PIAs—Historic Preservation
It's Official: Urban Life Is Now Cool
Conference examines rise of public/private enterprise in historic preservation

by Aphrodite Knoop
AIA Professional Practice editor

Federal office building? You bet! It's the atrium of the Ronald Reagan Office Building and International Trade Center, the jewel in the crown and the final building of Pennsylvania Avenue's classically ordered Federal Triangle complex in the nation's capital. Designed by Pei Cobb Freed and Partners, it offers a great example of the types of public/private partnerships explored by the Historic Resources Committee in their conference last month. Photo courtesy of the General Services Administration.Historic preservation is not about the past; it is about the future. And, to remain a viable element in future revitalization of our urban areas, the preservation process must employ an innovative formula: meshing of public and private enterprise.

Such public/private collaborations have achieved "spectacular results," said Robert D. Loversidge, FAIA, chair of the Historic Resources Committee PIA. These results formed the focus of the Public Architecture + Historic Preservation + Private Enterprise = Urban Revitalization conference March 8–10, at the AIA national headquarters in Washington, D.C., where government agency representatives, architects, preservationists, and planners gathered to discuss trends and goals for preservation and revitalization.

Daniel Burnham's glorious Union Station, built in 1908 in Washington, D.C., was resurrected to its former glory in the late 1980s by Harry Weese Associates, and enhanced with shops and a food court by Benjamin Thompson Associates, making it a popular destination in its own right. For more on its public/private partnership, tune in to AIArchitect This Week next week. Photo courtesy of the General Services Administration.It is now "hip" to revitalize urban areas; people want to live in the city again, according to Stephen Perry, General Services Administration (GSA) administrator. As the biggest landlord in the country, GSA is at the forefront of urban redevelopment. The agency is a significant holder of historic buildings and aims to "educate people about the GSA and help architects develop a stronger relationship with the agency," Perry explained.

GSA, however, has to be creative in stretching a very thin budget, and public/private partnerships allow the agency to achieve its goals and provide a steady income stream for restoration projects. The agency expects even more opportunities for preservation and development with President Bush's endorsement of the Freedom to Manage Act.

San Francisco's 1890s Presidio Barracks on Infantry Row, has been restored by the National Park Service and now offer a visitors center. Photo courtesy of the National Park Service.Historic easements and tax credit programs also offer incentives for private developers to invest in urban areas. Evidence of a redevelopment boom fueled by public/private partnerships is sprouting up from coast to coast—witness the Silver Theater in Silver Spring, Md.; Union Station, the Old Post Office Building, and countless other historic sites in Washington, D.C.; the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco; and many more.

According to Todd Bressi, executive editor of Places: A Forum of Environmental Design, "there is an amazing rebirth of public life. Urban life is now cool." Most downtown areas are gaining population or stabilizing, he said. "Public parks and civic spaces are not the only social spaces. Public buildings, malls, cafes, and other such spaces fill these functions."

Copyright 2002 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.

  
Reference

For more lessons learned at the conference, including case studies, read the conference report online. You can access the report through the PIA Gateway or the Historic Resources Committee or Public Architects home pages on the Portal.

You might want to check out the "Historic Preservation and Fire Safety" (SA29) seminar at the AIA convention, May 10, 4–5:30 p.m. For a full list of convention programs, visit www.aiaconvention.com.
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