Preservation, Southern Style: How US tourist destinations maintain their character

Travels with Susan, History and Preservation

By Susan Fox Hirschmann                

Wherever we live, whether the small town of Wildwood, or larger towns or villages, our stories and our environments are our history. The buildings, the green open areas, make a place unique, distinct and affect how we feel about being “home.” 

Home to me is now Wildwood Crest, though the Crest I grew up in was laden with more mid century motels, neon art, beach bungalows and grand Victorians several decades ago. The continual demise of the home I love, changes a town.  And what replaces those destroyed buildings have mostly been vinyl and concrete eyesores with soulless exteriors--- cookie cutter eye pollution! 

And so my travels made me even more keenly aware of how some towns restore, preserve and retain the lovely charm that just makes people want to visit.  These towns feel warm and inviting and beckon the visitor to linger. 

Journey to the South 

Atlanta, thanks to a cadre of several preservation groups, has taken old factories and turned them into apartment lofts, old Antebellum buildings and turned them into museums and wondrous parks, old buildings and turned them into shops and restaurants (see photos below).  The facades remain the same, but retain the charm and history that makes one want to walk and enjoy.  And savor the local neighborhoods. 

From Martin Luther King’s home and Ebenezer Baptist Church to early American history, this city prides itself on neighborhood resurrection!  Atlanteans talk lovingly of their city and love to walk, expressing pride in their green spaces, parks, museums and places to learn and enjoy this great city that cares about its citizens.  From the Museum of Human Rights to the Coca Cola Museum, some buildings are new, some are restored but most tend to value the history of this city, many  being restored but blending well with the architectural design of the past. 

Onto the town of Sarasota, Florida, once again my tours of the different neighborhoods, brought home the value this town places on restored buildings.   The 1920’s home of John and Mabel Ringling (Yes of Circus fame!) has been restored but has the original façade,  now a museum, encompassing the Ringling’s art collection surrounded by magnificent grounds.  

Downtown Sarasota, labeled the historic area, is now full of older restored buildings, turned into retail businesses, restaurants, bars and galleries.  The Kress Building, (see photos above) l once a large department store built in 1932 in classic Art Deco style with tile and terra-cotta entrance, stands out on Main Street, as a warm and welcoming area of small shops.  Another notable restored building is the Resurrection House, a Mediterranean Revival style, typical of others built in the 1920’s, which been a drug store,  then a glass company, and in 1995 was restored, keeping the exterior charm.  It now houses several retail businesses. 

Valuing our own History 

So why should we care? And why do I specially feel so deeply about this subject of preservation? And why are these two towns important to our own pursuit of preserving and renovating buildings. 

We can learn from our travels and apply those values of our history to our own town of Wildwood. A vision of some of those charming old buildings, most empty and perhaps unsightly, requires a vision, the energy, the architectural talent to restore while preserving, keeping the charm of the Wildwood down town, of years ago.   

Traveling to these two cities has given me a renewed vision of what can be done, with great ideas, a plan, talented planning and architecturally congruent design, and the grant funding to restore our town. 

May we find people, particularly our public officials, that also value our history here and preserve the Wildwood charm we love! 

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