Quote:
Originally Posted by creamcityleo79
BillSimmons...I tend to agree with you, in that there are times where "preservation" is unnecessary. But, those preservationists definitely need/deserve to have a voice and a place at the table. Remember the Alhambra?
I have lived in a few cities now and I feel like I have seen some amazing examples of adaptive re-use! Milwaukee has a HUGE historic housing stock and also a HUGE selection of historic buildings in their downtown. There are very few 50s/60s urban renewal shitholes like in Sacramento. They have held tightly on to their history and it has proven to be a great thing. There is a whole neighborhood/district (the 3rd ward) that was, literally, ALL abandoned warehouses and factories when I first moved to Milwaukee in 2004. 10 years later, the neighborhood is thriving and teeming with condos, apartments, shops, restaurants, and lots and lots of people! Tearing down too much and getting rid of "the past" can leave any city bland and lacking culture. I know you're not advocating for something like this. But, pragmatic compromise can lead to major success for both sides and a thriving urban community that celebrates it's past and it's culture. I know Sacramento is not Milwaukee (thankfully). But, I also know that there are lessons to be learned from the preservationists and the new urbanists in both cities.
|
Wow just now getting to this 15 months later...
Unfortunately I wasn't alive when the Alhambra Theater was still in existence, but I've heard much about it. My grandfather has ranted to me many times about how tearing that down was one of the dumbest things this city has ever done. He said it was the most beautiful theater he ever had the pleasure of visiting, and that they tore it down to build a goddam Safeway! That's just ridiculous.
However, there's a BIG difference between a historic cultural center like the Alhambra Theater vs an abandoned, run-down fire hazard like the Biltmore Hotel, or any of those other abandoned shacks that line J Street in the heart of the city. There's also a big difference in the historic value of, say, the Tower Theater vs Capitol Towers. Tower Theater is a beautiful iconic building that most Sacramentans adore. People would be furious if they tried to tear Tower down. Capitol Towers, on the other hand, is an old, suburban apartment complex in the middle of downtown Sacramento. That is not "Historic." That does not need to be "saved" from the big greedy developers.
That's the kind of thing I was talking about. Too often I see people rallying against any plans that call for tearing down an old building to build a new building, and the argument against doing so typically amounts to "you can't tear this down because it's old." Obviously there are many buildings that should not be torn down, but that doesn't mean NONE of them should be torn down.