We are the only country in the world that trashes its old buildings. Too late we realize how very much we need them. — Jackie Kennedy
My leanings to engage in historic preservation had their roots in my childhood. I was raised by a generation that fixed broken things. Not so much out of preservation for its own sake, but rather out of necessity. My parents and grandparents reused, recycled, and repurposed because replacing an object was not financially feasible. Their dream was to have new things: a new car, a modern house, and new clothes. Eventually, they worked their way into those things.
I bought into their values until I spent ten plus years in Southern California. Growing tired of new, modern, and trendy, I longed for roots, depth, and history. Then I moved to France, where history and old take on a whole new meaning. I enjoyed the way both the old and the new blended, mostly seamlessly, into the present. I like the depth.
Why Engage In Historic Preservation?
It is one thing to reuse, fix, or repurpose things, but to engage in historic preservation is another level altogether. We’ve lived in a house listed on the Kansas Historic Places register for 38 years. We’ve done some preservation work on the roof, along with plenty of planning, research, dreaming, and piling up of cash. Some may ask why are we doing this? I’ve asked myself this over the years. So here are three reasons:
1. Preserving The Environment
Demolishing a building instead of preserving it carries a massive environmental price tag, primarily due to the loss of embodied carbon and the generation of immense landfill waste. Engaging in the restoration of a typical 1,500 sq. ft. house saves embodied energy equivalent to roughly 4,200 gallons of gasoline or 41,000 pounds of coal.
According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, it takes between 10 to 80 years for a new building to “pay back” the carbon debt created by its construction and the demolition (C&D)of the previous structure. Adaptive reuse and renovation typically save 50–75% of the carbon emissions compared to new construction because the most carbon-intensive elements—the foundation and structural frame—are retained. We will retain much more than this in our restoration.
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Landfill Impact: Demolition represents over 90% of total C&D debris generation. Most of this ends up in landfills, consuming finite space and potentially leaching hazardous materials like lead or asbestos into the soil.
I hate waste. Yes, we do throw things away, but reusing, recycling, and donating come first. As we engage in this historic preservation, we will use the same model.
2. Preserving Quality Craftmanship And Materials
Our 140-year old home is a structural marvel:
- The foundation is of 24-inch-thick Kansas limestone, nine feet tall, creating a full, usable basement. The mechanical inspector told us the foundation had not moved even 1/4″ in 100 years.
- Its balloon frame is built with dimensional 2×4 yellow pine set on 12-inch centers.
- The floor joints are of dimensional 2×8 yellow pine, also set on 12-inch centers
- The 3,000 square foot roof is New York red slate with copper valleys and downspouts. Red Slate is an environmental marvel with both reflective and heat retention qualities.
- Lath and plaster walls and ceilings keep the house seasonally warm and cool.
- oak hardwood floors, panel doors, and carved trim reflect a rare craftsmanship costly to replicate.
- The front staircase, handcrafted of oak adorned by an original Queen Anne-style stained glass window and a one-of-a-kind Belcher mosaic stained glass window.
Preservation of all this is far less costly than trying to recreate “new”.
Sadly, some lost features include:
- The trump d’oiel wainscotting up the stairway and the blue linen wainscotting in the dining room.
- The wood trim in the back parlor and dining room was stripped and refinished, as well as the front room. Losing the hand-painted faux finish.
Can they be restored? That remains to be determined. As I said, preserving is less costly than recreating.
3. To Engage In Historic Preservation Is Wisdom
Then Jesus said to them, “Therefore every wise man instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.” Matthew 13:52.
Historic preservation, or any building project for that matter, is the application of wisdom. Wisdom takes time to acquire, and according to Jesus, pulls from the old and the new. We shall join the wisdom we have gained from living in this structure with the wisdom of carefully selected experts and craftsmen to see this project to completion.
We’ve waited this long, what’s a few more years?