In Sunday's Northwestern I was quoted as saying:
"I'd like to see some citywide preservation efforts," she said. "You can change a lot of things to make homes more comfortable, more modern, more efficient without changing the nature or soul of the house. You want to make sure what you put into it you will get out of it. And if your neighbor's not doing to the same thing, it's going to reflect on you, your property value and your resale value."
To expand on that quote, preserving our history, our neighborhoods and our older homes isn't just about real estate.
Yes, a historically intact home does have a higher resale value than one that has become a hodgepodge of renovation projects, but a historically intact home is a story of us as a community. Many people love going to the genealogy sites to learn about their families. An older/historic home is a physical manifestation of our family history. A church, a school, a downtown building tells us about our past as a community.
When we lose these our history goes with it. Think of all the wonderful buildings we have lost. How many of us look at the pictures of the Athearn Hotel and imagine it still standing in our grand downtown. How about that incredible William Waters designed building that occupied the 100 Block of N. Main and Otter? If the preservation efforts of our community hadn't been successful and The Grand had been lost, would we today feel a deep sadness and remorse?
We are in serious danger of losing our communities collective conscious.
The warehouse district on the south-side is disappearing. There was a request about 12 years ago by an investor to create residential space in one of the buildings on South Main. It was denied. Now gravel blights are littered throughout with more to come.
The light house is going, going, gone. A beacon for travelers and boaters to guide them safely to Oshkosh is turned off. The metaphor as reality.
Raze it and they will ignore it. An empty lot, so the myth goes, will attract a buyer. How many times does this painful line have to be proved wrong before we stop destroying what we have in hand? Retrofit and reuse are green and cost effective. If they don't build it who will come?
There are people in this community who are advocates and investors in our past as future.
The Waters lays out the planning guidelines for what we as the Oshkosh community must do to thrive. A grand example of how new meets history. This showcase will bring local and tourism monies to Oshkosh.
River Mill condominiums are a reuse project that proves a good investment in keeping our history. As manufacturing changes many older builds will be left vacant and some abandoned. As we consider plans for the space, our commissions must look to what has worked - River Mill and what hasn't.
There are small and grand examples of preservation throughout Oshkosh. Brooklyn Fire House, The Bent Building, Wagner Opera House and so many others show what can be done and will with a serious mindset change from our elected officials, city staff and most important, our business "leaders" in the Chamber, OCDC and BID.
As important as our historical commercial arena, our homes are the fibers that intertwine to keep Oshkosh history seamless. Each neighborhood - south, east, university, north - is important in telling the Oshkosh story. Who we are, where we came from, what we did is written in the wear of our of our homes.
Preserving our history isn't a death lock of regulation for homeowners. We are not and cannot be a covenant dictatorship. Our preservation must come from a collective will, a joint belief that this is important and good. The payoffs for our decisions can be enormous.
When we mention the Washington or Algoma neighborhoods, there is general agreement that these are desirable streets with beautiful homes. A place we would love to live. Why can't the same desire come from Parkway, Waugoo, Grand, South Park, Winchester, 18th, Idaho, etc.? Each of these streets have wonderful older homes that have been protected by generations of families. Each also have houses where the owners, usually landlords, have allowed the properties to lose their luster.
Why has Washington and Algoma maintained their grandeur while the others have not? There is a pressure, unspoken, when you live in a historic district. No one demands these homes are kept up, yet driving down the blocks shows the neighbors support each other and provide a communal spirit. The near east project is an attempt, with governmental prodding, to create that same sense. To get started is hard and sometimes irritating but for the homeowners and the neighborhood the results are tangible.
As a real estate agent specializing in older homes, I know a home in a preserved neighborhood brings in new owners excited to live here at a price to make all the neighbors very happy.
Preservation pays.
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