How to Save a Place

WHY DO OLD PLACES MATTER?

ContinuityIn a constantly changing world, old places give us the sense that we’re part of

a continuum -- a critical piece of our psychological and emotional health.

MemoryOld places help us remember. They trigger existing memories, add

details or specificity, and arouse curiosity about embedded memories

-- those that the place itself holds and that people might not be aware

of.

Individual IdentityOld places serve as reference points for measuring, refreshing, and

recalibrating our sense of self over time. They are literally the landmarks of our

identity.

Civic, State, National, and Universal Identity

Old places embody our civic, state, national, and universal identity. They serve

as critical venues where we deepen and challenge our understanding of

history and personal meaning.

BeautyOld places make our communities

beautiful and distinctive, and the

places themselves are often beautiful

too, sometimes because of their very

age. Moreover, the history of

preservation demonstrates a

remarkable march of the ugly

transforming into the beautiful.

HistoryWe feel the excitement of

experiencing the place where

something actually happened,

from pockmarked ramparts of

Fort Sumter where the Civil War

started, to the quiet rooms of

Emily Dickinson’s home in

Amherst, Massachusetts. Simply

put, old places tell us about the

past.

ArchitectureWe love and revere old buildings for their art and craftsmanship -- and for the

way they make us feel. Works of architecture are works of art. Like painting,

music, or literature, these buildings help us understand our capacities as

humans.

SacredThe religious and the non-religious alike treasure old places that are

considered sacred. Why? Because they help us meditate, reflect, and

be at peace. There are also places revered and treated as nearly

sacred because of their history, because of the difficult past they may

represent, or because they serve as memorials or sites of conscience.

CreativityOlder places spur the imagination, spark creativity, and support the

creative economy. They lend authenticity to their neighborhoods and

inspire the people who use them.

LearningWithout realizing it, we absorb information about prior ways of life from the

places people inhabited -- how people worked, how they played, how they

lived and died. And in learning about others from the past, we learn about

ourselves.

SustainabilityIn trying to envision a more environmentally sustainable world, we hope for a world

where we are more appreciative of the communities, buildings, and things that

already exist; and we also hope to continue to use them, so that we’re not

constantly tearing buildings down and throwing things away.

AncestorsOld places connect us to our ancestors and our ancestors connect us to old

places, giving us a sense of belonging and continuity.

CommunityOld places foster community by giving

people a sense of shared identity

through landmarks, history, memory,

and stories; by having community-

centric attributes such as distinctive

character and walkability; and by

serving as communal places where

people meet and gather.

EconomicsOld places support a sound, sustainable, and vibrant economy that also fulfills

deeper human needs of continuity, identity, belonging, and beauty …

… which brings us right back to where

we began.

This presentation was adapted from Thompson Mayes’ Why Do Old Places

Matter? Blog Series on Preservation Leadership Forum.

For a deeper discussion on why old places matter, check out the Spring

2015 issue of Forum Journal (free and available to all).

The National Trust for Historic Preservation works to save America’s

historic places. Preservation Tips & Tools helps others do the same

in their own communities.

For more information, visit blog.preservationnation.org.

Photo credits: Nick Thompson, Flickr; (cover

slide); National Trust for Historic Preservation

(slides 2, 6, 9, 10, 13, 14); Library of Congress

(slide 3); Tom Mayes (slide 4); AOC (slide 5);

Duncan Kendall (slide 7); Carol Highsmith (slide

8); Wing Luke Museum (slide 12); Historic

Tennessee Theatre Foundation (slide 15).