Historic Preservation 01 - ArchitectureWeek Topics Library

ENDANGERED AMERICA

The National Trust for Historic Preservation announced in May its 2006 list of the 11 "Most Endangered Historic Places" in the United States. These buildings have been damaged or threatened by hurricanes, terrorists, development pressures, or simple neglect. The organization issues this list to bring public attention to heritage structures that might be preserved if rescued in time. - Published 2006.0607

PRESERVING COMMUNITIES

The 2005 National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) Conference drew over 2000 people to Portland, Oregon in September for five days of discussion on the topic, "Sustain America � Vision, Economics and Preservation." Central themes included the effort to link community revitalization to historic preservation, issues of race and historic preservation, and sustainable design. - Published 2005.1116

NEW ORLEANS BETWEEN STORMS

News reports since late August have been full of stories of human tragedy and governmental incompetence in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Understandably less prominent has been information about the architectural victims, which express the unique character of historic New Orleans. The fate of these buildings is emblematic of the fate of the city itself. - Published 2005.0921

POSTCARD FROM PORTO-NOVO

Dear ArchitectureWeek,

Porto-Novo, the capital of Benin in West Africa, is searching for its lost identity as development presents conflicts between historic preservation and a quest for modernism. The city's urban heritage includes vernacular and colonial, but the most interesting buildings, according to G�rard Tognimassou, a teacher from the Ecole du Patrimoine Africain, a school for the preservation of the African cultural heritage, are those that reveal "a great craftsmanship in the fusion between the Brazilian and the African styles." - Published 2005.0907

U.S. HISTORY AT RISK

Just because a structure has played a role in the history of the United States or acquired cultural value for other reasons does not guarantee its survival. All over the country beloved buildings are threatened by neglect, natural disaster, or deliberate destruction by culture-blind development forces. - Published 2005.0713

MIXED USE BREWERY BLOCKS

From 1856 to 1999, the Blitz-Weinhard brewery anchored the southern end of Portland Oregon's Pearl District, an industrial enclave reborn as a chic urban neighborhood of galleries, condominiums, and restaurants. The five city blocks occupied in the past by the brewery are now being redeveloped as a high-density, mass-transit-oriented mix of office, retail, and residential architecture, all boasting sustainable design. - Published 2005.0511

PRESERVATION AWARDS 2004

Although the built history of the United States is relatively young compared to that of most of the rest of the world, heroic efforts are sometimes needed to preserve what remains. The damaging effects of natural disasters, neglect, and "progress" often destroy old buildings before their historic value can be appreciated. - Published 2005.0105

RESPECTFUL REMODEL

In an era when the fabric of traditional neighborhoods is being torn so that grotesquely oversized houses can be squeezed into normal-sized lots, at least one firm in Maryland is doing it differently. GTM Architects renovated and expanded the home of firm founder George Myers, and in its detailing showed respect for the century-old neighborhood. - Published 2004.1117

ENDANGERED HISTORIC SITES 2004

Every year, more buildings and places important to the history of the United States are threatened with extinction. These range from ancient barns suffering from neglect to modern-era masterpieces facing controversial renovations to entire regions threatened by insensitive development. - Published 2004.0707

SAN FRANCISCO AIA AWARDS 2004

During the past few years of economic slow-down, American architecture has witnessed several trends: thoughtful rehabilitation of a nostalgic past, a quiet exploration of the next phase of modernism, meeting or exceeding strict sustainability standards, and � especially in California � careful reinforcement against the next big earthquake. These trends are all represented in the 2004 design awards from the San Francisco chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIASF). - Published 2004.0519

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