Fun fact: I have a bachelor's degree in architecture and a master's degree in history, with a concentration in public history. Public history? What's that, you may ask? Not only am I trained in scholarly history--writing long articles and reports filled with footnotes (oh, how I love footnotes!) and overly technical terminology--but I also have studied how to present historical information for public consumption. I took classes in digital media, museum studies, and (my absolute favorite) historic preservation. My post-graduate career is my consulting business, SVM Historical Consulting--seriously, check it out! I love talking about old buildings and their historic context!
So many postcards feature buildings that no longer exist. That makes me sad, primarily because many of these buildings were demolished due to the mid-century architectural idea that "new is good, old is bad" as well as the poorly-considered urban renewal policies of the 1960s. Now, while we may mourn the loss of these buildings, we also have to remember that structures are designed and built by humans, and we're not perfect. Sometimes, poor design and construction techniques led to the rapid deterioration of these buildings, which over time needed to be removed for safety purposes. Also, preservation of these older structures is not cheap, and organizations that may own these properties simply cannot afford to maintain them. This makes the practice of historic preservation both difficult and interesting. As my historic preservation professor was fond to say, historic preservation is not the preservation of history but the management of change. And sometimes, the management of change means that old buildings come down.
With those factors in mind, here are some postcards of buildings and structures which, if were still in existence today, would be historic properties:
So many postcards feature buildings that no longer exist. That makes me sad, primarily because many of these buildings were demolished due to the mid-century architectural idea that "new is good, old is bad" as well as the poorly-considered urban renewal policies of the 1960s. Now, while we may mourn the loss of these buildings, we also have to remember that structures are designed and built by humans, and we're not perfect. Sometimes, poor design and construction techniques led to the rapid deterioration of these buildings, which over time needed to be removed for safety purposes. Also, preservation of these older structures is not cheap, and organizations that may own these properties simply cannot afford to maintain them. This makes the practice of historic preservation both difficult and interesting. As my historic preservation professor was fond to say, historic preservation is not the preservation of history but the management of change. And sometimes, the management of change means that old buildings come down.
With those factors in mind, here are some postcards of buildings and structures which, if were still in existence today, would be historic properties:
Crewe Methodist Church, Crewe, Virginia
This postcard (listed here in my Etsy shop) prompted my writing of this blog post. The small town of Crewe was founded in 1888 as the location for engine repair shops for the Norfolk & Western Railroad (today Norfolk Southern), which carried coal from the western mountain mines east to the port at Norfolk. The repair shops diminished in importance as the railroad switched from steam to diesel, but the yard is still in operation today.
The town's first Methodist Church was organized the same year as the town's founding. A Gothic Revival structure was built in 1907 on the corner of Carolina Avenue and Powell Street to house the congregation. In 1980 a new sanctuary was built on Georgia Avenue, and the old building was abandoned. After years of neglect, the 1907 structure was demolished.
This postcard (listed here in my Etsy shop) prompted my writing of this blog post. The small town of Crewe was founded in 1888 as the location for engine repair shops for the Norfolk & Western Railroad (today Norfolk Southern), which carried coal from the western mountain mines east to the port at Norfolk. The repair shops diminished in importance as the railroad switched from steam to diesel, but the yard is still in operation today.
The town's first Methodist Church was organized the same year as the town's founding. A Gothic Revival structure was built in 1907 on the corner of Carolina Avenue and Powell Street to house the congregation. In 1980 a new sanctuary was built on Georgia Avenue, and the old building was abandoned. After years of neglect, the 1907 structure was demolished.
Grand Circus Park, Detroit, Michigan Grand Circus Park was part of the French-inspired radial city plan conceived by Augustus Woodward following the 1805 fire that destroyed much of Detroit. The park was built in 1850. While envisioned as a full circle, adjacent landowners were reluctant to sell their properties, and only half the park was constructed. Among the buildings sited along Grand Circus Park were the Hotel Tuller (1906), Whitney Building (1915), Statler Hotel (1915), Detroit Opera House (1922). As the automotive industry contracted in the 1960s onward, and the focus of American urbanism shifted from downtowns to suburbs, the stately structures along Grand Circus Park fell into disuse. The Statler Hotel closed in the mid-1970s and was demolished in 2005-2006. Likewise, the Hotel Tuller was demolished in 1991. |
Santa Barbara High School, Santa Barbara, California
Some buildings are lost not because people chose to demolish them, but rather were the victims of Mother Nature. Such is the case of Santa Barbara High School. The 1925 earthquake, which had its epicenter just off the coast at Santa Barbara, killed 13 people and caused millions of dollars in damage. According to the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, "eighty-five percent of the commercial buildings downtown were destroyed or badly damaged."
Although the school was founded in 1875, this iteration of the high school was constructed in 1901 at the corner of Anapamu and De la Vina streets. Architect John Kremple of Los Angeles designed the three-story stone structure, which melded the Spanish-influenced architecture of the area with the contemporary Richardsonian Romanesque style. Within twenty years, however, the booming town had outgrown the facility, and a new high school opened in 1924 at Anapamu and Quartentina streets. The new high school received minimal damage is today is a local and state landmark. As for the former high school, the damage from the earthquake was too great, and the structure was demolished.
This postcard is also available in my Etsy shop.
Some buildings are lost not because people chose to demolish them, but rather were the victims of Mother Nature. Such is the case of Santa Barbara High School. The 1925 earthquake, which had its epicenter just off the coast at Santa Barbara, killed 13 people and caused millions of dollars in damage. According to the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, "eighty-five percent of the commercial buildings downtown were destroyed or badly damaged."
Although the school was founded in 1875, this iteration of the high school was constructed in 1901 at the corner of Anapamu and De la Vina streets. Architect John Kremple of Los Angeles designed the three-story stone structure, which melded the Spanish-influenced architecture of the area with the contemporary Richardsonian Romanesque style. Within twenty years, however, the booming town had outgrown the facility, and a new high school opened in 1924 at Anapamu and Quartentina streets. The new high school received minimal damage is today is a local and state landmark. As for the former high school, the damage from the earthquake was too great, and the structure was demolished.
This postcard is also available in my Etsy shop.
For more reading:
Crewe Methodist Church, Crewe, Virginia: Crewe, Virginia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crewe,_Virginia; Valerie N. Birch, Alison S. Blanton, and Mary A. Zirkle, Historical Architectural Survey of Nottoway County (May 1996), 53.
Grand Circus Park, Detroit, Michigan: Grand Circus Park Historic District, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Circus_Park_Historic_District.
Santa Barbara High School, Santa Barbara, California: Santa Barbara Conservancy, Stone Architecture in Santa Barbara (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2009): 19-21.
Crewe Methodist Church, Crewe, Virginia: Crewe, Virginia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crewe,_Virginia; Valerie N. Birch, Alison S. Blanton, and Mary A. Zirkle, Historical Architectural Survey of Nottoway County (May 1996), 53.
Grand Circus Park, Detroit, Michigan: Grand Circus Park Historic District, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Circus_Park_Historic_District.
Santa Barbara High School, Santa Barbara, California: Santa Barbara Conservancy, Stone Architecture in Santa Barbara (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2009): 19-21.