Comments on: Commentary on "Building Law Seen As Threat To California History"

By: Robert Jordan

Robert Jordan — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:46:05 +0000

Thanks for the post – great reading. The one thing I would have to take issue with is your comment at the end: “…as American values shift from valuing our history to valuing the “new”. ” In fact Americans have ALWAYS preferred the new over the historic – that’s why most of historic Portland was torn down without a second thought to make room for the automobile. Our challenge is to change an entire national mind-set, and show that re-purposed historic structures can meet the demands of modern society while keeping our architectural heritage alive and dynamic.

By: Preservation-positive green rating systems? Maybe it’s not so bad, but it sure could be better. « the green preservationist

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:51:27 +0000

[...] Research for the National Trust responded to the article on the PreservationNation blog. Another blog post by Ralph DiNola, LEED AP, LEED Faculty, Associate AIA, and self proclaimed preservationist also [...]

By: Peggy Moretti

Peggy Moretti — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 23:46:24 +0000

Thank you, Ralph, for laying out these very apt points and challenging the NPR program’s assumptions. Another value is the long lifespan of historic buildings. Will the new construction stand for 100 years? I hope, too, that in our fervor for greeness we don’t completely overlook the cultural benefits of preservation and reuse of historic buildings – the stories, craftsmanship, and sense of place that give our communities distinct identities. They still seem to do a better job of creating community connectedness than most new development I see.

By: Joy Sears

Joy Sears — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:01:45 +0000

Just a clarification, but Memorial Coliseum has not been saved by listing in the National Register of Historic Places but in Portland an individually listed building is much harder to demolish.