BLOG POST #6 Write a reflection contrasting issues in U.S. and international preservation (300 words). This is the final blog post of the semester.
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NYC HISTORIC PRESERVATION
REDON REXHA
BLOG POST #6
Preservation has been an important part of our society. It is worldwide and taken seriously. Every structure that has been built that still remains standing today contains historical value to its property or its structure. Preservationists are the specialists that decide whether it is important or not to save the structure, with proof and evidence. United States being compared to European countries today would not be fair because France for example is a much older country. The older the place, the more history remains in its structure and/or in its surroundings. In the US we are believed to be considered “young”. However, that does not mean that there isn’t enough liveliness and history. Every structure contains its own uniqueness and architectural styles. Judging by the looks of the buildings from the outside is not a reasonable thing to do. Most of structures that are considered historic today contain its historical value on the inside of the structure such as; materials used for construction, the façade, etc,.
When considering all of these characteristics and unique presence of architecture, preservation in other continents should not differ from here. Everything has value, no matter how badly in shape the structure may be, if it takes 100k to renovate than that is the actual value number that is given to the property to be repaired. Some things are better to be renovated and repaired rather than starting the structure from scratch. There have been confrontations and misunderstanding throughout the years, ever since the term “preservation” came into play. A great example would be right here in our hometown, New York City. There are so many new construction projects that the term “property line” could be a question for its future. Newer buildings replacing older buildings to such as super tall towers replacing a back yard. These are the extremes that many professionals are dealing with to date.
NYC HISTORIC PRESERVATION
REDON REXHA
BLOG POST #6
Preservation has been an important part of our society. It is worldwide and taken seriously. Every structure that has been built that still remains standing today contains historical value to its property or its structure. Preservationists are the specialists that decide whether it is important or not to save the structure, with proof and evidence. United States being compared to European countries today would not be fair because France for example is a much older country. The older the place, the more history remains in its structure and/or in its surroundings. In the US we are believed to be considered “young”. However, that does not mean that there isn’t enough liveliness and history. Every structure contains its own uniqueness and architectural styles. Judging by the looks of the buildings from the outside is not a reasonable thing to do. Most of structures that are considered historic today contain its historical value on the inside of the structure such as; materials used for construction, the façade, etc,.
When considering all of these characteristics and unique presence of architecture, preservation in other continents should not differ from here. Everything has value, no matter how badly in shape the structure may be, if it takes 100k to renovate than that is the actual value number that is given to the property to be repaired. Some things are better to be renovated and repaired rather than starting the structure from scratch. There have been confrontations and misunderstanding throughout the years, ever since the term “preservation” came into play. A great example would be right here in our hometown, New York City. There are so many new construction projects that the term “property line” could be a question for its future. Newer buildings replacing older buildings to such as super tall towers replacing a back yard. These are the extremes that many professionals are dealing with to date.
U.S. and international preservation is in my opinion an extremely important to us as humans because they all hold significant value. We might not share the significant values of a certain location as much as a local would but I think we all can acknowledge the value of what it gives us. It is important to preserve different sites around the world because they all come form different cultures, which leads us back to thinking about cultural heritage.
Economically it makes sense for preservation in U.S. and international because it attracts tourism. The more people form around the world come to visit a site the more valuable it becomes. This is not the case for all locations. Reflecting back to class on the topic for Venice. Venice is a historic city with amazing landmarks that is flooding. Venice as many tourist visit and they are major part of the economy. But the cruise ships in Venice have been damaging the foundations of the city and so Venice has been forced to stop the ships from entering the lagoon and the tourist that come with them.
Another important thing I learned about international preservation is the loss of sites that should be preserved lost due to war, for example the moments in Iraq. Another example of loss of persecution is climate change. Annapolis, MD is being lost to us due to climate change. There’re many example around the world being lost due to climate change. Before we lose sites that hold so much significant value we must encourage U.S. and international preservation.
The Protection of World Cultural sites and Natural established the World Heritage List in order to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered be of outstanding value to humanity . In addition, it aims to be recognized that certain places are of sufficient importance that the international community takes responsibility . Registration for this list is the largest global designation any site can achieve . The World Heritage Centre ensures Adopted by UNESCO in 1972.The Heritage is our legacy from the past , what we live today and that we pass on to future generations.
Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration . Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of the Serengeti National Park in East Africa , the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world ‘s heritage .
The question worth asking for two reasons: first, to what are the museums in the preservation of the collective memory, then for what they represent , as a construction site of the identity of a people ;dropoff window a nation and a community.
Today, interest in museums is renewed due to the international and national .From the international news , it is enough to recall the acts of destruction and vandalism, organized robbery , but also widespread looting of archives, public and academic libraries and archaeological museums as those observed in Baghdad during the last war against Iraq ( March2003 ) .
These systematic theft and looting of sites, treasures and works of art whose value is often invaluable show how museums and their works are fragile and armed conflict in a world gone through several mutations and knowing great changes : globalization, open borders , the globalization of culture, rapid flow of images and information …
Preservation has been the preservation of sites that are of great significance to us. Although the U.S. is a fairly new establishment, we do have old sites of different settlers who have brought their lifestyle along with them thus defining who we are today. In the states, preservation seems to be a well developed aspect compared to other countries who have dont have the luxury of having it. especially the countries who are far richer in history than the U.S., through war and occupation, cultural artifacts have been looted. who knows what the gardens of Babylon look like? or if it ever existed, we can only imagine because it wasn’t preserved.
Museums often have a huge sum of artifacts taken from the origins of other countries. this does great for boosting tourism for that country acting as advertisement, but dont we as preservationists should strive to reverse the acts of looting and push for a return of such artifacts to their origins? we can even help develop a preservationist infrastructure in undeveloped countries to house and care for these valuable items. As for advertisement, artifacts can go on tours, Egypt has been taking king Tuts tomb all around the world to be held on temporary exhibitions. Ultimately, drawing more and more tourists.
Edgar Guaman
Historic Preservation: Practice and Theory
Prof. Guzenfield
Fall 2014
During the semester I have learned a lot about preservation in the United States. But I also learned about how different preservation guidelines and how different priority comes to preservation when it comes to other countries with either cities or places of much greater historic value then other places in the world or simply countries with the amount of resources that are available to them. Although in the United States the issues that revolve around preservation involve the development that the country is going through especially in big cities like NYC where preservationists, which are people that are experts on the topic and have done the research and work to inform the people about the reasons certain places should be saved from demolition, you have other countries that won’t preserve something that in this country there would be absolutely no debate about it. Countries that are going through war at the moment and valuable and culturally rich sites are being destroyed and not considered when it comes to war. Places where the resources are not available to them to be saving these very precious sites that would teach not just the local community about their history but the world. In some other countries like countries in Europe where there is a lot of resources to save huge cultural sites like for example Venice which got a plan to build huge walls around the mouth of the lake/ bay that would prevent the city from the continuing sinking that it has been doing the past couple of decades and recently just the past decade due to global warming. Then there are cities or sites like the temples in the Islamic states where it would be considered to most if not all preservationist as the cradle of human civilization and they are being completely destroyed and for most of these sites there is absolutely nothing that can be done. It makes me reflect on the idea that if thousands of years go by, what will really be left from all the preservation that is being done today. You have forces that cannot be handled by people like war and nature that threaten these places of complete obliteration and sometimes there is just simply not enough money in the world or enough time or enough resources to save them.
Bassem Elashrafi
Blog Post 6
Prof. Inna
Fall 2014
The world could be moving faster than ever but there are benefits to preserving historical sites and keeping things as they were many years ago. There are many ways communities can revitalize and modernize neighborhoods while maintaining historical buildings. Preservation of historical buildings and sites involve maintaining the integrity of the place through protection and restoration using both old and new materials. The preservation of historical buildings may involve several stages which may or may not include rehabilitation, restoration and reinforcement. One of the many reasons historical building must be preserved is the character they bring to a neighborhood or a place. Buildings and spaces with history have character. They bring a certain charm to a neighborhood that new buildings don’t. Many old buildings created in the 19th century are beautiful. Historical establishments serve as reminders of the past. This is one of the reasons preserving historical buildings is important. Understanding the past, having reminders of the past even just in architecture will allow people to understand where they are and where they are headed. When people understand what the community has gone through and have visual reminders of their past then they can feel more connected to a place. The historical buildings can allow people to understand what happened in the past and how things could possibly play out in the future. Preserving our past gives us more understanding and hope for the future. Preserving buildings means you are saving on construction costs by making use of structures that are already there instead of tearing down old buildings just to create new ones. Many old buildings remain structurally sound even if they were built a long time ago. When you save buildings, you are also in turn saving the environment. This is because construction of buildings requires the use of materials such as lumber which will have an impact on the environment. Even the use of cement and other materials and the whole process of constructing new buildings have impacts on the environment. The building is already there to begin with, it makes better sense for the environment if we made things we built last longer. Existing buildings can still be used for modern uses and processes. Historical preservation also comes in handy for making old buildings usable and earth-friendly. Some repairs may be needed to make buildings more energy-efficient but generally, doing repairs on buildings still uses less energy than knocking down old buildings down and building new ones from scratch.
Jean Reginald Saintange
Prof. Inna Guzenfield
Arch 3640
Fall 2014
Week 13
When it comes to preservation there is little to no contrast between the issues preservationist in the U.S and International. The domestic issues we face here in the U.S are also being experience internationally. The international preservation groups face more tribulations due to cultural terrorism, government control and other mediums of hardship. For example sites in Syria their report found that five of the country’s six World Heritage sites “exhibit significant damage,” and some buildings are now “reduced to rubble.”
Syria’s ancient cities, castles, ruins and archaeological treasures are now among the casualties of war in Syria. A heritage that spans over 5,000 years is more or less being buried underneath the rubble.
“Damage and targeting of cultural heritage is a human-rights concern. It is extremely important to document the large-scale destruction in Syria,” Sarah Wolfin. Shelling, shooting, looting and bombing are the major causes of damage and destruction, but the sites have also come under physical strain as they have become housing for Syria’s displaced. I’ve seen many before and after of the Syria that existed in history and I was shocked by the devastation and damage done. In the United States, we don’t experience the same brutality that those internationally face to sites but rather, we go through a more civilized process called demolishment. These issues that we face in both the United States and international is very common but it is manifested in a different manner.
As an architecture student in New York City for quiet a time it boggles my head why some buildings are old compared to the new buildings erecting around us everyday? or why is there still a combination of old classical architecture vs modern. Why can it be a one monolithic style that drives the future of architecture industry. Apparently we can’t change the infrastructure of the entire city the way its urbanized so we as architects and planners have to provide viable and applicable solutions to the issues, questions and problems faced by the builders and developers. New York City has a history but not as old as the rest of the Europe, the historic buildings and the houses built a century ago still stand in well preserved and restored condition. Due to the reason that we have a strong hand of the preservation committees and boards actively engaged in the process of rehabilitating by educating the community its importance they spread the awareness of the authenticity of a particular monumental structure and the importance of as built of the historic districts in terms of future real estate value of the homes that lie within that particular area . In contrast to America, Europe’s architecture is some what very classically old they have different approaches towards restoring them which is practically same somewhat different than us but they are also well aware of the importance and symbolic integrity of an historic building. However in third world countries the message of awareness is there but the matters are not settled on table talks the use of police power and bribing the local governmental institutions is the common practice for the developers to get away with their ventures.