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RESEARCH DESIGN PROPOSAL
COMMUNITY ATTITUDES THAT INFLUENCE HISTORIC PRESERVATION:
A CASE STUDY
Alyssa Gerszewski
History 532: Community History
Professor VanderMeer
30 November 2011
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INTRODUCTION
Historic Preservation and Community
In recent decades, historic preservation in the United States has become a more
prominent component in American communities. Increased community and individual focus on
the value of specific places compelled Americans to be more involved in protecting their cultural
and architectural heritage.1 Historic preservation in the United States has a legacy of being a
grass-roots effort. The participation of citizens and local government is crucial for the
preservation of these historic buildings, structures, sites and their environs. Local government
officials, politicians, students, long-time residents, young professionals, retirees, and others
interested in preservation have been most involved. Additionally, historic preservation
organizations on the local, state, regional, and federal level serve a variety of purposes to support
the efforts of a community. While employees of these organizations were generally paid,
historic preservation relied and continues to rely heavily on the help of volunteers for various
restoration, reconstruction, rehabilitation, and conservation projects.2 The Historic Preservation
Act of 1966 is the most important piece of legislation relating to historic preservation. This act
created the National Register of Historic Places, and assisted in the building of relationships
between the national, state, and local organizations.
Research Rationale
For this research project, I will examine the cities of Charleston, SC, Santa Fe, NM, and Buffalo,
NY. More specifically, I will investigate the community attitudes toward preservation. In
addition, I will look at one preservation organization from each community to establish its
1
Norman Tyler, Historic Preservation: An Introduction to its History, Principles, and Practice (New York: W.W.
Norton & Company, Inc., 2009), 11.
2
Tyler, “Historic Preservation: An Introduction to its History, Principles, and Practice,” 191.
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importance in the preservation efforts in each community. In order to do this I will look at
Charleston between 1970 and 1995, Santa Fe 1995 and 2010, and Buffalo 1995 and 2010. I will
gain insight into the differences and similarities in historic preservation between these
geographically diverse locations. In addition, the different time periods selected will produce an
understanding of how attitudes and preservation organizations have changed over time.
Researching the Historic Charleston Foundation, the Historic Santa Fe Foundation, and
Preservation Buffalo Niagara (previously the Preservation Coalition of Erie County and the
Landmark Society of the Niagara Frontier) will allow for an understanding of the role these
organizations have played in their communities, and the types of citizens that have been
involved.
This will allow for the comprehension of the links between historic preservation and local
community members. The city historic preservation offices in Charleston, Santa Fe, and Buffalo
are also crucial to this study.
HISTORIOGRAPHY
Abundant sources which address attitudes toward history in general and would serve as part of
the structure of the study. Many sources on historic preservation in the United States are
available for use and would be helpful for developing the national context of historic
preservation during the specific time periods. Many of these works use case study examples to
highlight specific communities. A small amount of secondary literature addresses the history of
historic preservation in specific communities.
Historic Preservation in Charleston, Santa Fe, and Buffalo
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Charleston became a city when South Carolina was still a British Colony. The colonial
past and also the legacy of slavery continued to influence the city into the twentieth century. In
the mid-1960s Charleston was undergoing the desegregation of schools, churches, businesses
and other public spaces. Additionally, between 1970 and 1976 the rise of tourism played large
role in the city’s economic development.3 By 1970 Charleston reached a population of 303,849.4
In the 1970s, as a result of increased interest in historic preservation, several rehabilitation
projects occurred many of which the Historic Charleston Foundation was involved in. This
educational private non-profit organization began in 1947. Over the years, it worked to protect
historic buildings and played a large role in the city Historic Preservation plan of 1974.5 The
foundation worked to address issues of urban decay in the 1970s and was involved in several of
the cities preservation controversies such as the construction of the Charleston hotel and
convention center. The Historic Charleston Foundation changed its concentration from house
museums to taking part in the urban and environmental planning of the city.6 The massive
destruction from Hurricane Hugo in September of 1989 also influenced the preservation projects
in the early 1990s.
Buffalo became a city in the early 1800s and grew as a result of the steel, and iron
industry. Additionally, the opening if the Erie Canal and the shipment of commodities from the
Midwest attributed to its economic success.7 After losing much of its economic base when
industry was no longer needed in Buffalo, the city started to decline in the mid-1900s. By the
3
Walter J. Fraser. Charleston! Charleston!: The History of a Southern City. Columbia: University of South
Carolina Press, 1989., 425-427.
4
U.S. Department of Commerce, Census of Population: 1970, Vol., Part 42, Characteristics of Population, South
Carolina (Washington, DC: GPO, 1972), 5.
Robert Weyeneth. Historic Preservation for a Living City. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2000,
82.
6
Weyeneth. “Historic Preservation for a Living City,” xix.
7
Mark Goldman. City on the Edge: Buffalo, NY. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 2007, 37.
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late 1990s Buffalo was still unable to recover from the population and economic decline.8
However, one author suggests that the residents of Buffalo are still interested in their heritage.
He writes “While history in Buffalo has always been challenging and occasionally cruel, we
cherish our past and recognize its importance to the future.”9
Historic preservation in Buffalo started in the late 1960s.
***This section will be developed further.
Community Attitudes on Historic Preservation
Only a few studies located specifically address community attitudes and/or community values
toward historic preservation. For this reason, it is important to use the contexts mentioned
above. However, Community Attitudes to Historic Preservation, Williams, Arizona: A Report to
the State Historic Preservation Office and Arizona Main Street Program by John Minett will
serve as a guide a for this project. By focusing on streets and public spaces, rather than
buildings, Minett argues that attitudes to historic preservation in Williams, Arizona suggest that
“History, it seems, is useful if I can be exploited to help the local economy.”10
In Gauging Community Values in Historic Preservation by Dirk H.R. Spennemann, he
argues that people do not preserve places to save them for future generations as previously
thought, but that rather, that people are motivated by self-interest.11 Spennemann maintains that
individuals preserve because heritage places allow them to connect with their past, they indicate
how architectural styles changed, and they provide people with feelings of nostalgia or national
Goldman, “City on the Edge: Buffalo, NY,” 361.
Goldman, “City on the Edge: Buffalo, NY,” 388.
10
John Minett Associates, Arizona State Historic Preservation Office, and Arizona Main Street Program.
Community Attitudes to Historic Preservation in the City of Williams, Arizona: A Report to the State Historic
Preservation Office and Arizona Main Street Program With Advice Using Historic Preservation to Enhance Sense
of Place and Unique Quality. (Tempe: John Minett Associates, 1998), preface.
11
Dirk H.R Spennemann. “Gauging Community Values in Historic Preservation.” CRM 3, no. 2 (2006): 8.
8
9
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pride.12 Furthermore, Spennemann states that individuals preserve places where critical
historical events took place, and also places where darker or more shameful historical events
transpired in order to prevent the recurrence of such events. For Spennemann, “The
psychological profile of our cognitive self seeks out the familiar in our environs, with people
developing attachments to places of residence, work, and emotional events. It is that attachment
to place that generates some of the social and community values towards heritage places.”13
Connections with History
David Glassberg suggests that “…a sense of history locates us in society, with knowledge
that helps us gain a sense of with whom we belong, connecting our personal experiences and
memories with those of a larger community, region, and nation.”14 This section will be
developed further.
THE DATA
Newspapers
One of the best ways to understand the attitudes toward historic preservation and the
influence of a preservation organization is to investigate the actions and reactions in community
newspapers. Information about the entertainment, politics, leadership, religion, business, and
social institutions of a community can be obtained by looking at articles and advertisements.
Newspapers also give insight into community affairs and local events. The Charleston News and
Courier is available from 1970 to 1991 on microfilm. This newspaper became the Post and
Courier in the early 1990s and is available online from 1994 to the present. Newspaper coverage
between 1992 and 1994 has not been located at this time, but will be found at a future date. I
Spennemann. “Gauging Community Values in Historic Preservation,” 8.
Spennemann. “Gauging Community Values in Historic Preservation,” 9.
14
David Glassberg. A Sense of History. The Place of the Past in American Life. (Amherst: University of
Massachusetts Press, 2001), 7.
12
13
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will examine articles from the The Buffalo News and the Santa Fe New Mexican. Both are
available between 1995 and 2010 online.
To make working with these newspapers more manageable I will focus on the protection
or work done to a specific property and preservation controversies. This will shed light on the
community attitudes towards preservation.
***I have the list of properties to choose from off the National Register of Historic
Places for each of the cities. I will probably select 4 historic properties in each community to
highlight. Historic Preservation for a Living City by Robert Weyeneth has several helpful dates listed.
For example, I may focus on the rehabilitation of the Charleston County Courthouse in the early 1990s
after Hurricane Hugo. An example for Buffalo may be the restoration of Shea’s Theater beginning in
1999. The final draft will indicate the properties and dates.
U.S. Census Records
Studying the US Census records for each case study location will reveal demographic
information for each community. Comprehending the population characteristics such as race,
age, sex, marital status, and occupation are important to uncovering the nature of a community.
I will examine 1970, 1980, and 1990 U.S. Census Characteristics of the Population for
Charleston, SC. I will also look at census records for Santa Fe and Buffalo in 1990, 2000 and
2010.
***This section will be developed further.
City Directories
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City directories are useful for determining the composition of specific neighborhoods or
areas of the city. Age of the head of households, length of residence, estimated income,
occupation, and value of residence can be determined from directories. They also produce
information about the businesses and social institutions of communities. The 1970 Charleston
directory is available at the Charleston County Public Library. Cross reference directories for
the greater Charleston area can be found at the University of South Carolina, Columbia library
between 1976 and 1987. The 1998, 2001, and 2003 Polk city directories are available for Santa
Fe at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. Additionally, cross reference directories for
1997, 1999 and 2001 are housed at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas. The
Buffalo cross reference directory for 1996, the 1998, 2000, and 2010 Buffalo city directories
exist at the State University of New York at Buffalo library. At this time, city directories for
Charleston in the 1990s, and Santa Fe in the later 2000s were not found.
Photographs
The State Records Center and Archives in Santa Fe owns a Historic Santa Fe Foundation
photograph collection. The collection contains some 800 photographs of historic buildings, sites,
activities of the foundation, the staff, and related individuals. Many photographs of volunteers,
employees, and restoration work between 1995 and 2010 are also available at the Historic Santa
Fe Foundation.
The Historic Charleston Foundation houses all of the photographs of Charleston
architecture contained in the book by Jonathan Poston, The Buildings of Charleston: A Guide to
the City’s Architecture. Additionally, a city of Charleston collection of several hundred
photographs of city officials, public buildings and civic events between the 1970s and 1980s may
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produce useful information for determining community attitudes toward historic preservation.
This collection is housed at the City of Charleston Archives located at the Charleston County
Public Library.
Preservation Organizations
Historic Charleston Foundation
This Historic Charleston Foundation began officially archiving their material in 2001 but
they do have several primary sources available spanning from 1970-1995. The papers of former
director Frances Edmunds are available for the 1970s and 1980s. The papers of former director
Jonathan Poston can be investigated between the 1980s and the 2000s. Foundation newsletters
sent out periodically can be researched for the years of 1994 and 1995. Additionally, the
archivist at the HCF indicated there are boxes that contain documents on various projects the
foundation completed. A few examples include restoration work done to the Charleston County
Courthouse after Hurricane Hugo in 1989, the Aiken Rhett house in the early 1990s, and the
work done to the Nathaniel Russell House between the 1950s and the 1990s.
The HCF is not a member organization, however, minutes of the trustee meetings are
available from the 1970s to 1995 along with documentation regarding HCF board membership
donor lists. Annual financial reports and tax records are located in the HCF storage facility for
this time range. Other HCF records are available indicating connections between HCF
employees and their involvement with the Charleston Board of Architectural Review, Board of
Adjustment, and the Planning and Zoning Commission.
The South Carolina Historical Society in Charleston has information in the vertical files
on the Historic Charleston Foundation.
Historic Santa Fe Foundation
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By contacting the Historic Santa Fe Foundation, I learned that there are records available
between 1995 and 2010. Membership lists exist between 1995 and 2010, however the employee
I spoke with was uncertain whether I would be able to access these records. The Historic Santa
Fe Foundation newsletter is available sporadically between the summer of 1993 and winter of
2010 at the New Mexico State Library. These are also available through the foundation itself.
Financial records for the Foundation exist but I was unable to determine if I could use them.
This needs further investigation. Additionally, the Fray Angélico Chávez History Library in
Santa Fe possesses vertical files containing ephemera relating to the Historic Santa Fe
Foundation.
Preservation Buffalo Niagara
The Preservation Coalition of Erie County and the Landmark Society of the
Niagara Frontier came together in 2007 to create Preservation Buffalo Niagara. Inquiries made
to Preservation Buffalo Niagara indicated that records exist from the previous two organizations
between 1995 and 2007. More research into the types or records available must be done. I am
still waiting for a response from this organization.
Preservation Reports published by the Preservation Coalition of Erie County between
1986 and 2004 are housed at the at the Buffalo Erie County Historical Society and the Buffalo
Erie Public Library.
City Records
At the local level, legal ordinances are used to regulate and protect historic sites and
properties. The purpose of city historic preservation commissions is to determine whether a
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property is historically significant, how it is valuable to the community, and the plan of action to
protect it.15
Berkeley-Charleston Regional Planning Commission
Records of the Historic Preservation Planner for Berkeley-Charleston Regional Planning
Commission between 1970 and 1981 are available and potentially useful. Federal grant money
was given to this commission in 1970 for the creation of a historic preservation plan and
inventory of the area. This collection is accessible through the City of Charleston Archives
located at the Charleston County Public Library.
City of Charleston – Department of Design, Development, and Preservation
The Charleston city Records Management Division has many records available. Listing
of board and commission members and planning commission meetings exist on microfilm which
fit into the 1970 to 1995 time range. Annual city audits and budgets are accessible for this
project. The meeting minutes and agendas for the board of adjustment and board of architectural
review can be used to determine actions taken by the city and its involvement in preservation
controversies. Charleston city historic preservation plans implemented in 1974 is accessible
online, while records of some historic preservation studies remain on microfilm.
City of Santa Fe Historic Preservation Division
The city of Santa Fe Historic Preservation Division has Historic Design Review Board
minutes and agendas on their website between 2007 and 2010. The minutes and agendas
spanning 1995 to 2006 are available in hard copy in the Santa Fe Historic Preservation Division
office and also on microfiche in the City Clerk’s office. Member lists do not exist for this time
period. The Historic Preservation Division is funded by a Certified Local Government through
the state historic preservation office. The city historic preservationist indicated that the 1999
15
Tyler, “Historic Preservation: An Introduction to its History, Principles, and Practice,” 59.
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general city plan delineates some historic preservation expansion areas. The only department
change that occurred between 1995 and 2010 was when the Historic Preservation Division
became a part of the Land Use Department which separated it from the Long-Range Planning
Division. At this time, further investigation through the Santa Fe City Clerk’s office will need to
be done to determine the availability of tax records and annual reports. Proposal letters, scaled
drawings, and photographs are viewable in hard copy at the historic preservation division’s
office which are potentially useful.
Fray Angélico Chávez History Library in Santa Fe possessed vertical files containing
ephemera relating to the Historical Design Review Board.
City of Buffalo Office of Strategic Planning – Preservation Board
Several attempts were made to contact the city of Buffalo historic preservation office to
determine the availability of records for that community. Further investigation needs to be done
on this component of the research design.
Oral History
Gathering oral histories from individuals involved in historic preservation in Charleston,
Santa Fe, and Buffalo as well as individuals involved with the various historic preservation
organizations mentioned above would strengthen the potential for a study of this topic. For
example, Santa Fe Living Treasures is an organization that records oral histories of elders that
have served the Santa Fe community. Potentially useful material may be available at the Fray
Angélico Chávez History Library in Santa Fe where the oral histories are housed. More
investigation into the availability of oral histories needs to be done for Buffalo and Charleston.
The city of Charleston senior preservation planner indicated that past historic preservation board
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members may be available for interviews, along with some staff members that have worked in
this department since the 1980s.
Primary Sources
U.S. Department of Commerce. Census of Population: 1970, Vol., Part 42, Characteristics of
the Population, South Carolina. Washington, DC: GPO, 1972.
Secondary Sources
***Most of these sources are not used above, but would be useful to this study.
Advisory Council on Public History. Federal Historic Preservation Case Law, 1966-1996.
http://www.achp.gov/book/sectionI.html
Barthel, Diane. Historic Preservation: Collective Memory and Historical Identity. New
Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1996.
City Planning and Architectural Associates, Russell Wright, Carl Feiss, and National Heritage
Corporation. Charleston, South Carolina, Historic Preservation Plan: Prepared for the City of
Charleston. Charleston, S. C.: Planning and Zoning Commission?, 1974.
Glassberg, David. Sense of History: The Place of the Past in American Life. Amherst:
University of Massachusetts Press, 2001.
Goldman, Mark. City on the Edge: Buffalo, New York. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 207.
Fitch, James Marston. Historic Preservation: Curatorial Management of the Built World. New
York: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1982.
Frank, Karolin . Historic Preservation in the USA. Edited by Patricia Petersen. Berlin:
Springer, 2002.
Hayden, Dolores. The Power of Place: Urban Landscapes as Public History. Cambridge, MA:
The MIT Press, 1997.
Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York: The Modern Library,
1993.
Kowsky, Francis R., Mark Goldman, Austin Fox, John D. Randall, Jack Quinan, and Teresa
Lasher. Buffalo Architecture: A Guide. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1981.
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Kyvig, David E. and Myron A. Marty. Nearby History: Exploring the Past Around You.
Landham, MD: AltaMira Press, 2000.
Levine, Linda R. and Maria Scrivani. Beautiful Buffalo: Preserving a City. Buffalo, NY:
Canisius College Press, 2003.
John Minett Associates, Arizona State Historic Preservation Office, and Arizona Main Street
Program . Community Attitudes to Historic Preservation in the City of Williams, Arizona: A
Report to the State Historic Preservation Office and Arizona Main Street Program With Advice
Using Historic Preservation to Enhance Sense of Place and Unique Quality. Tempe: John
Minett Associates, 1998.
Moe, Richard and Carter Wilkie. Changing Places: Rebuilding Community in the Age of
Sprawl. New York: Henry Holt and Co., 1999.
Morrison, Jacob H. Historic Preservation Law. Washington, DC: National Trust for Historic
Preservation, 1965.
Page, Max and Randall Mason. Giving Preservation a History: Histories of Historic
Preservation in the United States. New York: Routledge, 2004.
Poston, Jonathan H. The Buildings of Charleston: A Guide to the City’s Architecture.
Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1997.
Rypkema, Donovan. “The Importance of Downtown in the 21st Century.” Journal of the
American Planning Association 69, no. 1 (2003): 9-15.
Shibley, Robert G. and others, ed. Queen City in the 21st Century: Buffalo’s Comprehensive
Plan. Buffalo, NY: City of Buffalo, 2006.
Schneekloth, Lynda H., Editor. Reconsidering Concrete Atlantis: Buffalo Grain Elevators.
Buffalo, NY: School of Architecture and Planning, University at Buffalo, State University of
New York and Landmark Society of the Niagara Frontier, 2006.
http://128.205.118.147/pub/pdf/concrete_atlantis.pdf
Spennemann, Dirk H.R. “Gauging Community Values in Historic Preservation.” CRM 3, no. 2
(2006): 6-20.
Tyler, Norman, Ted J. Ligibel, and Irene R. Tyler. Historic Preservation: An Introduction to its
History, Principles, and Practice. 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2009.
Weyneth, Robert R. Historic Preservation for a Living City. Columbia: University of South
Carolina Press, 2000.
Wilson, Chris. The Myth of Santa Fe: Creating a Modern Regional Tradition. Albuquerque:
University of New Mexico Press, 1997.
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Wood, Byrd and Emma Jane Saxe. Historic Preservation in American Communities, Appendix.
Washington, D.C.: National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1987.
Yuhl, Stephanie E. A Golden Haze of Memory: The Making of Historic Charleston. Chapel
Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2005.