Why Historic Preservation Matters
Historic preservation tells a the story of American life through architecture. Historic preservation is so important that, as we discussed back in episode 3, the federal government provides historic tax credits (or dollar for dollar tax reductions) that effectively shift the cost of rehabbing our historic buildings from the developer to the taxpayers. So, somewhere along the way, lawmakers at the federal level, and in many states, decided that historic preservation matters so much that the cost of doing it should be borne by everyone.
With that introduction, welcome to Bring Back the Bustle, a podcast about revitalizing rural America. I’m Shavon Jones, your host. When we talked about HTCs back in episode 3, I lamented that we didn’t have enough time to discuss the aesthetics and other non financial aspects of historic preservation.
So today, we’re going to talk about the significance of historic buildings how to preserve that significance as we bring buildings back into productive use. It should not be surprising that the “how to” portion is governed by federal and state guidelines that are only mandatory if you want the government to cover the costs of construction.
The National Register Of Historic Places sets the standards and most state preservation offices (known as SHPO) tend to align their requirements with the national guidelines. However, because state credits and federal credits are 2 different piles of money (there I go again talking about money; I can’t help it). Anyway, you have to separately comply with both. In the unlikely event that there’s a conflict, I’d go to the state and say, “it looks like there’s a conflict. What do you think I should do?” And they’ll probably either show you how to comply with both or advise you to follow the federal.
I had that short digression into money. For you investors who are listening, at the end of the episode, I’ll sum up how historic preservation helps you make more money. So stay tuned for that. For the rest of you, let’s begin by discussing the Big Why of historic preservation and then delve into a “how to” discussion.
The Big Why
Preserving historic buildings retains American architectural, cultural, and commercial history as reflected through our real estate. I spent some time over the summer looking at mid-century movie theaters. I learned a lot about why these buildings were constructed a certain way—not just the design elements but also the utilitarian reasons, the cultural influences, and the business reasons.
If you have a chance, go to our website (www.ruralqrof.com) because we have some photos from some of the theaters there. Mid-century movie theaters had one to 2 screens. That’s because between 1940 and 1949 (when most of these theaters were being built) only 129 theatrical movies were released. So, you’re looking at a dozen movies per year coming to theaters. If the movie is going to play all month, you only need 1 or 2 screens, depending on the city’s population.
Another feature of mid-century theaters is they usually had a balcony section. If you ask Google’s AI, you’ll be told the balcony was a “prime viewing spot.” Seriously, that’s what we are teaching AI about American history. In reality, the balcony was the colored section to maintain segregation of the races. Balconies also might have been prime viewing. In fact, people sometimes pay premiums to sit in them today. But clearly, it is misleading to suggest that they were built to give Blacks better seats. Actually, who got better seats was irrelevant. The capitalists building the theaters wanted to serve as many customers as could afford to pay, and in order to make their money, they had to respect both legal ordinances (which required segregation) and the preferences of certain customers.
Also, mid-century theaters often had a cleaner, less ornate look than the theater houses from the 1920s and 1930s. That’s likely because the country had experienced extreme financial highs and lows from the Roaring 20s through the Great Depression, leading to modern, more streamlined period of architectural design.
Over the years, as the economy improved after WWII and as more movies started to be made, larger theaters were constructed with multiple screens. Segregation ended. So the capitalists stopped building balconies with the so-called “prime seating.” Apparently, patrons weren’t willing to pay extra money to sit in a movie theater balcony the way we sometimes pay extra money to sit in a live performance theater balcony.
In the 1970s and 80s, population shifted away from smaller towns, leading to the repurposing of big city mid-century theaters (many of them are performance halls today) and the closure of many small town mid-century theaters. While a few have been reopened as theaters in small towns, many more sit in ruins today.
Wow! All of that architectural, cultural and commercial history is housed in those mid-century buildings. Importantly, the buildings are physical evidence that speaks for itself unlike the search engine that has been trained to convey some person or persons distorted view of history. Therefore, the unaltered manifestation of fact is a primary non-financial reason to preserve historic buildings.
How NOT to Do Historic Preservation
Having discussed the “why” let’s now move on to the “how.” Architecture tells an often chronological story of our history. I toured some 18th and 19th Century homes in Mobile, Alabama that are listed in the National Register. In each home, the tour guide relayed the home’s history, chronologically, divided into sections based on who’d owned it, what their contributions were and why they’d made them. Some changes were out of necessity (to, for example, achieve airflow before central air conditioning was invented); other changes were due to personal tastes (an owner being a collector of china adding display cases for it is an example). Even the choice of building materials can have historical significance. One guy owned a pine tree timber farm and used pine to construct his home.
Tearing down a national landmark, or part of it, the way the White House East Wing recently was torn down, disrupts the story. Leaves gaps in the history of what has taken place in the structure. Who added the East Wing and Why? What activities took place there? We lose a part of our history when we tear down historic buildings.
And when you think about it, history is an unbroken line. You want to add to the history of the greats who’ve come before you because history can’t be faked—at least not convincingly. If you’ve ever been to Vienna, which was destroyed by Hitler during WWII, you probably understand what I mean. Wien, as it is known in the local language, was rebuilt after WWII to look exactly the way it had prior to Hitler’s destruction. So, even though the Baroque period of architecture was long past, they rebuilt in that design. I get what they must have been thinking “We’re not going to let this mad man take away our history.” But the result is a bunch of short buildings that lack the authenticity and aging of similar structures in cities that weren’t destroyed. A building from 1950 is never going to look or feel like a building from 1650. It just isn’t.
In America, we had a similar decision to make when those planes brought down New York’s Twin Towers during the 911 terrorist attacks in 2001. We made the right decision. We rebuilt not replicas of the original Twin Towers but new towers having a design appropriate to the times. Perhaps Vienna’s decision helped to guide ours.
So, here are 3 don’ts for historic buildings. One, don’t tear down an historic building. Two, don’t construct new buildings in outdated architectural styles. Three, if you’re going to add to historic buildings, don’t lose the architectural and historical honesty of the structure.
How to Do Historic Preservation
Let’s elaborate on the third point of making additions or expansions of historic properties. Following the National Register guidelines will help in maintaining the architectural integrity. Here are a few of those guidelines.
Recycle. Unless there’s a health reason (e.g., asbestos), don’t throw the old materials away. Building materials change over time just like other products. So, try to reuse the materials from the original construction when building your addition. That is the easiest way to achieve a consistent rather than a disjointed finished product.
Moreover, even a piece of the East Wing recovered from a dumpster is still a piece of the original East Wing. It doesn’t lose its character. In a couple of decades, someone will be selling an old Roosevelt eave at auction for millions of dollars.
Restore. There are a couple of reasons to restore materials, when possible, instead of replacing them. One we’ve already mentioned. Building materials change over time. It’s a ton of work to try to age new materials to look and perform like the older materials that have aged naturally from weather, insects, usage, and the limits of what was available at the time versus what is available now.
Another reason to restore is because the design and material choices tell the story of the time of the construction. What had been achieved with building materials at that time.
Pay Tribute. In a perfect world an old theater would continue to be used as a renovated theater. However, consumer demand dictates how structures are used. In our rehab design efforts we can preserve history by retaining the signage. So if the building has a sign that reads “Glover Hardware Est. 1885” keep the sign even though the space is now used as a restaurant.
Maintain Scale. Pay attention to scale when designing an addition. The new part should not dwarf the original part or the other buildings in the historic district. It will look out of place and will be a conspicuous break from history, which lessens the property value of the building. Kind of like Vienna, lacking in authenticity.
Be Sustainable. Do sustainability and preservation mesh? The answer to that question is yes. The National Register agrees. Sustainability is the sign of these times. So it adds to the history of the building rather than detracting from it. Further, adding sustainable features improves the livability and affordability of the building. So look for opportunities to add natural light and improve the energy efficiency of the space.
Those are just 5 of the many guidelines around historic preservation.
Historic Spaces Earn More Money
Many investors don’t care about preserving history. They just want to make money. Fair enough. To that type of investor, I say the following: do you want to use your own money to make money or do you want to use taxpayer money? By choosing to preserve an old building rather than building a new one, you get to use OPM.
Moreover, an historic building lends character to the business operating in it. That character appeals to a specific audience of well-heeled consumers who prefer a home, hotel, or other building that has a story to tell. They want to be connected to the generations who lived before them. To the ancestors or the forefathers.
Whenever I’m in a Southern plantation home, I think of the hands that carved the fireplace mantle, that laid the chimney bricks, that chopped down the trees that became the hardwood floors I’m walking on. Those ancestors are in that home with me as I pay for the privilege of sleeping there or having lunch on the veranda. There are hordes of customers like me who are willing to pay a premium for spaces that have character. So, spending the time on historic preservation can lead to both higher revenues and lower taxes—which should be music to your investor ears.
I’m Shavon Jones. I’ll be here again next Monday. I’m looking forward to it, and I hope you are too.
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