Why Can't This Battle to Be Put to Rest?
Last week, the New York Times published an opinion piece by Binyamin Appelbaum, a member of the paper's editorial board, claiming, among other things, that historic preservation is elitist and "obstructs change for the better": "When Historic Preservation Hurts Cities." Two things he focuses on are what he calls "the madness of prohibiting solar panels on the rooftops of historic buildings" and replacing original wood windows with vinyl windows.
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| Photo: Dan Region |
On Saturday, the Times published a series of letters to the editor responding to Appelbaum's piece: "Preserving Historic Buildings." Among the letter writers taking issue with Appelbaum's claims is Peter Lacovara, whose name is familiar to many of us in Hudson.
The Preservation League of New York State also responded to the editorial, arguing that historic preservation is about telling everyone's story and providing evidence that the greenest building is the one already standing. That response can be read here.
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Apppelbaum (like most people) doesn't have a clear and complete understanding of what preservation is all about. I'm glad people responded, but it probably won't change anything. People with old houses don't understand that they are merely a steward of the place - not the owner. They think they can whatever they please, which in the long run, is usually not the thing to do.
ReplyDeleteThank God we preserved a beautiful community with our own money and sweat and tears.
ReplyDeletewe are mostly single owner entrepreneurs who saw a vision of a new world in Hudson that was free from New York City politics and politically correct control.
how many stores in hudson are non-branded individually owned and unique> the whole street !! isnt that good ??
Hudson is the not what is happening, but what will be happening in the future id we are lucky, we all hope.
I for one am proud of an integrated community where all people can live in some sort of harmony. may Hudson be the future.