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GONE FOREVER // WHERE DO PRESERVATIONISTS GO FROM HERE?
Photo: Preserve Tuscaloosa Image courtesy of Jason Townsend
I was appointed to the Tuscaloosa Historic Preservation Commission for a three-year term in April 2011. I had been approached a couple of years before about my willingness to serve on the HPC. And I was willing, even eager, to serve. I believe in the intrinsic value of historic preservation and was instrumental in persuading my neighborhood to request (and receive) historic district status. Following the tornado that ripped through Tuscaloosa on April 27, 2011, the number of people applying for a certificate of appropriateness for repairs or rebuilding in historic districts was monumental. The HPC increased the number of meetings to expedite the huge increase in applications, and for several months we met semimonthly instead of only once a month. The first year I served on the HPC was both painful and rewarding. Painful because at each meeting we saw horrific pictures of the devastation wrought by
the EF4 tornado. From images of debrisfilled lots where homes once stood to uprooted trees and shattered buildings, the color slides shown at each meeting were grim reminders of the storm that changed so many lives--and altered the landscape of Tuscaloosa forever. The experience was rewarding because almost without exception the commission is made up of people who are advocates for historic preservation in general and the historic preservation of Tuscaloosa in particular. In the months after the tornado, commission members worked diligently to balance the demands of historic preservation with the very urgent need for people to return to their homes. Gradually, the town and its residents began to regain their equilibrium. As the number of petitions for certificates of appropriateness slacked off, the HPC returned to monthly meetings. Over the next two years I became more and more disillusioned with historic preservation efforts in Tuscaloosa. Most
HPC members recognize the economic and cultural value of preservation and are committed to helping Tuscaloosa retain its historic character. Apparently, city officials do not share that commitment. In 2010 the city appointed 48 people to serve on the Greater Downtown Advisory Committee. That committee was composed of elected and appointed officials; members of cultural arts groups and the downtown business community; individuals interested in historic preservation; home builders and Realtors; and people with an interest in transit and educational issues. Members of the advisory committee brought diverse points of view to the table. Through give and take, compromise and consensus, discussion and debate, those differing views were melded into a thoughtful, comprehensive, workable plan for developing and preserving downtown Tuscaloosa. The Greater Downtown Plan lays out in clear detail the steps necessary to create “a vibrant, progressive, and sustainable greater downtown Tuscaloosa.” But the Greater Downtown Plan is far more than a list of dos and don’ts. It offers us—the people who live, work,
Photo: Preserve Tuscaloosa
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JUNE 26 + JULY 10
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worship, play, and shop in Tuscaloosa— a blueprint for success. It is our town’s equivalent of Coach Saban’s “process”: “The process is what you have to do day in and day out to be successful. We try to define the standard that we want everybody to work toward, adhere to, and do on a consistent basis.” One of the key components of the downtown plan is the importance of preserving our town’s architectural and cultural history. “Historic preservation is increasingly being recognized as an essential component of a city’s economic development strategy. Studies indicate that the rehabilitation of existing buildings stimulates a greater economic return per dollar spent than do highway construction, new construction, and the expansion of industry. Historic preservation has additional economic benefits in terms of tourism, the enhancement of property values, and the promotion of community sustainability. The importance of historic preservation to community revitalization has been demonstrated in thousands of towns all across America and the lessons they provide are relevant to Greater Downtown Tuscaloosa.”
Photo: Preserve Tuscaloosa