Historic Structures and Memory

When a structure reaches 50 years of age the National Trust for Historic Preservation considers it old enough to have possible significance for preservation.

Having worked in the museum field for so many years I know that their value is in the stories they have to tell about experiences in the past and the sense of comfortable nostalgia they can bring to today’s busy world. They tell us where we have come from to help us understand where we are going. They may even be able to help us understand the stories of older structures that have gone before, now missing, and that helps bring the past alive.

Many older structures can have issues-

• Structural joints may have sagged or failed causing the building to creak and shift, some may have given way and need to be replaced entirely.
• Original siding may have sagged and buckled, with peeling paint and popping joints.
• Window glass may have become wavy, hazy, or scratched making it hard to see through.
• Insensitive remodeling over the years may have obscured the original design and altered its appearance. (How often have I said, “What a beautiful building, it has good bones. Too bad it’s been remodeled so often at all the wrong times.)
• Mechanical systems from wiring to plumbing may have become outdated and ceased to work properly, requiring some replacement. The climate control systems, such as they are, may not seem to function as well as they used to.
• Even the roof may have worn thin and not keep the elements out as well.

Approached with love and care all of these issues can be dealt with sensitively and in a manner that enhances the structure, assures its functionality and longevity for years to come, and preserves its history and what it has to say about life in the past.

Today on my fiftieth birthday I feel a sense of camaraderie with these older building. We are all like the buildings our society has built. I wonder at how the human body shares their commonality of problems. I share their nostalgic sense of the past and their memories of how things used to be, both within my life time and before. Finally at 50 I guess I am now I am a Historic Structure! (How did I manage to not get torn down before now?)

It makes me thankful for every day. I want to remember the past, but not to live in it; to preserve and cherish its lessons and graces but apply them to the present; to step into the future building on the stones of those gone before. I do treasure the sense of nostalgia though.

Now if I can just keep moving fast enough so that no one plants a plaque on me I guess I’ll be happy!