The Fate of Historic Preservation in Times of Economic Downturn

The chapel on the University of Georgia’s campus, full of more than 175 years of memories, was a fitting site to host a discussion about historical preservation. Friday, preservationist Suzanne “Susan” Turner spoke to a group of about 45 attendees for the Sigma Pi Kappa’s annual preservation lecture concerning the influence of the current economic recession on the preservation of historical sites and gardens.

Turner emphasized the need for people to preserve places from the past in order to tell their stories. “I take for granted that people understand the value of historical places,” said Turner. “But people don’t; that’s why there’s people like me and some of you in the audience.”

April is historic preservation month at UGA. Turner’s speech was among many events hosted by Sigma Pi Kappa, which is an international honor society founded at UGA for professionals, students, and faculty of historic preservation. The group also hosted a cookout and exhibits for members and visitors.

Turner has enjoyed a long career as a preservationist. Some of her work has included completing cultural landscape reports for historic sites, analyzing the gardens of plantations, and heading her own preservation firm. Looking back on her time spent preserving antebellum homes in Louisiana, Turner said it was, “Analysis that gave me such pleasure to understand the landscape of my home state.”

Historical preservation both benefits and suffers in the current economic situation, according to Turner.

She said, “Today it is difficult to talk about the value on anything in this economic flux.” For many, the value of land has gone from the historical significance of a place, to the opportunity to make money. When economic times are good, people often spend money to change significant parts of historical places.

To illustrate this point, Turner spoke of one of her current projects working on a historic home in Houston, Texas. The garden, originally designed by the well-known planner Frederick Law Olmsted, has undergone significant changes per the request of the home’s current owner. The obvious disgust in Turner’s voice as she described the ostentatious planters, fountains, and conservatory the owner placed in the garden added to her spoken belief that they did not fit with the home’s style.

Sometimes, however, a historical place makes changes in order to remain functional. Turner discussed the famous New Orleans City Park. The beautiful historic site has allowed visitors peace and tranquility in the middle of the bustling city. In the years after the disastrous hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the park had to rebuild. As Turner said, “The hurricanes caused the loss of the very fabric that held [the people of New Orleans] together.”

FEMA had promised the park $42 million to help the efforts, and according to Turner, the park planners had to put reports together quickly. Problems arose, as there was little historical documentation for research and planning. Turner said, “The fate of the historic park is still not a high priority for park administrators.” As with the theme of her speech, Turner emphasized that the park planners have changed important historical aspects of landmarks in order to make money.

Historic preservation, however, may benefit in the face of the recession. Basing her argument off of Time magazine’s article, “The End of Excess: Is This Crisis Good for America?” Turner said that the economic crisis would benefit historic and cultural landscapes. No longer would people frivolously throw in money to change parts historical landmarks in the face of economic downturn.

Turner sees herself as an activist in maintaining the significant aspects of historic locales. She knows that she, and others like her, must work to keep landmarks preserved in order to tell the stories of the previous owners. As Turner said, “We must be agents of change in a shift that must happen.”