This text comprises a selection of articles from Preservation magazine written by Dwight Young. In the introduction by Richard Moe, President of the National Trust, he describes these essays work at “making us smile, reflect and look around the world with a fresh eye.”. To me this kind of sounds like an interesting choice of words, considering Young is interested in preserving the heritage of the built environment.
This collection of articles could be described in some respects as preservation lite. One function of these articles is to connect within the field itself, to reach out to other preservationists in the field by talking about similar experiences one might encounter while engaging in historic preservation. Another is to reach out to a broader audience by showing a more personal side of the preservation field. That is, to show the public at least some small manner of the types of people who are interested in preservation and, more importantly, to show why they became and remain interested in taking care of historic structures. While not quite Dave Barry, Young does come across with a kind of colloquial charm that does remind one of a congenial uncle.
There are many places where Young comes off as not only an advocate for a preserver of old buildings but for an older way of thinking, of doing things. I wonder, is this almost an integrative part of the preservationist’s job. In order to preserve our built heritage does one have to advocate holding the past to a higher standard in certain areas such as moral values or modes of thought?
From the range of articles that were chosen to go into this one text, it is easy to see some of the core beliefs of Young. At other times, one sees points that seem to diverge from the other articles. One example of this can be seen in his piece on a house whose owner chose to paint their old home a rather vivid shade of blue. He expresses admiration for this as keeping the look of an old house fresh. Do these kinds of comments detract from the goals of preserving the built environment? Is this kind of thinking necessary in order to recieve broader support from a larger audience?
1 comment:
You say that at times, Young is advocating for an older way of thinking. As I was reading you again, I was trying to figure out what you meant. Were you thinking of his piece on the lights and watching the stars, for instance? Or was it rather his patriotism that made you feel that way? I was wondering about those things, because Young struck me as conservative at times, and yet open to certain novelties (like the blue house, which also surprised me). He did not strike me as “old-fashion” though, but just attached to certain values, respectful of his country.
I really liked your question about preserving heritage and the relation to the past. Maybe one needs to fully grasp the value of history in order to hold the past in respect. But I’m not quite sure about what you mean with the moral values or modes of thoughts.
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