Of course, this is not true, but still, there is something very romantic about historic buildings, just like there is with vintage furniture and knick knacks and appliances. We project a lot of things onto bygone eras, calling them the good ol' days and we think of them as a time when things were simpler and easier.
![buildings lost to time buildings lost to time](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f8/27/19/f82719ae8059079b449372aa602010ce.jpg)
People love historic buildings because they trigger a certain nostalgia and are the physical embodiment of an different era. And moreover, it is wrong because it taps into people's innate attraction and enjoyment of a real masterpiece and exploits those feelings to make a profit without actually creating something that deserves those feelings. It is making people believe something that is not true, that they are gazing upon the real, authentic masterpiece, when in fact, what they are looking at is a fake. And what if it was painted by a company standing to profit from making you believe that what you're seeing is the real thing? What is wrong with this situation? What is wrong is that it is a lie. People with an untrained eye (that would be most people) would have no idea that it was fake, they would think it was real. HABS surveys guarantee that information about a documented building will be available for future generations to access, but it does not result in a product that the public will interact with on a regular basis.Imagine a fake Mona Lisa hanging at the Louvre next to authentic masterpieces. After a building is documented, the survey is archived at the Library of Congress. The Historic American Building Survey (HABS) has an intensive documentation process that includes high-quality photographs, detailed architectural drawings, and a thorough historical report. The following projects won’t physically save any buildings, but they will keep them from being lost forever:
![buildings lost to time buildings lost to time](https://media.architecturaldigest.com/photos/593ac798da7d477a9a07f194/master/pass/Hippodrome.jpg)
I urge communities and preservation groups to consider creative projects as a means of sustaining public memory of our historic places that will wash away. While we can mourn the loss of these experiences, the memories of these places don’t need to be forgotten. We need to accept that future generations of Mainers may never fly a kite at Bug Light Park or explore the wharves of the Old Port. Rising sea levels will change our communities and lifestyles whether we are ready for it or not. The building won’t survive for another generationĪccepting the ruination of historic buildings goes against the instincts of historic preservationists and will undoubtedly be heartbreaking to watch. The building can be preserved for a few more decades with reasonable maintenance The building has such historical significance that is should be saved, even if that entails relocation
![buildings lost to time buildings lost to time](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/87/26/86/872686ae002e1814c9ed559397ef44ae.jpg)
Berenfeld suggests that communities use medical triage theory to classify which buildings to save and which are “goners”: For this reason, Greater Portland Landmarks placed Historic Coastal Communities on their 2019 Places in Peril list.ĭue to limited time and funds, waterfront communities in Maine need to think critically and realistically about which historic buildings they want to save, if they choose to save any at all. That level of sea rise, combined with high tides and a storm surge, will inundate historic buildings that sit near the coast and nearby rivers and streams. If global gas emissions continue to increase as predicted, Maine could face as much as a nine-foot sea level rise by 2100. This type of recurrent flooding is only expected to get worse in the coming decades as our climate continues to warm and sea levels rise. It is now common knowledge among Portlanders that Commercial Street in the Old Port floods during storms.