The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
‘Tear down’ culture makes it easy to forget about history
Arecent article in The Atlantic Magazine by M. Nolan Gray, “Stop Fetishizing Old Homes” is a window into many minds during a housing boom. The article’s subtitle “Whatever your aesthetic preferences, new construction is better on nearly every conceivable measure” reflects the premium paid for new construction when there are more people looking for a place to live than the existing housing stock can accommodate.
That premium wrecks a lot of homes in a housing boom. First, in housing booms we see older homes simply disappear, replaced by new, larger ones. The “tear down” has accompanied every construction boom for the last two generations. Since the advent of HGTV a generation ago, “house flippers” have been glorified: those who gut and remake existing homes to make a killer sale. “Flipping” goes on steroids in a housing boom. The victim of this profit motive is often the history embedded in the home, creating the phenomenon called “remuddling” by the Old House Journal magazine.
It is easy to sweep away the value of history in a building boom or cleave to the value of history as a religion, where everything old is superior to anything new, but some are seeing the value of using history, while addressing the realities we face everyday. Sara Bronin, a Hartford lawyer and an architect who works to support zoning reform in Connecticut, has worked on many levels to embrace history and address the needs of our time.
“Smarter zoning that allows a mix of infill housing developments in town centers and near transit would stem tear-downs because it would enable new construction
that people are tearing old homes down to create.”
While stating that older homes are more dangerous and unaccommodating, Gray further states in the Atlantic article that “in housing circles, one hears a lot of selfrighteous discussion about the need for more preservation.” Everything Gray said about old homes is undeniable, but completely avoids the value of history. That value may be Connecticut’s only indigenous resource. In this state, there are no precious minerals, oil, gas or endless sandy beaches and clear blue water that people fly to partake of.
The value of anything simply reflects what we want. But value is not found just in the reality of “historic preservation,” but in the use of historic detailing and plan layouts that dominate so much of new housing in Connecticut. The vaguely historic “colonial” echo of trim, symmetry, color, roof and detail is often randomly applied to house designs that sell — they are sold because those details have value.
The value of history is not just found in Connecticut.
Longtime Connecticut resident John Herzan, the former Preservation Services Officer at the New Haven Preservation Trust who has worked at the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office, said, “I don’t enjoy Florida very much, but we wanted to leave winter without leaving the country, so we decided to try Key West. We really enjoyed the city because of its distinctive sense of place and history. We were able to learn a lot about Key West’s interesting past and culture because its historical environment is so well preserved.”
In truth we value history in our buildings when they reinforce the nature of their use. Religion for some is best accommodated in traditional gothic, colonial or classical buildings. For Christopher Wigren, deputy director of Preservation Connecticut, the gravitas of the law is embodied best by a historic and history-allusive space: “The Federal Courthouse in New Haven has the most amazing courtroom I’ve seen on this side of the Supreme Court.”
Every boom is followed by
a bust. Soon the tear-downs and remuddlings will abate, but there will be less history left in our lives, and more simulations of it. Perhaps
Paul Edmondson, president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation said it best:
“The goal should be to not just to save the old buildings but to preserve all of the things that make their communities special, vibrant, and unique — the cultural character, historic charm, small businesses and regional authenticity. Today, the preservation movement is not anti-development; it is pro-community, pro-neighborhoods, pro-sustainability, pro-affordable housing and pro-authenticity.”
History is not a religion, or the law. History, unique to human perception, is alive in us every day. Since our buildings simply extend our values, history is a valuable resource, not just in Connecticut, but wherever it exists in every place that harbors us, even in a housing boom.