EZ Content Blueprint
Threats to Our Heritage

STANDARDS:

The material in this unit may be used to address the following Social Studies Standards:

H-1C-E4	C-1D-M2	C-1D-M4	H-1C-H15	C-1D-H3
H-1C-M18	C-1D-M3	C-1D-M5	C-1D-H1

Attitudinal Threats

"Preservation is often viewed as a luxury expendable when times are hard."

Historical Precedent: For generations Americans used natural resources without thought of preserving them. When a resource was depleted, our pioneer ancestors simply moved to a new location where resources were plentiful. Perhaps it was inevitable that this practice be applied to our neighborhoods, but today we cannot afford to throw away perfectly good used buildings.

Changing Taste: People tend to believe that anything associated with the recent past is unattractive and uninteresting. Only with the passage of a generation or two do we gain the objectivity needed to fairly evaluate and appreciate the buildings of the past.

Belief that preservation stands in the way of progress

The idea that new is better

Vandalism

Unsympathetic or uninformed architects and contractors incorrectly tell property owners that it is less expensive to build anew than to preserve/restore. Most of the time, this is untrue.

Owner indifference and fragmented ownership (caused by state's former forced inheritance and ownership laws) can result in demolition by neglect.

Economics Threats

Inability of owner to fund maintenance also leads to demolition by neglect.

Redevelopment of individual properties and whole neighborhoods. The urban renewal movement of the mid-twentieth century was a prime example of this process.

Taxation: Historic buildings located in prime development areas can be taxed according to the value of their highest and best potential use. This practice sometimes raises property taxes beyond an owner's ability to pay and forces the owner to sell. The new owner then demolishes historic structure in order to redevelop the property.

Architectural salvage is the practice of collecting and then selling individual parts of buildings (mantels, windows, doors, flooring, etc.) for a profit. Although most salvage dealers obtain these materials honestly, the practice still results in the loss of historic buildings. And, the practice sometimes lead to the theft of building parts from savable structures.

Environmental Threats

Pollution causes buildings, and especially their carved ornament, to decay.

Wear and deterioration, breakage and even theft can occur at popular historic properties which receive a high number of tourists.