At 04:57 PM 7/13/98 -0400, Dan Becker wrote....:
>I grow increasingly concerned about the high priests and priestesses of
>preservation formulating standards in an
increasingly-insulated-from-the-general-population academic pursuit of
perfection.  We promulgate perfect preservation, but our educational
efforts to bring the layperson, the general public, along with us has not
kept pace. ....   I have news for you...much of the outside world thinks we
are nuts already; totally detached from reality with our standards
requiring historic fabric to be conserved to the Nth degree, and our
micromanagement of detail in historic district administration.  So showing
them that we don't necessarily agree among ourselves about every nuance of
preservation isn't going to make any difference in the big picture as to
how we are perceived by "them."

Hear Hear....to a point.  I agree wholeheartedly that the priests and
priestesses of HP are promulgating a form of restoration that's great for
museum quality work but, as one who dwells in the less-pristine world of
rehabilitation, often amazingly out-of-step with the reality of day-to-day
living.  I work towards making successful places and I think that many
history buildings offer many intangible elements towards that goal.  That
is not to say that a project is ruined if the muntin width is a bit off or
if they replaced some lath and plaster walls with textured drywall so that
they could (gasp) insulate.

I also agree with Dan that the general public (and many of clients)  think
HP, at least at the regulation level, is a fairly wacko enterprise with
nit-picky rules that make little sense.  (I believe this is because that
"general public" has lost much of its ability to see quality in building
because they've become accustomed to post-war dreck but that's another
diatribe)

 What I DO NOT agree with in Dan's otherwise excellent summary, is that
showing the public we in the field actually disagree on these issues isn't
going to make a difference.  I think that we must disagree, and do it in
public, if we ever expect what are largely public\governmental processes to
change so that they better mirror the reality of what we do or hope to.
The problem is that we all are operating within a system whilst trying to
change it.  Still, squeaky wheel and all that, I hope that there are some
of use willing to be branded heretics in order to reach a better world in
the end....;-)

George Kramer, M.S.
Historic Preservation Consultant
Ashland, Oregon