Bending the Future: Fifty Ideas for the Next Fifty Years of Historic Preservation in the United States

by Max Page, Marla R. Miller

Overview

The year 2016 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act, the cornerstone of historic preservation policy and practice in the United States. The act established the National Register of Historic Places, a national system of state preservation offices and local commissions, set up federal partnerships between states and tribes, and led to the formation of the standards for preservation and rehabilitation of historic structures. This book marks its fiftieth anniversary by collecting fifty new and provocative essays that chart the future of preservation.

The commentators include leading preservation professionals, historians, writers, activists, journalists, architects, and urbanists. The essays offer a distinct vision for the future and address related questions, including, Who is a preservationist? What should be preserved? Why? How? What stories do we tell in preservation? How does preservation contribute to the financial, environmental, social, and cultural well-being of communities? And if the "arc of the moral universe . . . bends towards justice," how can preservation be a tool for achieving a more just society and world?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781625342157
Publisher:	University of Massachusetts Press
Publication date:	07/08/2016
Series:	Public History in Historical Perspective
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Max Page is professor of architecture and history and director of the Historic Preservation Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.Marla R. Miller is professor of history and director of the Public History Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is editor of the series Public History in Historical Perspective.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xi

Introduction 1

Taking stock 5

Who is a preservationist? 9

What should be preserved, and why? 15

What stories should we be we telling? 21

How do we, and should we, tell the histories of significant places? 25

Can preservation help create more economically vibrant and just communities? 28

Can preservation help save the planet? 32

The future beyond the bend: Toward 2066 35

What Historic Preservation Can Learn from Ferguson Michael R. Allen 44

From Passion to Public Policy: Making Preservation More Sustainable Erica Avrami 49

Dislodging the Curatorial Daniel Bluestone 53

A Preservation Movement for All Americans David J. Brown 57

Preserving Social Character and Navigating Preservation Divides Japonica Brown-Saracino 62

Steps toward Decolonizing the National Historic Preservation Act Kurt E. Dongoske Theresa Pasqual 67

From Minority to Majority: Building On and Moving Beyond the Politics of Identity in Historic Preservation Gail Dubrow 72

Shockoe Bottom: Changing the Landscape of Public History in Richmond, Virginia Ana Edwards 76

Historic Preservation: Diversity in Practice and Stewardship Everett L. Fly 83

Latinos in Heritage Conservation: Establishing a National Vision for American Latinos and Historic Preservation Sarah Zenaida Gould 88

The Necessity of Interpretation Donna Graves 93

Keeping Us Honest: What Our Buildings Tell Us about the Health of Our Communities Rosanne Haggerty 98

Lessons from the High Line: Don't Preserve. Repurpose Robert Hammond 102

Historic Preservation and the Life Cycle Neil Harris 106

A Grand Coalition Tony Hiss 110

Making Preservation Work for Struggling Communities A Plea to loosen National Historic District Guidelines Andrew Hurley 114

Should the NHPA Have a Greater Sense of Urgency? Brian Joyner 119

Preservation and Invisibility Jamie Kalven 124

Repeal the National Historic Preservation Act Thomas F. King 128

Cronocaos Rem Koolhaas 132

Whose History, Whose Memory? A Culturally Sensitive Narrative Approach Na Li 136

"They That Go Down to the Sea in Ships": Putting Life into Maritime Preservation James M. Lindgren 140

Preservation toward Conservation Richard Longstreth 144

Historic America-and the Unremarked Rest David Lowenthal 148

Preservation Demands Interpretation Steven Lubar 153

A New Ownership Culture: Concepts, Policies, and Institutions for the future of Preservation Randall Mason 157

Changing the Paradigm from Demolition to Reuse-Building Reuse Ordinances Tom Mayes 162

Did Martha Washington Sleep Here?: Feminism, Power, and Preservation Michelle L. McClellan 166

Become a "Movement of Yes" Stephanie K. Meeks 170

Critical Place-Based Storytelling: A Mode of Creative Interaction at Historic Sites Tiya Miles Rachel Miller 174

Digital Reconstruction as Preservation: Alternative Methods of Practice for Difficult and Lost Histories of the African American Past Angel David Nieves 179

Race and Historic Preservation: The Case for Mainstreaming Asian American and Pacific Islander American Historic Sites Franklin Odo 184

Preserving the History of Genirification Suleiman Osman 189

Pollution Jorge Otero-Pailos 194

Culture as the Catalyst: Broadening Our History, Intangible Heritage, and Enlivening Historic Places Julianne Polanco 201

A City Visible to Itself Richard Rabinowitz 205

I Want You to Run for Office Bernice Radle 210

Preservationists Must Be Anti-Gentrification Activists Graciela Isabel Sánchez 214

Riding Preservation's New Wave: How to Build on Movements for Memoria Liz Ševcenko 219

Preserving People Michael Sorkin 223

Teaching Landscape Literacy: Historic Preservation and Community Knowledge Anne Whiston Spirn 227

To Expand and Maintain a National Register of Historic Places John H. Sprinkle, Jr. 231

Historic Un-Preservation John Kuo Wei Tchen 235

Can Preservation Destigmatize Public Housing? Lawrence J. Vale 240

We Need to Move the Goal Posts Max A. Van Balgooy 245

Contesting Neoliberalism: The Value of Preservation in a Globalizing Age Daniel Vivian 250

Human Environment Conservation in 2066: An Interview Jeremy C. Wells 254

Reigniting Stewardship as a Preservation Practice Susan West Montgomery 258

A Modem-Day WPA Amber Wiley 261

Put on Your Hipster Hat Chris Wilson 265

Index 269

What People are Saying About This

Dolores Hayden

Anyone who has ever admired an old building or wandered through anolder neighborhood with pleasure will enjoyBending the Future,a stellar collection of fifty shortessays on the future of historic preservation in the United States. EditorsMax Page and Marla R. Millerhave invited historians, activists, preservationists, anddesigners to argue about American landscapes and buildings: What must we save? What can be demolished? Who cares? Theauthorsaddress aesthetics along with social justice, economic inequality, and sustainability in a volume that will appeal to community organizers and local officials as well as university students in diverse fields.

Anthony C. Wood

I see this book as being a requirement in the library of any preservation professional. It certainly will become an instant textbook for the many preservation programs across the country — at both the undergraduate and the graduate level.

Editorial Reviews

"I see this book as being a requirement in the library of any preservation professional. It certainly will become an instant textbook for the many preservation programs across the country—at both the undergraduate and the graduate level."—Anthony C. Wood, author of Preserving New York: Winning the Right to Protect a City's Landmarks

"Anyone who has ever admired an old building or wandered through an older neighborhood with pleasure will enjoy Bending the Future, a stellar collection of fifty short essays on the future of historic preservation in the United States. Editors Max Page and Marla R. Miller have invited historians, activists, preservationists, and designers to argue about American landscapes and buildings: What must we save? What can be demolished? Who cares? The authors address aesthetics along with social justice, economic inequality, and sustainability in a volume that will appeal to community organizers and local officials as well as university students in diverse fields."—Dolores Hayden, author of The Power of Place: Urban Landscapes as Public History

"The editors were not seeking a manifesto, but instead were challenging all of us to dig deep and challenge our assumptions as we look to the future. . . . There is a wideness and optimism to the thought in Bending the Future that bodes well for the next 50 years."—Saving Places Blog

"The most compelling essays were those that are the most specific; you can almost feel the effort it took for each author to stay away from glittering generalities and instead put forth concrete suggestions for change. Some of the most interesting ideas came from essays like 'Historic Preservation: Diversity in Practice and Stewardship' by Everett Fly, who offered specific ideas about new ways to educate and train preservation professionals. . . . Other compelling ideas ranged from illustrating innovative techniques for how to use digital technology to layer information, to suggesting new ways to structure property ownership in order to facilitate stewardship and future preservation. . . . I was inspired by the creativity and forward-thinking ideas expressed across the collection of essays."—OffCite

From the Publisher

The most compelling essays were those that are the most specific; you can almost feel the effort it took for each author to stay away from glittering generalities and instead put forth concrete suggestions for change. Some of the most interesting ideas came from essays like 'Historic Preservation: Diversity in Practice and Stewardship' by Everett Fly, who offered specific ideas about new ways to educate and train preservation professionals.... Other compelling ideas ranged from illustrating innovative techniques for how to use digital technology to layer information, to suggesting new ways to structure property ownership in order to facilitate stewardship and future preservation.... I was inspired by the creativity and forward-thinking ideas expressed across the collection of essays.

OffCite

The editors were not seeking a manifesto, but instead were challenging all of us to dig deep and challenge our assumptions as we look to the future.... There is a wideness and optimism to the thought in Bending the Future that bodes well for the next 50 years.

Saving Places Blog