Significance How important is it? Thoughts on historical - - PDF document

How important is it? Thoughts on historical significance

Green Gables, Woodside

Significance

 A property must have enough integrity to

reflect its significance.

 What is a property’s history & context?  What is its story? What can it tell us?

Historic Preservation

 It’s not about looking pretty.  It’s not about feeling good.  It’s about remembering & understanding our

history.

Gasworks Park, Seattle

Historic Preservation

 What we choose to preserve varies by country,

region and locality.

 What we choose to preserve depends on our

culture, history and legal system.

Barn, King County

International Context

Typically began with very old monuments and religious buildings

Abu Simbel Reims Cathedral 1853 Mount Vernon Ladies Association raised funds when federal & state Governments refused to help.

.

U.S. Preservation

1816 City of Philadelphia purchased Independence Hall

1 2 3 4 5 6 Item No. 11A Page 1 of 3

• U. S. Natural & Prehistoric Wonders

1864 Yosemite deeded to state 1872 Yellowstone made a federal park 1889 Federal funds to preserve Mesa Verde ruins. 1906 Antiquities Act established national monuments 1916 National Park Service established 1930s New Deal recording programs 1950s Urban Renewal 1966 National Historic Preservation Act/NRHP 1970s Bicentennial activities Mesa Verde National Park

National Register Threshold

 Must be 50 years old

unless of “exceptional importance.”

 Age is a threshold—

not the most important criterion

Space Needle & U.S Pavilion Seattle

National Register/State Criteria

 Associated with events that have made a significant

contribution to the broad patterns of local, regional or national history.

Panama Hotel Old Monterey County Jail

National Register/State Criteria

 Associated with the lives of persons important to national, state or

local history.

 Related to significant events in the life of a significant person  Whose history? Move beyond rich white men.

Cooper-Molera Adobe Doc Ricketts’ Lab

National Register/State Criteria

 Embodies the distinctive characteristics of type, period or method of

construction.

 or represents the work of a master or possesses high artistic value.  Should be a notable example.

Christian Science Church Bernard Maybeck

• Mt. Angel Library

Alvar Aalto

National Register/State Criteria

 Usually “high style” or architect-designed buildings.  Most common criterion as it is easiest to use  Vernacular and commonplace buildings deserve a look too

Shaker building

Cannery workers’ cottages

7 8 9 10 11 12 Item No. 11A Page 2 of 3

Layers of significanceria

 The more criteria that apply, the higher the significance  Integrity requirement

may be flexible, Del Monte Hotel Asilomar

Into the future… Social/Cultural Value



Recognizes social/cultural associations of properties



Continuity of use to present



Opens up input on significance to ethnic groups and others

Challenges



Requires a lot of information/evidence



How do you regulate/preserve use?



Not tied to integrity—what do you protect?

Bohemian Beer Garden, Queens

Resources



Pacific Grove Context Statement



NR Bulletin 15: How ti Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation



Norman Tyler, et al. Historic Preservation: An Introduction to Its History, Principles and Practice

13 14 15 16 Item No. 11A Page 3 of 3