5 Lessons from 10 Years

#5 Historic Preservation Is Transformative

As we look back over the past decade, we have learned many lessons, although several come up with enough regularity that they seem worth sharing.  ER

Concerted efforts to preserve historic resources really can transform a community. We’ve seen it happen time and again. Much more than providing access to financial incentives, historic buildings embody the spirit and character of a community, how the confluence of people and place created a unique identity. Buildings document growth and change over time, where people came from, why they stayed, how they prospered, popular trends. Knowledge is power. Understanding history and the resources that represent that history can be a catalyst that brings people together to proactively protect, invest in and promote the components that make their community unique. This in return generates vitality.

 

The City of Smithville engaged Rosin Preservation to create a historic district knowing that historic tax credits would be an attractive economic incentive to support downtown revitalization.