History, Financing, and
Sense of Place
by Rebecca Binno
Historic Preservation can be accomplished in many forms, by grass-roots community activists, or field professionals. But by looking at all preservation projects in a very general way, they have three things in common. History, financing, and the sense of place in a preservation project are all part of the reason a project is begun. A house museum in New England, or a pueblo in New Mexico all have these three elements in common.
History
History is the origin of all preservation work. The architectural history, cultural history, and personal history of every structure is considered and valued. Preservation projects begin because of a history, significant events of every day citizens, or an architectural style and form that is never to be repeated. Perhaps the best way to explain it is with an example.
The United Artists Theater in Detroit has a fabulous architectural history - the interior is a mixture of Spanish Gothic and Baroque, overblown and extreme. The cultural history stems from the fact that the United Artists Theaters were founded by Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, and D. W. Griffith. The Detroit United Artists Theater was one of three flagship movie palaces that the group built. Personal history includes the millions of memories for movie-goers who saw the premier of Gone With the Wind, Cleopatra, My Fair Lady, or Ben Hur.
Financing
No revitalization, economic development,
or restoration gets completed without funding and financial resources behind
it. Every preservationist knows that bringing together financial resources
is the most difficult part of a project. 
Whether the financing is based on the Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax
Credit, municipal incentives such as tax abatements, bank loans, or a wealthy
investor, it is always hard work. For some reason, the financing of restoration
projects is more difficult in this country than financing new construction.
Using the United Artists Theater example again, economics and disinvestment in the city of Detroit has left the former movie palace in ruin. Because of lack of heat, maintenance and roofing, the theater's plaster work has had severe damage. Broken windows have encouraged vandalism and stripping of copper wiring and metals. Restoration of the United Artists Theater can be estimated in the tens of millions of dollars. Preservation of this important structure will rely on all of the financing methods mentioned above. And in Detroit, that financing is not easy to come by. The United Artists Theater's deterioration is the result of prejudice and flight from the city. And be assured, we will never see the likes of the United Artists Theater built again.
Sense of Place
Sense of Place is the term preservationists use to define the characteristics and qualities of architecture, streetscapes, districts or sites. It means that something is worth saving because it gives you a feeling that you know where you are. It's not nostalgia, or sentiment, but simply an experience and association with the past. A sense of place can usually be found in urban spaces, or it can be found in rural areas that have not yet been taken over by Walmart.
The
United Artists Theater had a very special sense of place to Detroiters.
Whether going to the show on a date, or with family, the trip to the downtown
theater district was a special occasion. The urban space occupied by a
movie palace is an intentionally memorable creation of sense of place.
Built by architect C. Howard Crane in 1928, the design intention was to
create a space of fantasy. Crane intended to transport the movie-goer to
another world, a place so beautiful and exotic that nothing else in their
everyday life was like it. The movie-going experience was not just about
what was on the screen, but that the interior space would impress the viewer
as well.
Movie palaces are a unique part of American urban experiences... many have been restored in the United States, but many remain empty and neglected. Restoration and reuse of theater spaces helps revitalize disused downtown districts in many cities. Preservation of theaters transforms the empty, neglected, abandoned remains of our 20th century past into urban spaces that can develop a new sense of place for generations to come.
Preservation is about remembering our history, and having the money to restore it to be reused, and adapted for today.