A friend recently sent me a video about historic preservation in Jacksonville, Florida. It is a wonderful discussion of preservation and yes there is a lovely old Riverside Preservation District featuring fantastic 19th and early 20th century structures. Several points made by the speaker are worth reiterating to From the Porch subscribers. The first, he suggests, is that we are only transient homeowners of an historic structure that is important not only to the owner but to the community as well.
Frankly I had never thought of myself in this light, but since I too have owned numerous homes, I clearly belong to this club. I am, therefore, in his opinion, responsible for the care of a piece of public art while I own the structure. As a piece of art, yes, that is what is suggested in the video. I have a responsibility to not only maintain the house but care for the integrity of the architectural elements. To some this might be a radical idea, that structures are perhaps America’s most prolific public art and their exterior appearance impacts everyone. I have mixed emotions about this but there is indeed a validity to his argument that as public art, the character and individuality of our communities is indeed under attack by the ugly box store.
Though I agreed with much of his discussion of preservation, I strongly disagreed with the statement that historic houses don’t make good museums. An historic house museum is no better than the function it serves! And yes, I do agree with the speaker that, all too often, lovely old homes have been saved for the wrong reasons and it would have been much preferable to allow them to have been moved or commercialized. Only a few years ago, the founders of Roots & Recall assisted the Palmetto Trust in seeing that a wonderful home in Richland County’s Ballentine community was saved and adapted as a commercial space. But each community can and should foster the preservation of their cultural history, not just the grandeur of an antebellum house but also mill houses, shotgun dwellings, old filling stations, etc. But before taking on these expensive projects, make sure there is a clear “profitable” reason for doing so. All too often since the recession hit, museums are suffering and even closing their doors, because funding is being funneled to human needs, versus cultural ones. Be sure before embarking on a preservation project that it is sustainable!
As a transient homeowner, I now recognize that taking better care of my own house as well as fostering preservation is indeed a responsibility that impacts generations.