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( " ‘The Vancouver Sin PAGE SIX

Set, July 13, 1974 tee

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STOP BULLDOZING OUR HERI

~Y

By Netta Sterne

Cold, damp ans cnipty,
the ofl house is waiting.
Tomorrow the bulldozers
will come.

Gone are all the strangers
now, and gone are the
treasures th found there
oe fine fitting >. ornamental
carvings, dimond - pained
windows, the stained-glass
picture panels from the en-
trance. A scarred wall, some
broken tile and a gaping
hole are all that remain of
fireplace and mantel,

From a window in the devas-
fated kitchen we can sce rocflops,
trees and distant mivuntains ..
and in the garden, craters where
someors has dug up the border
shrubs, shattered window glass
and chinney bricks on an over-
grown lawn. There, where truck
tires hase churned the grass to
mud, a {dae tree ties broken, and
Gaffodils stand weeping In the
zain,

Save for the raindrops, all is quit.
Strangely, the house seers peapled still,
dts ghosts not yel departed . .. or why
do ee wrk Cy bere, hke tree

rst

For 8 years [his was their bane ~
these spacious, tugh-ce:linged rooms, the
wide curved steirway, the odd nooks and
erarsues searesuie ingenious uxs. Here
are wbose watts follow the
stoping root Lose +4. Pemnants of lovely

ite work ie x tuined Sathroom ... at
ui turret, secalling childhood (ante

.

‘The view |y splendid from up bere,
and bow bigh xe seem from [he rie
aburomered street!

Debris everwhere, underfoot. Xo
matter... Tamotrow thuse who pass
bis way wil ee onty dust and rubble.
One more old Vancouver hause, one
wore piece of a city's history, will be

‘Whea the old lady ced and the house
yeas sold, the furniture brought very
arices at auction. People have been
Buying everthing wp at the auctions
pes. competing wrk the dealers, such
be demand far antique furniture and
Seed eld-farhloncd Uirgs”* sucts os Ihe
omamentl weds, replaces and fits
tings that are salvaged Defore the
wereckera corre.

“Before the wreckers come” .
Strange, that they save and cherish
every renovable part, and destroy the
irreplaceable ho

We cannot pad such boues any
tare. Tre cot would be probe,
‘the eraiinranship hard te Gnd. And yet,
for many of us, the ofd-Cast.oned hou
Pemains neatex to our deepest eure
+ » Of Childhuad, storybook image of
heme".

But cites ron. populations Increare,
‘ Nes eter more Kal

phe older bald gs Ene

ard saluati:
eratty ‘ite conndered an uneconomic?
use of pregery, Few owners wilt retain
ther old balliogs in the Face of genet
our offers be eroeulators and developers.

sise apartments,
Gres and, row, condominiums.
Vancouser today is 30 exciting, grow-
fing city = bet for many of tts people
Abere 13 a ecrtain porgnant sence of 1354
BE the parung of much that was serene
and besutifil.
‘There aul are some pleasant old rer
tential negnburhouds in Vanonaver

ssome becomag increasingly sundosn |

Bad neglected as a consequence of antir

eipated redevelopment. For many pro
pte the olf tertd.ngs that cansproe thee
Peightorhuds represent the Vancouver
They hoon and tore — a more personal:
Yyeurmypartast factor in their environs
Ment thay vir mare easily recogni
bar cies as stanley vate

ity as deur world changes around them,
wouile in other ateas, tat set tnuched by
the developer, prop'e may he unavare
of chances prrhaps son to come,

The cld Nest End nas Ihe first to go.
Naw Moual Meant is picasant po
imote. Bacrsiew i nearing the penl of
no return, and Grandview property is
being purchated by speculators. Ret:
dents of Kabilang have brea nudiant
100 preserve Ihe neighborhood but
there, tou, ihe demolitiene contsnve,

And 4+ Vancouver's vitier buildings be-
gin to acquue the value of scarcity, city
officiate as sell as many private cilie

- tens are facing the (act that Vancouver,

Row ut tae degoning of aly gruwih as a
is an dancer of desiecying. at
post every pleasant remind:
er af its oes... Ihe twidings and
the neixhlortads that inoke any cily
beque aman aes. and atford its cil
and continuity,
much of ther
charm and chataciee from the coreful
Preservation of ancient duiidings —
from ihe great cathedrals and stately
tames ta tha bumble historic pub. tn
America every one of the United
has adopted some sort of preser a
Jaw, while each of 10 of more U.S. citlet
has its own municipal preservation pro-
gram,

Ta Vancouver we are beginning {9 rea
fize that. tacking any such policy of
Preservation, devtruction will conunue ,
lo be drutatly indiscriminate. sparing
neither the hnest and inast reoresenta-
tive of our old buldings nor the matt
charmung and Wpieat areas among our
eld neighburheods.

Vancouver it a very young city, only
beginning to hase anv senve of its ows
past — bul-whal we have the foresigit
tg save now will become increasingly
Important. fusterially, in years 16 cone,

Ia Une city the people wateh the “any+
sity, cerey-city” losers replicang the
familar d:serse buildings that were

own. Many leet threatencd and repelied.
Bus many aruculate protests testify thal
Ro longer are Vancouver citizens apa
thelic. The Christ Church Cathedral cone
troversy, ibe repeated effarts 10 save the
old Buraa Busldeng, the campaign to sate
Ihe Orpheum Thestee, ace antong many
iadications of inreasng public aware
fess and involvement.

And today’s cily hall, in sympathy
with this sentiment, ls refusing. of send:
ing back ta the drawing boards, many
development apphcatons that in earker
years rrogkt well have passed unques-
tioned. Incceasingly, developers are be:
ing required 19 justify their projects, not
merely an ternss ot growlt ond profit, but
ia lerms of the public interest.

In his “Shaping the Fulure™ statement
of planning department nbjrctwwes, plan:
hung director Hav Spauinan says, There
és an amplicit palicy that the city Is now
concerned aver the preservation of herie
tage stems of sarious series. Ideas are
being developed as to how this imphet
policy can be gwen tpecilic form and te
develop mean of administering the sys
fem.”

A further indication of this poticy was
the appointment recenily of a Vancouver
Heritage Ads ert Board.

diet 9. the old Hodson

iew boune Vancouver's
first Uidtorical hone fo be moved trom
the path of the luliduzer and saved. Cone
dermrusd to demebtian with the other old
house on ats blocs af Eighth aud Meme
Took. it was mstead moved. at city eae
pense, to 4 ill ‘euned Wat at A234 Wet
Seventh. (vie, apprupriately located
among alter hntoric houses, st will be
resluerd for Uselul service to the com>
munity. .

1 was about [64 thal Wilham Hodson,
who also built the old Hete! Metropole
in Gastown, bull Ihe manor in which
Wes 21 children wert to crow up. A fine
example of the old “carpenter othe”
atyte, at Is dewrided ina Kunlding Heri
lage report as “the hinest burlding archi-
fecturalty in the Fainiew Slopes.“

The house was featured in the Center
mal Maacuat’s recent popular ¢vhibilon
of photographs and memorabiha of
Vancouver's histone tuidings. 1s Fete
lorution now. al a bine when the off
Farview Slopes 19 spothabted for dee
may tirengthen (he inily-

are inh wha gene wens of insecure

ences already exnting in favor of some

shops, restaurants, 2.
Un dive pears the ase
Fioneer Savare ince ast app tely
iQ per cet, And t.8 a.) steried v,ta
the purchase and seetiration of ore
burtding by one privace cxiscent
Preservation

shy
Square. Trey are
buuldings can be tn
Simbar successes in P
fon, New Orleans and 1
indicate that presen

& fact often overlocked by these udp
would Cestroy them i the nace of eco,
Romy.

dngs in cities across Ctaada asd in 1878
funded our own nationel trust — Herisa:
Conada — with headquorsers in Utias.

‘This new orgaruzation !s in the preli
laary stages of setung uy geals and erie
teria and evtablshing contacts with prove
inces and monespaliters. 1s execute die
rector, R.A J. 1Bobe Phill.p
it clear that this local g2ou7"s
Snitiate the achon of saving hestaze
Property, and thot such ste ey wil ba
aeven every poreble areres,

So bere, again, the be: hase would
seem 16 be in the initiatave of the pone
apathetic private citizen. tis up to na
aa concerned indisecsts and
Groups, to point divestions,
and declare the thinzy
that muss not be destrosed careiess:y

Inevitably there are proriems
faced tn the Implementation of prever>
‘walion policies,

Always, of course, where bistaric
designation ts pot to the owner's advan
tage, the rights and te of Ihe
properly owuce nust te safeguarded. To
this problere many solutions ezn be ap
plied. such as various forms of com
pensation, exchange, tax concessions. of
outright purchase,

Development interests often are hostile
be preservation policies, but she policies

Preservation in this historic area, where
siteady an inercasing umber of old
houses are being renovated by resident
ouners,

Projects in many cities have proved
that preservation and restoration can
make very good econoinic senae.
Vewarly toduy this is Irue becatise of the
daring costs of new construction,

Restoration of Vaneeaver’s ofd Cre
pheum Theatre, for instance, is to
aecoinplished wt only a third of what a

both of whuch have been named hustoric
Sftds, Festoration has been notably suce
cessful

Across ihe Casted Statca, in cities from
New Vork to Sen Frantucu, it has been
found that the charm and livability of a
cily he greatly on what it chootes 19 pre-
serve of ita past, and thal such preser-
sation, ay at enhances he Ie of the

ple, can go hand in hand with great
economic benetiit,

Hevioration not only cures urban blight
and enhances the qually of cely life,
Dut mesilably it also has fae-reaching
eltectt on realestate valucs in the tm
Medwle amd surrounding areas, and
business prucpers within Ihe aintuence of
auch projects,

Us a truism that what people like Is

good for business — and people unques-
tonadly are fascinated and mlracted by
their own Bistory.

It is an odd fact, however, (hat, aften
as such projects are found to benelit the
buintas community, it is usually the
private citizen, wilh no profit mative,
who has the vision and the concern to
Mniliate (hem. St ia thanks to Lhe initia-
tive of prisase citizens, origenaily, that
New Yor\ has its Soulh Street Seaport —
anunime contre and major inurist at-
traction thit was ance a Slighted 38
acres of rundown walertront,

{lL was the interest of private estisens
thst resulted in New York's many areas
of restored “brownstone” houves, which
provide such #erecuble contrast to news
fr devetopmenty, and whih prove the
value of older neighborhueds ata cul-
tural and ecezeational rrsource as well
as a source of moderetely priced hous:
ing.

In San Francitets it was a pevate Gites
Ten, concerted abrut the destruction of
the city's Linanirks, who purchased the
old Giurardetit Blok ‘on the waterfront
peat Fsberanan’s Whaef, With the help:
of an advisory buard of eninmumty>
trinted people, and able planner and
architects, Ghieardelli Squire has bes
come one of San Francuca’s mayut ate
Tractons Its fnancial oncess offers
prof, once again, thal preocevaton
projects are Good business.

In Savanrah, Georcia, eitlzens con
Tned shout cesirvetien 07 thew archi-
tecteral heritage formed a

ang Lary a ngs bave
indesd wituee ee ah airs .

But a csty has ane
zens, and lo sdeir de:

J ard “petretie
tured (aesecuat cas,

oa for their edsew. anal valze.
For what cun ber seach our chidrea

. about ther oun >. tory, and wnat can

better set a stancatd ef ¢:

to save the rotting downtown sechan of
their ily. Today, ay a tesult of their ef>
forts, this arca hay been deciared a Nae
tional Historig Distenl. and Savannah it
a world-famous attraction, its revilalized
downtowe area a moiel for aiher com>
munities.

In Seattle, a prevervation-minded
mayor and cely council have estadisted
& pudlic corparation ta poy. revere and

then cell histone Buildings. Seattio Is
also commited te aun “Tehatuliiation,
‘The revlts of these policies are many
and saried.

Old buildings ttre stations, fur Ine
ance, and a synagogues ace nol torn
down, bul are recsules to becure neigh
dorhiod centres, theatre workshops, days
care centres. ete, The city hay aise es:

va

an old structure overivohing the harber.
Ja Scatile’s Pronrer Septare, the suler
mobile 1s being disptaced of streets ined
with renly planted irees. Modern strect
lighting hav teen replaced wrh repre
duction of aidiitse Lamps batty tn
century sitect furmture and drinking
fountains have been Invtatied on a beicas
paved mall. As in Vancouver's Gastown,

cuntrast aed a sense of cuniuty toe
neighonsined.

We seed te fev
Ished eidcr dui:
which doverve pablte 5:
29 oereteresanie. Lemme

sce that our chess
are ere aseets
it, Thee toss
Bid pal sade

pirde graphing tor aig tures!

Doures on tre Fariee Sizes
passerhy tod sheet il tA
bother wala tone “te Be KOs!

fa be tora dvem you ne Many of

bore... Sure hue Shey
we nore ol.

ouavect,

We IMUSt cherish our “older buildings -

einolition ts permanent