> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ken Follett
> Sent: Wednesday, May 24, 2000 9:50 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Investigation of original paint colors on wooden windows
>
>
> In a message dated 5/23/00 12:45:58 PM Central Daylight Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
> > Broadway was a messier street in 1900, with signs and awnings
> everywhere.
> > Preservationists shouldn't be neat freaks.
>
> Mary,
>
> I like this direction.

I have long postulated that what we need to do as preservationists is get
the aesthetics out of preservation.  It's only natural to want to preserve
what we like...not an unreasonable way to behave.  But it is precisely those
structures and places that are currently out of stylistic favor that are
most at risk.

And all these historic places that have been handed down to us through time
somehow survived a certain degree of laissez faire decision-making --
incremental changes -- some of which we would not permit to be constructed
today under the terror structure of official preservation strictures, but
which we must retain and preserve if they were done during an artificially
created period of significance as having "acquired historic significance in
their own right...."

In one of our historic districts, we have a very nice aeroplane-style
craftsman bungalow, stucco, reentrant front porch on the left half of the
facade and driveway running down the left side of the house.  A classic
according to the precepts of the style.  Turns out it's a catalog house.
Even better, we have photos of the house shortly after it was constructed.
These photos reveal a pergola-style porte cochere over the drive adjacent to
the front porch.  If an owners had applied to us for a porte cochere to
match the original, we would not have been able to approve it under our
design guidelines: dang thing has these absolutely incongruous, not
craftsman-style, doric columns supporting it.  No way!  Terrible!  Not
appropriate!  But the photos do not lie.

So Mary's right.  We need to loosen up.  Preservationists are way too
serious about all this stuff.  But I don't need to tell all y'all
that...you're all refugees from P-L!
____________________________________________________
Dan Becker,  Exec. Dir.,          "Help me, Mr. Wizard!  I don't
Raleigh Historic                        want to be here anymore!"
Districts Commission                             - Tooter the Turtle
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