Get Rich by Saving Old Buildings (or, Why Is Historic Preservation so Smart)....

Tearing down existing infrastructures, not to mention irreplaceable architecture is not only short-sighted, it's the opposite of "going green." You destroy all the energy that went into constructing the building in the first place, and then you recreate all that energy to build a new building. Beyond that, renovation creates two to five times as many jobs than new construction.

"One might be tempted to compare the recent green wave with the rise of modernism more than a half-century ago. Planners and architects back then didn't just want buildings to look different; they also wanted to change the direction society was headed. The old ways of thinking were outmoded. Yesterday's buildings solved yesterday's problems; new buildings were needed to solve the problems of today and tomorrow. Of course, many people will recall what happened to America's historic fabric the last time we undertook a nationwide revamping of the built landscape. The result was urban renewal, and it left many of our best urban areas in tatters and many of our historic buildings in piles of rubble."

[Wayne Curtis, from Preservation Magazine, Jan/Feb 2008]

I am always thrilled to meet comrades in the fight to preserve our past. I have studied and practiced Interior Design and Feng Shui for 18 years. I think my love affair with architecture started at Harvard with my "History of Boston" class. I used to love walking around Boston and regaling my friends with the deep dark history of buildings that we ordinarily walked past.

I was also engaged to a guy pursuing his Masters in Architecture at MIT, and I used to do his elevation drawings.

As for me, I went to Massachusetts College of Art and Harvard, so I saw a pretty broad spectrum of opinions and design styles. I've (interior) designed hundreds of homes to date, and have done specific restoration projects on quite a few. Right now, I'm living in an 1895 Queen Anne Victorian in the Bay Area of California, and my office is a 1901 Victorian. I'm in the process of Feng Shui'ing and designing both of them. I've also been a professional photographer, and a graphic artist at various points.

Coming from Boston, I really have no use for anything built much past 1890..... I realize that "true" architecture snobs would probably prefer the cutoff point to be around 1830. I am not that extreme. Furthermore, I LOVE Victorians. Having lived in several spectacular Victorians, I am definitely acquainted with the pleasurable difference between living in a well designed gem, and "a box". I have also lived in Florence Italy, where something built in 1850 is NEW!

I feel quite passionate about preservation, and architecture in general. Toward that end, I offer the following blog to share all the reasons why preservation is so much smarter than tearing down our past.

I have a bi-coastal boutique design firm, and we specialize in restoring and renovating historic homes. Come take a look at Feng Shui Style!

From @CPVLIVE at http://forum.skyscraperpage.com

With the rebirth of Denver's new Theater District there has been a lot of recent dialog about the district - both pro and con. Often referenced is Curtis Street which was once known as Denver's 'Theater Row'.

I managed to pull together some old photos and commentary that will further describe this piece of Denver history as many folks, even many Denver residents, are completely unfamiliar with it. Apollo Hall was Denver's very first theater and it opened its doors on Curtis Street in 1859 and clearly started a trend. Following the 1881 opening of the Tabor Grand, numerous other theaters sprang up along Curtis Street.

The dazzlingly illuminated theatres inspired Mayor Robert Speer's promotional publication Denver Municipal Facts to tout Curtis Street between Fifteenth and Nineteenth streets as "Denver's Great White Way."

And now, for some good news!

The Winchester Mystery House, San Jose, California

In 1884, a wealthy widow named Sarah L. Winchester began a construction project of such magnitude that it was to occupy the lives of carpenters and craftsmen until her death thirty-eight years later. The Victorian mansion, designed and built by the Winchester Rifle heiress, is filled with so many unexplained oddities, that it has come to be known as the Winchester Mystery House.

Sarah Winchester built a home that is an architectural marvel. Unlike most homes of its era, this 160-room Victorian mansion had modern heating and sewer systems, gas lights that operated by pressing a button, three working elevators, and 47 fireplaces. From rambling roofs and exquisite hand inlaid parquet floors to the gold and silver chandeliers and Tiffany art glass windows, you will be impressed by the staggering amount of creativity, energy, and expense poured into each and every detail.

This economically viable masterpiece is now San Jose's most famous building. Talk about adaptive reuse! With a little creativity, many important historic buildings could be saved this way.

• Number of rooms: 160
• Cost: (circa 1884) $5,500,000
• Date of Construction: 1884 - September 5, 1922 (38 continuous years!)
• Number of stories: Prior to 1906 Earthquake - 7; presently 4
• Number of acres: Originally 161.919; presently 4
• Number of basements: 2
• Heating: Steam, forced air, fireplaces
• Number of windows: Frames 1,257; panes approx. 10,000
• Number of doors: Doorways 467, doors approx. 950 not including cabinet doors.

• Number of fireplaces: 47 (gas, wood, or coal burning)
• Number of chimneys: Presently 17 with evidence of 2 others
• Number of cars at her death: 2 (a 1917 Pierce Arrow Limousine & a 1916 4 cyl. Buick truck)
• Number of bedrooms: Approx. 40
• Number of kitchens: 5 or 6
• Number of staircases: 40, total of stair steps - 367
• Number of skylights: Approx. 52
• Number of gallons of paint required to paint entire home: Over 20,000