OLD BUILDING - YOUNG MAN
I have always had an appreciation for old buildings. Growing up in old homes, I’ve spent years listening to my mother admire and dream and scheme about all the beautiful old structures she wanted to buy or just loved. It was not until I started working in Taborian Hall for Flagandbanner.com and gained an ‘adults’ perspective, that I began to really dissect and understand the importance of historic preservation.
HOW DO I LOVE YOU…LET ME COUNT THE WAYS
So, this week I am going to share three of the ideas I have come to when reflecting on this concept. They may be more obvious to you than they were to me. I do feel the need to throw in a disclaimer here: I am not a historian, just a preservation enthusiast who has spent a lot of time reading, thinking, and talking to people who also love old stuff.
1) I LOVE THE WAY YOU LOOK
Any preservation lover would likely start this list with aesthetics. Old structures usually contain levels of craftsmanship that are often no longer (or seldom) practiced in modern architecture. The Dreamland Ballroom’s plaster diamonds are a great example of this. The craft of working with plaster is no longer readily available. Over the years, even before my mom owned the building, many of these plaster diamonds have been replicated with wood…but the originals are unique and beautiful and therefore worth preserving. There is also an ‘aged’ quality, commonly denoted as ’distressed,’ that old buildings have. This can be recreated in new builds, but nothing can capture the character of something that matures naturally.
2) I LOVE THE TALE YOU TELL
The core of historic preservation proves your history teacher was right. “There is no teacher like the past.” The history of the Dreamland Ballroom, Taborian Hall, and W 9th Street is a story of prosperity and perseverance as well as human complacency and hatred. Even with no knowledge of the building’s past, the room immediately imparts a sense of former grandeur making everyone ask, “What was this building?” This is an effect that only a carefully preserved historic site can inspire.
History is often dense and dull, filled with dates and names that may mean very little in the context of our daily lives. I would argue that this reason is why every town and city should have as many preservation projects as possible. When history is steeped in relatable context that is recognizable because it is local lore, archival historical research becomes fascinating.
3) I LOVE THE THINGS YOU DO
For me, the most inspiring aspect of preservation is the responsible use of a cultural and physical resource. The importance of the culture resource binds the aesthetics and history mentioned above with functionality. Contextual heritage is easier to learn from and appreciate, but it is also a sensible use of building materials.
4) YOU’RE A KEEPER
Comparing an old photograph of 9th Street to an image from today, it is impossible not to think, “What a waste.” In our throw away culture, we not only lost a cultural feature in our city, but also the beams made from trees cut down from the lots where they were then used as framing materials of the buildings that rose in their stead, locally extracted and handcrafted bricks, wood door frames, and handmade windows…all now discarded in a landfill who knows where. The practical use of environmental resources should be something anyone in our modern world can support, whether the history of the historic site reaches you personally or not.
Keep Dreaming, Matthew McCoy
Friends of Dreamland celebrates the community of historic West Ninth Street, shares the legacy of Dreamland Ballroom, and preserves the original intent of Taborian Hall. Donate to this mission at dreamlandballroom.org!
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