church in Pennsylvania between May 1993 and October 1994, Whave in common? They are all historic and the volume of craft beer produced in buildings currently reused as brewpubs. the United States doubled between 1990 From my general observations in travel- and 1994 (Ogle, 320). ing to nearly 500 American brewpubs It is estimated that the current number and microbreweries, at least 60 percent of breweries in the United States in 2010 of brewpub and microbrewery operations is now more than 1,600—the most there nationwide involve the adaptive use of an have been for at least the past 130 years. existing building. This number is closer to According to the United States Brewers 75 percent for those located in the Mid- Association, 98 percent of these are small, west and Northeast. The rapid expansion independent craft breweries. When these of these businesses has had a major impact smaller craft breweries serve food and on improving commercial downtowns, enter into the restaurant business, they are and is a plus for historic preservation. known as brewpubs. As defined by the United States Brew- A Fast-Growing Industry ers Association, a craft brewer has an In 1872 there were 4,131 breweries in annual production of less than 2 million America, a record never since surpassed barrels of beer. Furthermore, the brewer (Wells, 81). Most Americans lived within brews to enhance rather than lighten ten miles of a brewery, a statistic that is flavor, is innovative in beer styles, and close to becoming a reality yet again. is not controlled by the financial inter- By 1983 brewpubs were illegal in ests of larger breweries. This definition America, largely due to legislators protect- puts craft brewers among those small ing the interests of national breweries, businesses that are the backbone of the American Brewpubs, microbreweries with tasting rooms, economy, and it and other craft brewers overwhelmingly locate their describes a busi- operations in distinctive older buildings. ness that typically employs a sub- wholesalers, and distributors. Many stantial and steady number of individuals forward-thinking small business owners from the local community. Microbrew- worked to change these laws over the next eries and brewpubs are the primary decade, and ultimately most state govern- segments of craft brewing, with contract

42 winter 2011 ForumJournal thinking, preservation-minded companies that saw a clear business model for success in the mid to late 1980s in adaptively using historic buildings for brewpubs— and that is still repeated today. A seven-barrel brewery system is the basic standard for most brewpubs, and requires between 1,000 to 1,500 square feet. Given an average of 100 seats, 2,500 square feet is a bare minimum for most craft breweries that are also brewpubs— preferably double this amount is needed. Such operations typically can be accom- In Green Bay, Wisc., the former Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Depot has been modated in downtown brick commercial rehabilitated into a brewpub. buildings or distinctive resource types such Photo by Trent Margrif as former depots, hotels, or industrial manufacturing buildings. brewers and regional breweries also mak- In a brewpub, the fermentation tanks ing up a portion of this market. are often showcased behind a glass A recent article reported: “The window at the front of the restaurant or craft beer industry continues to be the on a second floor. Interior requirements fastest-growing segment in the entire often mean removal of walls to allow for U.S. alcohol beverage industry, despite a open spaces, especially for brewpubs with dismal economic climate. The evidence a restaurant seating component. Exteriors is that the craft brewing industry saw a typically have intact facades, some with 10.1 percent increase in dollar sales from fairly significant architectural details and 2007 to 2008, and a 5 percent growth in ornamental features. the first half of 2009.” (Barnes) The craft Many properties are listed in the beer industry is succeeding, despite being National Register of Historic Places, and in direct competition with some of the others are within listed districts. Rehabili- world’s largest corporations. tation of these resources may not always follow the Secretary of the Interior’s Adaptive Use Standards for Rehabilitation of Historic Brewpubs, microbreweries with tasting Buildings, but they do make use of larger, rooms, and other craft brewers over- commonly brick, buildings that are other- whelmingly locate their operations in wise underutilized or abandoned. distinctive older buildings. One reason For example, in 2009 there were is because brewpubs and microbrewer- approximately 70 brewpubs or microbrew- ies require lots of space, and that makes eries operating in the state of Wisconsin. them perfectly suited to certain types of Of these, roughly 20 percent were located older buildings. McMenamins in Portland, in buildings listed in the National Register Ore., Wynkoop in Denver, Triple Rock in of Historic Places, primarily in downtown Berkeley, Cal., and Goose Island in Chi- locations within historic districts. These cago were just a few of the more forward- include the Angry Minnow in Hayward in

ForumJournal winter 2011 43 the former office of the North Wisconsin Wisconsin town of Dallas, and Sand Creek Lumber Company, the Potosi brewpub Brewing, which re-uses a former brewery in the former Potosi Brewery, the Silver building in Black River Falls. Former uses of Creek Brewpub in the Cedarburg Mill, and this particular building ranged from raising Titletown Brewing in the former Chicago turkeys to producing land mines. and Northwestern Railroad Passenger If the brewpub also has a successful Depot. Some 60 percent were in buildings microbrewery component, much more that were more than 50 years old but not space is needed for a bottling operation, and National Register listed, such as the Viking increasingly these operations are found at a Brewery, which is located in a former separate location. The explosive growth of Ford automobile showroom in the rural Dogfish Head Brewery of Delaware is one

Adaptive Use Examples Abound!

Here is just a small sampling of notable brewpubs across the country housed in historic buildings.

Willimantic Brewing Company in Willimantic, Conn., occupies the 1909 granite and limestone post office building downtown. The pub area was formerly the customer lobby, the private dining room was the postmaster’s office, and the brewery is located in the former post office work room.

The Church Brew Works is in the former St. John the Baptist Church in Pitts- burgh. The brew house is located on the altar. To those making beer pilgrim- ages here, it truly is a religious experience. Extensive interior fixtures were maintained, including wooden church pews for seating.

The Haverhill Brewing Company is in a former shoe manufacturing building in the heart of the downtown district of Haverhill, Mass., which was once domi- nated by this industry. The Blue Heron brewpub in downtown Marshfield, Wis., is an adaptive use of a former ice cream factory; the building is an important reminder on the dairy heritage of the community.

The Fox River Brewing Company chain, also in Wisconsin, includes a location on the Fox River in the former Vulcan Hydroelectric Power Plant.

The Granary in Farmington, Maine; Fire Station 1 in Silver Spring, Md.; and the Brewpub at America’s Historic Roundhouse in Aurora, Ill., are among many examples of brewpubs whose names showcase the building they adaptively use.

44 winter 2011 ForumJournal example of this. Five years ago it main- largely abandoned but ripe for redevelop- tained its original brewpub along the main ment. In 1996 Court Avenue Brewing in Des street of Rehoboth Beach and relocated bot- Moines became a catalyst for the additional tling operations to a former tomato canning revitalization in the now main entertainment factory in historic Milton. district of this city. The B.O.B. (Big Old The growing interest in “green” and Building) was a century-old 70,000-square- “sustainable” brewery operations has foot grocery warehouse that stood vacant dramatically increased in recent years, for decades in downtown Grand Rapids, and many microbreweries highlight the until its conversion in the 1990s into a “green” aspects of their reuse of an existing brewery that is now major nightlife center. building. Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee, The Main Street program in West Bend, located in a former power plant, received a Wisc., actively sought a brewpub for its Travel Green Tourism certification in 2007, downtown. Having done a recent market and other states have similar award pro- analysis locally and using market research grams that have honored local brewpubs conducted by Wisconsin Main Street in and microbreweries for their green practices 2005, it was able to convince a couple including reuse of an existing building. looking to open a sports bar downtown that a microbrewery would be a better invest- Catalysts for Revitalization ment. Located in a downtown building that For the historic commercial main streets was previously slated for demolition, the throughout America, brewpubs can gener- Riverside Brewery had to increase its staff ate substantial interest in a once-vacant significantly shortly after opening due to downtown. This can then lead to further demand and continued interest. redevelopment of neighboring properties, and success often comes quickly in these Brewpubs as areas of larger cities. Community Centers The Lower Downtown Historic District Brewpubs can be considered as “third was formed by an act of the Denver City places,” a community space that is neither Council in 1988, the same year Wynkoop work nor home, providing a preferred Brewing opened in a historic building in experience sought by the “creative class.” It this district, leading to explosive economic is not surprising that cities and towns that growth in this area of the city. Other attract this “creative class” also have a large partnerships with local investors to open microbrewery concentration. Unlike coffee brewpubs in historic buildings spread to shops, brewpubs attract both local and those a dozen additional locations throughout patrons who will go out of their way to find the county, led by Wynkoop Brewing’s these establishments. Customers value the John Hickenlooper (now the governor of atmosphere of the brewpub as much as the Colorado). The National Trust for Historic opportunity to try a different type of beer. Preservation presented this effort with a It is important to note, too, that the Preservation Honor Award in 1997. flexibility and independent nature of local The Bricktown Brewery in Oklahoma brewing operations enable them to take City opened in 1992, and is an example of an active role in community life, through an operation that took a successful invest- philanthropy, volunteerism, and sponsorship ment chance in a part of a community of events.

ForumJournal winter 2011 45 For those brewpubs that are open for effort to offer community activities along lunch and dinner, the hours between 2 and with food and drink. To expand their appeal 5 p.m. can typically be low in traffic. One beyond meal times, McMenamins brewpubs solution has been the use of “mug clubs.” host live concerts, trivia games, and com- Local patrons pay an amount each year to munity meetings in the evenings. be a mug club member and receive their The Walldorff Brewpub & Bistro in own personalized drinking vessel stored at Hastings, Mich., is a good example of a the brewpub. They then typically receive brewpub that functions as a community reduced prices for beer, larger amounts, anchor in a smaller town. A three-story brick and other special incentives during this commercial building, built in 1868 on the time period. During these hours, the bar most prominent corner in the downtown, area might be filled with a mix of retir- it has served nearly two dozen uses and ees, self-employed people, and those with gone through numerous renovations until nontraditional work hours, as well as those becoming a brewpub in 2006 (earning a just traveling through town. Perhaps the local award for the renovation). The owners greatest evidence of this business success have turned the third floor into a ballroom is that most mug clubs currently have that can seat up to 200 people, which is used a waiting list, and limit membership to regularly for private and public events. those who live within the community. Many other craft beer successes apply The McMenamins chain of brewpubs this mixed-use concept. For example, the based in the Pacific Northwest make an National Historic Landmark depot in Chey-

Foothills Brewing in Winston-Salem, N.C., is located in a traditional downtown commercial building.

Photo by Trent Margrif

46 winter 2011 ForumJournal enne, Wyo., houses a museum and city Most brewpubs also capitalize upon and private offices as well as a brewpub. and highlight their location in historic In smaller communities, Shipwrecked in downtowns. Just one example is the Egg Harbor, Wis., and Red Jacket Brew- Downtown Grill & Brewery in Knox- ing in Calumet, Mich., are just It is rare to find a local brewer who does not two examples of capitalize on local history, geographic locations, brewpubs with and even specific historic buildings. overnight lodging options available in their upper floors. ville, Tenn., which is housed in a former Another example is Fitger’s in Duluth, furniture store. This site isn’t far from a Minn., which includes an inn, retail shops, good beer bar known as the Preservation and multiple restaurants along with a Pub in another historic building. brewpub within an 1885 renovated his- Several breweries have even created toric brewery complex. specialty beers for specific preservation projects. Terrapin Beer Company’s effort A Sense of Place to support the historic Georgia Theatre Remember when the Cuyahoga River in in Athens after it was damaged in a fire is Cleveland caught on fire? They have a one recent example. In 2010 the company beer for that: the Burning River Pale Ale released four specific specialty beers with by Great Lakes Brewing Company. Who a portion of the proceeds donated to the founded the town of Weed, Calif.? Abner Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s Weed of course, highlighted in the Abner fund to rebuild the Georgia Theatre. To Weed Amber Ale by Mt. Shasta Brewing make things even more interesting, there Company. Fan of dark beers? How about is one Golden Ticket hidden among each the Quapaw Quarter Porter from Vino’s, of the Georgia Theatre Sessions brews. named after this historic district in Little This means that four lucky winners will Rock, Ark. receive a lifetime pass to the restored It is rare to find a local brewer who theater. A beer in support of preservation does not capitalize on local history, geo- efforts at Fort McHenry in Baltimore is graphic locations, and even specific his- another past effort. toric buildings. Writing on the history of beer in America, author Amy Mittelman Heritage Tourism notes: “The new generation of brewers Alcohol tourism (or “alcotourism”) is emphasizes its connection to place and not new to many regions of the country community even more than taste. They that already have substantial vineyards stake a claim to authenticity via their and wine operations—or the famous roots in a specific locale.” Brewpubs tap whiskey and bourbon trails in Tennessee into that unique sense of place, even one and Kentucky. Beer tourism, however, that those from outside the community is a relatively newer phenomenon; the may not find appealing. There certainly is states of New Hampshire, Delaware, a pride of place with Rust Belt Brewing, Oregon, and others have created travel located in the former B&O Station in programs and trails based solely on alco- Youngstown, Ohio. hol, especially beer.

ForumJournal winter 2011 47 Numerous Main Street programs now offer beer festivals and similar promotional partnerships to showcase their downtown areas. These events are always sold out, with a majority of attendees typically coming from outside the community. Many state beer festivals are also held annually at historic sites, Alabama’s at the Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Birmingham and New Jersey’s aboard the Battleship New Jersey in Camden are just two examples. Proceeds from the sales of Cuvée de Cliveden, a special brewing collaboration between the The total economic impact of the beer Cliveden Brewers and Earth, Bread, and Brewery industry on Oregon’s economy was last in Mt. Airy, Pa., will benefit new educational programs at Cliveden, a National Trust Historic calculated to be $2.33 billion; this includes Site, to address history and racial equality. those traveling to and through the state strictly for the purpose of seeking craft fees for bars, clubs, restaurants, brewpubs, beer experiences (Oregon Brewers Guild). and anybody else who serves alcohol. To the joy of the beer traveler, many beer- Those that spoke out against the measure related locations are within a few historic specifically noted the role brewpubs play city blocks of each other as well. Portland, in providing a unique experience and sense Maine; Portland, Ore.; Asheville, N.C.; of place that benefit the city. Burlington, Vt.; and Boulder, Colo. are Yet such a growing industry will not be some locations seen as a “beer mecca.” It deterred by these restrictive measures. Suc- is not surprising that local tourism efforts cess in craft brewing and historic preserva- now aggressively market these specialty tion go together hand in hand—just make brews. It is also interesting to note that sure that hand is holding a mug of locally these cities are all Dozen Distinctive Des- brewed beer. FJ tinations recognized by the National Trust Trent Margrif is the cultural resource & for Historic Preservation. outreach specialist for Appalachian State University (home of the first educational nonprofit microbrewery in the country). As the Some Hurdles former director of the Wisconsin Field Office While the majority of states have rid of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, themselves of restrictive legislation that he conducted much of his research in the field after work hours. limited the profitability and even existence Barnes, Bob. Celebrator Beer News. “Craft Beer of brewpubs and microbreweries in the past Takes Center Stage,” Dec. 2009/Jan. 2010. two decades, “dry” counties still exist in Leeds, David. Destination Drinking: Toward a research agenda on alcotourism. “Drugs: Education, Pre- many parts of the country. vention & Policy”: Informa Healthcare, June 2008. Of course, the federal government has Mittelman, Amy. Brewing Battles—A History of Amer- ican Beer. New York: Algora Publishing, 2008. a long history of taxation on alcohol. And National Main Street Center. Revitalizing Main in these economically challenging times, Street: A Practitioner’s Guide to Comprehensive Commercial District Revitalization, 2009. some local governments may also see new Ogle, Maureen. Ambitious Brew. Orlando: Harcourt, or increased taxes on alcohol as a revenue Inc., 2006. source. As just one example, in Atlanta, Wells, Ken. Travels With Barley. New York: A Wall Street Journal Book Published By Free Ga., the city council passed higher license Press, 2004.

48 winter 2011 ForumJournal ForumJournal

National Trust Forum

VALECIA CRISAFULLI Senior Director of Partnerships, Preservation Division Elizabeth Byrd Wood Editor Kerri Rubman Assistant Editor nicole vann Associate Director, Forum mary butler Design Director amy vainieri Graphic Designer

National Trust For Historic Preservation

stephanie K. meeks President David J. Brown Executive Vice President and Chief Preservation Officer Tabitha Almquist Chief of Staff Greg Coble Chief Financial Officer David Cooper Chief Development Officer Paul Edmondson Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel terry richey Chief Marketing Officer

Forum Journal, a Journal of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, (ISSN 1536-1012) (USPS Publication Number 001-715) is published quarterly by the Center for Preservation Leadership at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1785 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 as a benefit of National Trust Forum membership. Forum members also receive six issues of Preservation magazine. Annual dues are $115. Periodicals paid at Washington, D.C. Postmaster: Send address changes to National Trust Forum, 1785 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. Copyright ©2011 National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States. Printed in the United States. Of the total amount of base dues, $6.00 is for a subscription for Preservation magazine for one year. Support for the National Trust is provided by membership dues; endowment funds; individual, corporate, and foundation contributions; and grants from state and federal agencies. National Trust Forum Journal is a forum in which to express opinions, encourage debate, and convey information of importance and of general interest to Forum members of the National Trust. Inclusion of material or product references does not constitute an endorsement by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation (www.PreservationNation.org) is a non-profit membership organization bringing people together to protect, enhance and enjoy the places that matter to them. By saving the places where great moments from history—and the important moments of everyday life—took place, the National Trust for Historic Preservation helps revitalize neighborhoods and communities, spark economic development and promote environmental sustainability. With headquarters in Washington, DC, eight regional and field offices, 29 historic sites, and partner organizations in 50 states, territories, and the District of Columbia, the National Trust for Historic Preservation provides leadership, education, advocacy and resources to a national network of people, organizations and local communities committed to saving places, connecting us to our history and collectively shaping the future of America’s stories.

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On the cover: A well known landmark in Philadelphia, Pa., Common Threads by muralist Meg Saligman depicts high school students from the area being contrasted with figures from the past.

Photo by Joyce Hill Stoner