In a message dated 10/6/98 9:38:46 AM, [log in to unmask] wrote:

<<But I do recognize and agree that
there will always be a place for museums, frozen in time outside that
dynamic, if only as a place of reference....>>

George,

Its only fair to let you know or remind you if you knew, that I make my living
dealing darn near exclusively with buildings behind that velvet rope.  All day
long I play preservation beaurocrat...except on those days when I get to be
preservationeer archeeeetect.  I go home to the cutest little damned suburban
development you ever did see, its just as though Camp Wilderness got some
permanent occupants!  The point is, your view of my end of this spectrum is
narrow.  The buildings I work with tell as much about the three generations of
serious preservationeers that have worked on them as they do about their
builders.  They are not frozen in time.  In fact, the school of thought that
advocated the freezing of time pretty much ended after the bicentinnial.
  I think its great that there's lots of us preserving diferent things in
diferent ways.  I think its great that we are making new things for rug rats
to preserve when they grow up.  I think its great that people like to live in
old houses!  Eight hours a day is enough for me.
  I may be an elitist...my favorite history professor, accused me of it once,
but my museum buildings are not.  This is public history and public service.

-jc