Mary Krugman wrote:

     "having just returned from "the land of the 'gators" (GA and FLA). I am
     troubled by thoughts of what we (preservationists) have wrought. I just
     visited St. Augustine, FL  -- the "oldest city in America." It has a
     historic district that is wonderful -- well preserved streetscape, great
     old buildings, and some interesting reconstructions underway, based on
     archaeological discoveries of old building footprints and historic images.

     HOWEVER, the historic [now] "walking street" is a mall-like environment of
     tourist shops -- endless mugs, crystals, ersatz memoribilia, etc. that
     tourists like to buy. There was one authentic historic site, which depicted
     the city at a particular historic period, but for the most part it was a
     historic "theme park" -- crowded with large, ice cream-slurping tourists.

     Savannah, GA is much the same -- tour buses cram the streets, there is
     little sense of a "normal" city rhythm, and most of the people on the
     streets are tourists."


     I, too, have been increasingly disturbed by what has happened to historic
     downtown areas that have become popular shopping areas, and not just for
     tourists.  Michigan Ave. in Chicago, Boylston Street in Boston, Connecticut
     Avenue here in Washington (to some extent), Santa Fe, and other places I
     have visited recently seem to be essentially malls without roofs.  They all
     have the same national retailers--Gap, Benetton, Starbucks, etc.  Even the
     people walking the streets look the same!  Many of them are not the kind of
     tourists Mary saw, though there are plenty of stores carrying the usual
     touristy souvenirs.  Much of the crowd seems to be prosperous, young,
     trendy, 30-somethings or maybe a little older.  In Santa Fe (a really weird
     place), there are NO stores in the historic area serving the locals--in
     spite of an intensive local campaign to save a defunct Woolworth's just for
     that reason (I suppose they may have succeeded since I was last there)

     All of us preservationists seem to think this is success, and maybe it is.
     After all, the buildings are still there, looking good, and occupied by
     what appear to be profitable enterprises.  But it's not history--except
     late at night when it is wonderful!

     I don't know what to do about it either.  We can't hardly wish poverty on
     cities that already have more than enough of that away from the historic
     areas.  But I do treasure those few places that do still have some sense of
     their own individualized pasts--Yorktown, VA, the old Cattlemen's Exchange
     (or whatever it's called) at the Fort Worth Stockyards, the squares away
     from the riverfront in Savannah, and a few others (if anyone has other
     places to add to this list, I would love to hear about them).

     Oh well--I guess nothing is perfect.

     Marilyn Harper
     National Register of Historic Places
     (which is very much not responsible for the content of THIS message!!)