icon Blueprint for October

Everything Old is New Again

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3 min read

History is au courant. Not old history; new history. “Game of Thrones” wins the Emmy, “Spotlight” wins the Oscar and “Hamilton” wins the Tony. And what they all share is a fresh look at history through a contemporary prism. Kind of like an old building rehabbed for contemporary usage. Right?

Welcome to our annual Historic Preservation issue, one of my favorites each year. Here we get to look at how the past is being utilized creatively to enhance the present. Or, in many cases, how buildings constructed for other uses now serve as affordable housing. As has become our habit (and a good one), our cover (and cover story) features the nominees for this year’s Timmy Awards. Cities and towns all around the country are being enriched by new visions for old bricks. The Pillsbury Mill in Minneapolis that is now artists housing, the army training base that is now veteran’s housing, the schools and manufacturing plants that are now home to seniors, students or local workforce. This year’s nominees are in towns of all sizes (Chicago; Omaha; Augusta, Maine; Lawrence and Worcester, Massachusetts) and show the national impact of the Historic Tax Credit program.

Accompanying the numbers, descriptions and the great photos of all this fine work, in this issue you will also find enlightening conversation about historic rehabilitation. In our Talking Heads interview, staff writer Darryl Hicks sits down with Larry Curtis of WinnDevelopment, a company that has multiple Timmy Nominations this year and seemingly every year, to discuss the place of historic preservation in one of the largest portfolios of any developer in the country. Our beloved Guru, David A. Smith, ponders how the mixture of modern glass skyscrapers with historic low to ground rehab provides the engine for contemporary cities. And historic consultant Bill MacRostie, also a multiple Timmy nominee once again this year, takes us on a tour of the revitalization of St. Paul’s Post Office into a combination of affordable housing, a Hyatt hotel and a storage center (Old Post Office Becomes New Custom House).

In addition to the Timmys, which are presented at NH&RA’s annual Fall Forum in Boston (November 2 and 3), at this time each year the association honors the careers of two industry leaders with our Vision Awards. This year’s recipients—Fred Copeman of CohnReznick and Maurice Barry of HUD—are both innovators whose work has benefitted all of us. You can learn about their important work in staff writer Mark Olshaker’s twin profiles.

And since this is our last issue prior to the Presidential election, we asked NH&RA Executive Director Thom Amdur to share his thoughts on just what is at stake here for the tax credit construction industry. (New Developments)

I recently visited the best Disneyland ride in the world outside of Disneyland.  It’s on top of the new One World Trade Center at Ground Zero. You get on the elevator and rise 110 stories in 60 seconds and exit in front of a wall showing film of New York neighborhoods. Then, slowly, dramatically, in pieces, the wall rises to reveal the city below, the breathtaking amalgam of the old and the new. Turning this page may not be as thrilling as that wall rising, but it will usher you into a ground level view of the unique marriage of the past and the present.

Marty Bell, Editor