While the movement to preserve historic buildings has widespread support, it also has some sharp critics with well-funded opposition groups springing up in recent years.
Some opponents are linked to the Stand Together Foundation, founded and bankrolled by the Koch family’s conservative philanthropic organization, according to a column in Governing magazine. Many critics see historic preservation as a threat to “precious individual freedoms.”
A Stand Together senior fellow cited some preservation actions to bolster his case: An effort in San Francisco to convert a laundromat into an eight-story apartment building was stalled for eight years while city officials try to determine if the laundromat should be protected. In Denver, preservationists delayed the conversion of a 1960s diner into a new mixed-use retail/residential development.
Other critics, including some academicians, have criticized historic neighborhood preservation as “a stalking horse for gentrification and displacement of impoverished residents,” the column reads. Despite these critiques, the columnist makes a compelling case for preservation.
“Preservation serves the vital purpose of helping people to understand, appreciate and connect with their local history at a time when historical awareness is a missing element in much of America. If preservation has gone too far, it has gone too far in the right direction. We ought to be able to manage it without denigrating the things it has achieved.”
Related Stories
Reconstruction & Renovation | Sep 28, 2016
Architecture conservation efforts begin at Salk Institute of Biological Studies
Getty-led research and funding leads to important site repairs and long-term conservation management planning.
Sponsored | Reconstruction & Renovation | Sep 13, 2016
Daytona International Speedway becomes racing’s first modern stadium
Daytona International Speedway has undergone a $400 million full-scale makeover to update the facilities first built in 1959.
Mixed-Use | Sep 8, 2016
Former sports stadium to become landscaped gardens, housing, and shops
According to the architects, Maison Edouard François, the project will act as a new green lung for the densely populated neighborhood.
Performing Arts Centers | Aug 31, 2016
Sydney Opera House scheduled for $200 million upgrade
Acoustical improvements will be made alongside upgrades in accessibility, efficiency, and flexibility.
Reconstruction & Renovation | Aug 29, 2016
Home maintenance 101: How uninformed homeowners can cause developers big headaches, and what to do about it
By taking a proactive stance, the home-building industry can both educate the public about the importance of home maintenance and raise awareness within the construction community about protecting their professional rights and reputations.
Great Solutions | Aug 23, 2016
Reusable infection control barriers ease hospital renovation
Clark Construction Group pilots the Edge Guard system on the Fair Oaks (Va.) Hospital reconstruction project.
| Aug 19, 2016
RECONSTRUCTION GIANTS: Facelifts give buildings new identities, even as they keep a few wrinkles
Reconstruction is always a balancing act between the client’s pro forma and what the building needs to be vibrant again.
| Aug 19, 2016
Top 70 Reconstruction Engineering Firms
Jacobs, Robins & Morton, and The Boldt Company top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest reconstruction sector engineering and E/A firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.
| Aug 19, 2016
Top 110 Reconstruction Construction Firms
Gilbane Building Co., Turner Construction Co., and The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest reconstruction sector construction and construction management firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.
| Aug 19, 2016
Top 130 Reconstruction Architecture Firms
The Beck Group, Stantec, and IMC Consruction top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest reconstruction sector architecture and A/E firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.