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Historic Preservation: The Ultimate in Recycling

Submitted by the Committee to Save St. Paul's

The Committee to Save St. Paul's was encouraged by the number of residents who stopped by its table at the Belmont Festival on Seventh Street. Volunteers distributed t-shirts that showed a photo of St. Paul's with the words, "GC's DNA," emphasizing St. Paul's symbolic imprint in time, the essence of what makes the Garden City community what it is today. Buildings often outlive the purpose for which they were built. Adaptive reuse is a process for adapting old buildings for new uses, while retaining their historic features. The progressive concept of adaptively reusing historic buildings followed on the heels of the Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and was a precursor of the more recent emphasis on "smart growth" and "sustainable development." The basis for the adaptive reuse philosophy is four-fold: environmental benefit, energy conservation, economic stimulation, and social advantage.

Preservation, restoration and rehabilitation are much less destructive of natural resources than new construction. Statistics show that building construction consumes 40% of the energy and raw material consumption in the global economy each year. In 2001, new building accounted for 25% of wood harvest, 16% of fresh water supplies, 44% of landfill debris, 45% of carbon dioxide production and up to half of the total greenhouse emissions from industrial countries. Conversely, in adaptive reuse, an older building is stabilized and historic materials are saved and strengthened - holding down the need for natural resources and ameliorating the effects of production.

Energy conservation is brought about through the recognition and harnessing of a building's "embodied energy." In the architecture and development industries, embodied energy refers to the energy consumed by all of the processes associated with the production of a building, from the acquisition of natural resources to product delivery, including mining, manufacturing, transport and administrative functions. By reusing buildings, their embodied energy is retained, and the wasteful process of demolition and reconstruction is avoided.

Both federal and state governments have recognized the value of historic preservation and have tax-credit programs in place. These programs can assist in the restoration of historic aspects of rehabilitation. Embodied energy savings through the "light touch" approach to rehabilitation will increase as energy costs rise. Additionally, revenue is realized through the building's reuse.

Keeping and reusing historic buildings has long-term benefits for the communities that value them. Sympathetically recycled historic buildings can continue to be used and appreciated. Additionally, old buildings tend to preserve the local culture and identity and create a sense of belonging. Their adaptive reuse respects and retains the building's heritage, bringing alive the past to be a part of the future, and creating important connections through time. Adaptive reuse is sometimes the only way that an historic building's fabric will be properly cared for, revealed and interpreted, while making better use of the building itself.

Nonprofit beginnings

After the enactment of the Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the Architectural Heritage Foundation (AHF), a pioneer in the adaptive reuse movement, was founded in Boston, MA. The nonprofit organization worked on feasibility studies for the Faneuil Hall Markets, leading to the successful redevelopment of the landmark marketplace. At the same time, the Foundation challenged calls for the demolition of Boston's Old City Hall, turning the tide and leading to its redevelopment in 1969 as conventional office space and a first-class restaurant. AHF's commitment to finding the best solution often includes partnering with a variety of groups, both for- and non-profit, providing unique paths to funding and long-term stewardship plans.

Present day preservation

News articles tell the stories of preservation and adaptive reuse of historic structures. Last October, Newsday reported the establishment of a partnership between Nassau County and the Friends of Sands Point Preserve in the preservation of Hempstead House, a monument to the Gilded Age that was landmarked in 2006 and awaits listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The New York Times reported the restoration of the Roslyn clock tower after 11 years of setbacks. Many Garden City residents are already familiar with the Landmark on Main Street, Port Washington's successful restoration of a former school building.

In May 2006, the Montauk Playhouse Community Center Foundation held a grand opening of the Montauk Playhouse, the preservation and restoration effort of the circa 1928 Carl Fisher resort in Montauk. The immense building originally held 2 standard-size tennis courts and locker and lounge facilities. The new facility, operated by the Village of South Hampton Recreation Department, offers a child day care center, serves nutritious meals for seniors (serving 60 daily) and operates senior disabled day care.

New York City has hundreds of restoration and preservation projects. Two outstanding examples of historic preservation and adaptive reuse are Cobble Hill Towers in Brooklyn, the rehabilitation of nine inter-connected 1876 National Landmark buildings into 187 dwellings units, and the Jefferson Market Library, circa 1877, the original Third Judicial District Courthouse on Sixth Avenue and 10th Street. Restored and adapted in 1967, the courthouse now serves as a regional branch of the New York City Public Library. Its High Victorian Gothic architecture has similar features to St. Paul's, most notably its clock tower.

In nearby Rhode Island, The Times reported in December 2006 the restoration of a neo-Classical Masonic temple (circa 1920) in Providence. The developers received a federal tax credit equivalent to 20% of the main costs of rehabilitation and a Rhode Island state tax credit worth an additional 30% on the $87 million project. In August 2006, the newspaper reported efforts by Montclair (NJ) Township to stop the demolition of older homes and create a preservation board.

This article has been compiled from information provided by a member of the Committee to Save St. Paul's consulting team, as well as source material from Canal Corridor Association, Lockport, IL, www.canalcor.org/gaylord/about_reuse.html, and "Ethic of Adaptive Reuse," a May 2005 article in ArchitectureWeek, an online magazine, www.architectureweek.com/2005/0518/building_1-1.html. Online research turns up many examples of adaptively reused structures within the US and Canada and around the world.

At this unique point in time, the Village of Garden City has an historic opportunity to stand out as a model for other communities in recognizing the importance of preserving such an important part of our culture and of being in the forefront of towns that have protected and recycled valuable assets. The Committee to Save St. Paul's hopes that residents will explore this topic and clip this article for reference, as the fate of St. Paul's unfolds.