PreservationNation

After the flooding that followed Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Louisiana State University and the Department of Veterans Affairs developed their controversial proposal to use the Mid-City neighborhood for the site of their new hospitals. The plan, which would needlessly destroy the historic neighborhood around Charity Hospital, has been the subject of governmental hearings and lawsuits. Now, though, Smart Growth for Louisiana, headed by Jack Davis, a trustee of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, has put forward a compromise solution.

The premise is simple: Let’s build a hospital now. Let’s put our veterans first.

The compromise plan is presented both in a radio advertisement running on New Orleans stations and in the YouTube video below, which uses the same audio as the radio ad.

It seems like a win-win, for both New Orleans’ veterans and the residents of the Mid-City neighborhood. Learn more about our ongoing efforts to save Mid City and Charity Hospital

Written by Tyler Gearhart

The restored Hippodrome Theatre is a centerpiece of Baltimore’s West Side.

Sometimes it seems like preservationists’ work is never done, even when there are legal documents that prescribe a preservation-based solution. When the National Trust for Historic Preservation named Baltimore’s West Side commercial district one of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in 1999, no advocacy group was more pleased than Preservation Maryland.  Our organization had already been working diligently to prevent the large scale demolition of dozens of 19th and early 20th century structures in the area. With the 11 Most designation, the future of this area suddenly looked brighter, and a series of positive developments rolled out. No one expected that, 10 years later, the battle to save a portion of this area would blaze up and that the state’s highest court — the Maryland Court of Appeals — would be asked to insist on preservation objectives being met.

On November 23, 2009, Preservation Maryland joined the National Trust and Baltimore Heritage in filing an amicus brief to support the claim of an adjacent property owner that current redevelopment plans are inconsistent with a 2001 agreement between the City of Baltimore and the Maryland State Historic Preservation Office. The agreement cites specific preservation objectives for the area, including retaining certain historic buildings in any future redevelopment plan. The suit, brought by 120 West Fayette Street LLP early last year, was unsuccessful in a lower court.

At risk is the “Superblock,” the largest development parcel in the West Side and Market Center National Register Historic District. Under the terms of the flawed proposal accepted by the Baltimore Development Corporation, the City will transfer title to the three-block area to Lexington Square Partners, LLC, a group of development companies which announced a combination retail and residential plan for the area in April 2007. Lexington Square’s proposal does not respect the historic fabric of the neighborhood and misses the opportunity to properly rehabilitate the historic Superblock.

The West Side initiative championed by Preservation Maryland, Baltimore Heritage, and our partners is the largest preservation-based revitalization effort in the nation. We all are hoping for a speedy ruling on the matter to get the preservation treatment of the West Side, including the “Superblock,” back on track.

Tyler Gearhart is the executive director of Preservation Maryland.

Written by Kim M.

Boise High School matters, even to this cross-town rival.

Okay, I’m going to do it; I’m going to put my pride aside and, for the first time ever, I’m going to support Timberline High School’s big time in-town rival – Boise High School. It’s all worth it in the name of preservation, right?

Like many school districts, the Boise School District created a program a few years ago that was designed to make our buildings seismically safe. This program has already “fixed” multiple older schools in town, such as North Junior High and Longfellow Elementary School. Perhaps with this fall’s controversial decision to tear down Cole and Franklin Elementaries still in mind, the school district recently called a community meeting to discuss their plans for making the Boise High School auditorium safe. There were many preservation activists at the meeting, including a large contingent from our school. And, while the plan was reasonably justified, there were many questions in the room about the preservation aspects of the proposed seismic retrofit.

Bars or no bars? Decide for yourself.

So, what’s their plan? The Boise School District and Hummel Architects are planning an exoskeleton of long steel beams around the auditorium, along with multiple structural fixes on the inside. The pictures of the future auditorium look awkward, with long bars stretching from side to side and up and down. The project representatives repeatedly stressed that they want to preserve the historic architecture of the school, and that the beams would follow the original design of the auditorium with vertical and horizontal lines. However, many are skeptical if it will actually look like this when everything is said and done. Decide for yourself by imagining bars over this picture of the auditorium.  

In general, there was a lot of confusion and hostility towards the board at this meeting. After a quick introductory speech by school district representatives and Hummel Architects, some 45-60 minutes were spent answering questions about the structure, its pricing, and the safety of the students. Sherri Freemuth, the Idaho representative for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, told me afterwards that she was disappointed by the fact that the school board did not reveal their plan until now and that they were planning to start quickly. Many other attendees I spoke with agreed with her. While few disputed the need for safety (despite Boise being relatively earthquake free), many didn’t like how it was being done given how important this school is to the community.

Things got heated at the public meeting.

Built in 1903, Boise High School is an iconic building within our community and it plays a central role in the downtown core. After almost being destroyed in 1995 (it was saved in part as a result of community input), I feel that there is certainly an obligation to save and preserve this school yet again. The people listening to the school district’s plan were stirred up because the preservation of this school and its beautiful auditorium are being derailed in the name of a relatively inexpensive safety fix.

As far as I know, the plan is moving forward as planned and will be executed this spring, despite the fact that the project representatives said they welcome all feedback.

No matter what happens, there is a lesson to be learned here; we should always demand to have input on projects that affect the places that matter in our communities – even if that means supporting a rival.

Kim M. is a student at Boise’s Timberline High School and is participating in the Boise Architecture Project. You can follow the students here on the PreservationNation blog and on their Flickr photostream. Also, get daily updates from their teacher, Doug StanWiens, on Twitter.

Are you an educator interested in teaching preservation in your classroom? Visit PreservationNation.org for resources, tips, and ideas to enhance your curriculum with lessons that will teach your students to recognize and appreciate the rich history that surrounds them.