November 2009 » book review

The Principles of Preservation

Historic Preservation: An Introduction to Its History, Principles, and Practice

W. W. Norton & Company, New York, NY; 2009
375 pages; softcover; 100+ b&w photos & illustrations; $29.95
ISBN 978-0-393-73273-3

Reviewed by Kim A. O'Connell

When the first edition of Historic Preservation: An Introduction to Its History, Principles, and Practice was published in 1994, sustainability was not even listed as an index entry. Although the book indicated briefly that the burgeoning preservation movement of the 1960s was closely aligned with the environmental movement of the same period, "sustainability" was not yet a buzzword or a consideration. In this new second edition, by contrast, authors Norman Tyler, AICP, Ted J. Ligibel and Ilene R. Tyler, FAIA, FAPT, have devoted an entire chapter to the subject, which opens with a pointed critique. "Our culture is drunk on the new and the now," the authors write. "This intoxication clouds our judgment, causing us to profoundly undervalue the legacy of our forebears."

This change reflects how much the historic preservation field has evolved in the past 15 years, growing ever more diverse and relevant, with sometimes widely divergent goals. Some preservationists, the authors explain, focus on saving old buildings or cultural heritage, while others see their role as fostering urban revitalization or sustainability. "The underlying philosophy of the historic preservation movement in the United States," the authors write, "is defined more through activities than theory."

Describing those activities, as well as a history of the movement, is the goal of this substantive volume, designed as a textbook for introductory historic preservation courses. I read the first edition of the text in my own first course in Goucher College's master's preservation program, and I remember internalizing the essential differences between the "restore it and improve it" approach of 19th-century French architect Viollet-le-Duc and the "let the building show its age" view of his contemporary, the English writer John Ruskin. Much of preservation falls between these two philosophies, as this new edition ably shows.

Divided into 11 chapters, the book examines topics as wide ranging as the origins of preservation, architectural styles and contexts, legal precedents, historic property designation, intervention approaches, economics and planning, sustainability, heritage tourism and cultural landscapes. Helpful appendices offer lists of preservation resources and degree programs, as well as a delightfully illustrated glossary of architectural terms. The main text is amply illustrated with black-and-white photos and line drawings, the latter of which are uniformly well done.

Drawings of Independence Hall and Mount Vernon, not surprisingly, open the chapter on the history of the U.S. preservation movement. This chapter is chockablock with information about the federal, state, local and private roles in the field, and includes a summary timeline of high points in the movement's history (significant low points, such as demolition of New York City's original Pennsylvania Station, are not mentioned). The survey of architectural history and styles, furthermore, is a handy primer that could easily be republished as a standalone booklet for use in the field. The text also reflects current preservation thinking in its discussion of Modernism and the recent past. Frank Gehry is served up as the icon of computer-driven architecture, and although the authors mention the sometimes high costs and technical difficulties associated with this kind of construction, Gehry's brand of deconstructivism is nonetheless called "a significant and exciting new direction in building design." (How future generations will judge the historic significance of such buildings is not conjectured.)

The book is particularly engaging when it delves into the legal cases that shaped current policies and thinking about preservation. One case I remember vividly from graduate school and that remains prominently highlighted in this edition is the famous 1978 Penn Central decision. This landmark Supreme Court case – formally known as Penn Central Transportation Company vs. City of New York – addressed the rights of an owner to develop a historic property versus a city's ability to review and regulate that development. Penn Central had applied for a permit to construct a 55-story addition atop Grand Central Station, prompting such notables as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Philip Johnson to advocate for saving the terminal.

Preservation forces prevailed, of course, and Grand Central remains an unsullied (and recently restored) landmark, but the authors are careful to note the ambiguity of the decision – in that the court did not indicate the limits of an agency's ability to control private property rights in such cases. If an owner successfully argued that it could not get a "reasonable return" on its property without it being developed, an agency could be required to compensate the owner for its losses. We can talk about architectural styles and periods of significance, but cases such as Penn Central form the backbone of historic preservation. This should be essential reading for all practitioners in the field.

The sustainability chapter, to which green preservation expert Carl Elefante, FAIA, substantially contributed, is also compelling – even galvanizing. (Elefante and coauthor Ilene Tyler are colleagues at Washington, DC-based Quinn Evans | Architects.) This chapter is more critical than others of the societal mores that led to the environmental crisis in which we now find ourselves, and the authors are unafraid to take preservationists to task for not considering sustainability more profoundly. Sure, preservationists are becoming increasingly familiar with green-building checklists such as LEED, but far more "must accept the need to improve the energy performance of the existing building stock," the authors contend. This may mean incorporating solar collectors that look like traditional roofing materials or installing in-ground geothermal heating/cooling systems.

A special section on New Orleans recovery in the post-Katrina era is short but timely and profound. The fundamental message here is that we can't separate our buildings from our natural environment; the two affect each other in innumerable ways.

"When we build," John Ruskin famously wrote, "let us think that we build forever." We all know that most builders have not subscribed to this philosophy. Out of this lack, however, has grown a vibrant historic preservation movement, whose fundaments are comprehensively outlined in this impressive volume.

My only wish for the book is that it could have delved more deeply into the psychology of preservation – what motivates us to save buildings, cities and ways of life, and what drives us in the face of opposition and a culture that is still "drunk on the new" – which would have been inspiring. Still, the authors have comprehensively and compellingly captured the diverse, challenging and ultimately rewarding field of historic preservation. The fact that countless new preservationists will get their first lessons from this volume will go a long way toward shaping a future of which our forebears would be proud.  

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