Residents and volunteers of Altgeld Gardens – Phillip Murray Homes on Chicago’s far South Side, a public housing community listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Photo courtesy of Landmarks Illinois.
Every family has traditions, especially around the holidays. Maybe it's grandma’s homemade biscuits and gravy or laughing about an inside joke between siblings or going with the family to the Durant-Peterson House Museum for Candlelight (Dec. 2 & 3, 3-7pm, FYI). These experiences connect us to each other through the familiarity of past events. This history provides context to our lives.
Traditions are often tied to a specific place like your grandparents’ kitchen or your city’s main street. These places enhance our social connections which improve our quality of life. “Historic places,” writes Landmarks Illinois, “are about culture and tradition, our achievements and mistakes: what we choose to save speaks to our values and beliefs.”[1] “Places,” Landmarks Illinois continues, “are important to people’s mental and physical well-being.”[2]
Historic preservation, however, is not easy. A lack of information about the importance of place, a lack of appreciation for how architecture impacts us, and a lack of creativity in rehabilitating a historic place are just some of the reasons preservation is challenging. Further impacting the success of historic preservation is how concerns about preserving our built environment have been communicated to developers, city officials, and the public. According to a new, three-year-long study from the state-wide historic preservation advocacy group Landmarks Illinois, future success in historic preservation relies on communication and action that is “relevant to more people.”[3]
Landmark Illinois's new report, The Relevancy Guidebook: How We Can Transform the Future of Preservation, is an honest and humbling evaluation of what is needed to influence the preservation of history for the future. Among the recommended action items found in Appendix 1 of the report are:
“Put People Before Buildings”[4] – Our storytelling needs to focus on people to be relevant. In the past, we have discussed the features of a historic building rather than the lives of the people who lived in or used the building.
“Preservation needs to be more grey and not black-and-white”[5] – There needs to be flexibility with a focus on what can be done rather than what cannot be done. In the past, preservation has been perceived as opposed to change.
“Historic preservation can be a cultural competency tool.”[6]
“Reframe preservation as a renewable resource.”[7]
“Make Preservation a Matter of Health”[8] – Preservation can promote the cognitive health of older Americans while doing what is necessary to mitigate negative health outcomes from asbestos, lead paint, poor indoor air quality, etc.
“Incentives”[9] – Be more aware of and communicate more about financial incentives from Federal, State, Tribal, and local sources for the rehabilitation of historic properties.
What other ideas do you have to make historic preservation more relevant? Reply in the comments below!
Download the full report here.
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[1] Bonnie C. McDonald, The Relevancy Guidebook: How We Can Transform the Future of Preservation, ed. Jean A. Follett (Chicago: Landmarks Illinois, 2023), 10, https://www.landmarks.org/relevancy-guidebook/TheRelevancyGuidebook.pdf.
[2] Ibid., 11.
[3] Ibid., 11.
[4] Ibid., 139.
[5] Ibid., 140.
[6] Ibid., 144.
[7] Ibid., 159.
[8] Ibid., 164.
[9] Ibid., 173.