Restoration Preservation...It's All Worth the Effort
Last year while I was attending the Orleans County Four-H fair, I set out in search of a 1973 Chevrolet Impala among the classic cars; it is the type of car that my parents drove when I was a small child. Most of the 1973 Impala's are parked in a junkyard or their remains scrapped. Auto enthusiasts consider the ones that remain as classics, and car aficionados all over the country make a hobby of restoring old cars like the Impala. The restoration process involves the careful search for genuine parts, after all, why would you want a modern rearview mirror on a classic car.
Not everyone likes classic cars; some people may prefer a 2009 Malibu to a 1966 Ford Mustang. Nonetheless, the Mustang will surely turn more heads than the Caprice. The intrinsic value of the Mustang cannot be denied once it has been restored to its former glory. The key word in this scenario is restoration, for the preservation of old cars is not always possible because of normal wear and tear.
Maybe that is the problem that some people have with the idea of historic preservation as opposed to restoration. The word preservation has connotations; it implies that bunches of old codgers do not want to see things changed and want to preserve things longer than they can be preserved for. Of course, there has to be an element of preservation in restoration, after the main elements of the car must exist in order for the owner to begin the restoration.
That brings us to the quandary that is what to do with Albion's Historic District. There are some in government and in business that see the word preservation as a hindrance to progress, and others who deem it the path to the future. Maybe everyone can agree that the word we need to use for now is restoration, or we can simply say that the mission we are on is restoration through preservation efforts, or even revitalization.
A couple of weeks ago my wife and I visited Corning NY. In 1972, Corning had a major flood that severely damaged many of its historic buildings. They could have easily torn then down and started from scratch but they decided to save the old buildings and restore them. If you visit downtown Corning today, you would not guess that just 30 years ago much of it was under 5 feet of water. The historic buildings are in excellent condition and stand as a testament to what a revitalized and restored downtown can look like. Even though it was in the dead of winter when we visited there downtown was bustling with people visiting the quaint shops, restaurants and other businesses. A quick look around and one can easily tell that there are high standards with regard to upkeep and signage.
Main Street Corning represents the type of downtown I envision for Albion. Admittedly, it will be on a smaller scale because there is not a glass museum to draw in tourists, but on a recent trip to an open mic night on Main Street in Albion I saw something I had not seen in a long time. People hanging out downtown, spending money and having a good time, all going on in a historic building. What made it even better is that I didn't have to drive over an hour to get there.
Not everyone likes classic cars; some people may prefer a 2009 Malibu to a 1966 Ford Mustang. Nonetheless, the Mustang will surely turn more heads than the Caprice. The intrinsic value of the Mustang cannot be denied once it has been restored to its former glory. The key word in this scenario is restoration, for the preservation of old cars is not always possible because of normal wear and tear.
Maybe that is the problem that some people have with the idea of historic preservation as opposed to restoration. The word preservation has connotations; it implies that bunches of old codgers do not want to see things changed and want to preserve things longer than they can be preserved for. Of course, there has to be an element of preservation in restoration, after the main elements of the car must exist in order for the owner to begin the restoration.
That brings us to the quandary that is what to do with Albion's Historic District. There are some in government and in business that see the word preservation as a hindrance to progress, and others who deem it the path to the future. Maybe everyone can agree that the word we need to use for now is restoration, or we can simply say that the mission we are on is restoration through preservation efforts, or even revitalization.
A couple of weeks ago my wife and I visited Corning NY. In 1972, Corning had a major flood that severely damaged many of its historic buildings. They could have easily torn then down and started from scratch but they decided to save the old buildings and restore them. If you visit downtown Corning today, you would not guess that just 30 years ago much of it was under 5 feet of water. The historic buildings are in excellent condition and stand as a testament to what a revitalized and restored downtown can look like. Even though it was in the dead of winter when we visited there downtown was bustling with people visiting the quaint shops, restaurants and other businesses. A quick look around and one can easily tell that there are high standards with regard to upkeep and signage.
Main Street Corning represents the type of downtown I envision for Albion. Admittedly, it will be on a smaller scale because there is not a glass museum to draw in tourists, but on a recent trip to an open mic night on Main Street in Albion I saw something I had not seen in a long time. People hanging out downtown, spending money and having a good time, all going on in a historic building. What made it even better is that I didn't have to drive over an hour to get there.
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