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'Historic Preservation’  for many people has a negative connotation of burdensome bureaucratic oversight. In the worst sense, this is true. Rules and regulations are often meant to be inflexible accompanied by consequences when ignored or violated. Civilization is built upon past choices which inform future decisions and the evidence of these choices is seen in the physical spaces and locations that remain. When a community agrees that something is worth preserving, then there must be an understanding and agreement to protect that space.  From the earliest recorded history of humans, efforts were made to set apart and mark important locations. Preservation informed others of the specialness of a place and places were kept from damage or destruction because of rules and regulations.

Sacred spaces such as Stonehenge, Angor Wat, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem have been revered and protected for hundreds and thousands of years. Spaces record human habitation and activity or are sites where an important event occurred. These repositories show and remind us of what happened. These are evidence of how people lived, what they did, and the choices they made which affected them and often still affect us.

The modern Preservation movement in the United States was not sparked by a single event, though many events were noted, such as the public outcry to save the American warship Constitution, led in part by Oliver Wendell Holmes. A similar effort in England ’saved’ Hortatio Nelson’s flagship, Victory. Citizens rallied around to save Mount Vernon and in the midst of the Depression, benefactors restored and preserved Colonial Williamsburg. These and other similar efforts occurred in communities across the United States, preserving individual structures and neighborhoods.

The efforts to save sites and structures is about managing change while retaining elements of the past which help explain and enhance the lives of those who are alive now and those who will come after us. In many cases, the skilled expertise of architects, developers, builders and owners who created neighborhoods, streets, civic buildings, and individual houses and commercial structures are exceptional and deserving of retention because of the excellence of the craftsmanship, design, and materials. A well-laid out city plan carries benefits far into the future because it allows for and enhances and anticipates those who will be there many generations later. A cohesive neighborhood enhances civic life. Buildings are are evidence of excellence in design and construction and of advances in technology. By studying the past, we can better plan for the future.

The most singular galvanizing moment in historic preservation in the United States was Mount Vernon, saved by the Mount Vernon Ladies’s Association. It’s worthwhile to read of the heroic efforts of this group of determined women who acquired the mansion in the mid-19th century and still operate it today.  The image above of the mansion shows a dilapidated structure supported by ship’s timbers alongside the columns.