“Kole The Vancouwer Sun PAGE SIX}

‘

By Nefta Sterne

Cold. damp and. empty,
the ott! house fs waiting,
Tomorrow the bulldozers
will come.

Gone are all the strangers
now, and gone are the
treasures they found there
weefine Sittings. omamental
carvings, diamond - paned
windows, the stained-glass
picture panels from the on-
trance. A scarred wall, some
broken tile and a gaping
hole are all that remain of
fireplace and muntel.

From a window in the devas-
taled knehen we ca see rooftops,
frees ard distant mountains , .
and in the sarden, craters where
someone has dug up the border
shrubs, shattered window glass
and chimney bricks on an over-
grown fuwen. ‘There, where truck
ures have churned the grass 10
mud, a sac tree lies broken, and
daffod:is stand weeping in the

the tandreps, all is quiet.
the huuse scent peopled stall,

do te Bae SU
passers?

Vor @ years this was (heir hame —
these spacicns. tugh-cellinged rooms, the
anit curved stasruay, the fd nonks and
CFURRUAN GSE TESTE IECEON UNOS. Heee
are becrwaes > whore wait loliow the

B... Semrants ef lovely
bathroom... an
ng ubtutad lantase

alle tureea, feta:
us

The 15 splendid from up here,
ang how igs we seem from the rain-
ammmesed street!

Debris eversuhere, onderfoot. No
matter, Tomorrew thse who puss
{hs Was 4.02 ace onty dust and rubble,
One mm old Vaneuner house, one
more piece of a city's history, will be

When the old lady died and the house
was sold. tre furnsture brought very

+ dows, fireplaces and Fit~
are salvaged before (he

wrekers ome.
“Bicfure tte wrechers cone”
Strange, that they save and cherish
v sole te part, and destroy the

hale’

“paid such houses any

tus, Ehe ulddash.oned
St 10 our devpest desire
uod, story-book image of

Rat cites crow, populations increase,
ond as lard occumes esth more carve
and vatzu3:- the ulder buldiny

use ef preseerte Few oxters wilt retarn
thet od bh mgs an the face of renier~
esoculaton and developers.

Es oltiees. shopping cen

tres ard. row. condornimums
Vanoueer raday $4 an exciting, grows
ing Civ = Tut fae muasy of ta poeple
tein poignant sence of loss.
of much thal wad serene

ce same pleasant old rea

fdential te grdarbonds mt Vancouver

beccst ig increaungh run-down

and neglected as am consequence of anti~

pment. Fer nany peo

28 Dhat compre these

represent the Vanmuver

at love — a more personal-

yam; factor in thar environ:

meal that “ue more canty fezvgniesd
gots ab pastey Park,

a s Pad ‘of these merghbor hwods:

are Wi 2 with 2 great sense of insecure

Hy at ther world changes around hem,
‘uliie in other areas, not yet luvched by
the developer, peopie may Le unaware
of chatees perhaps soon to come,

The old West End wos the first to go.
Now Mount Measant is pleauat ao
more, Farview as nearing Ihe point of
no telurn, and Grandview propery is
being purchased by spreviatert, Resi-
dens of Kitalana hase been mullet
ia preserve iesr neighborhood but
there, Sa, the demolitions continue,

And a* Vancouver's alder buildings be-
$i lo acute the value of scarcity, city
officals as weil ax many privale citi-
rens ate facing the firct thai Vancouver,
tow at lar heginuang of ily growth as a
mayor city, 1s in danger af destroying, pt
the siart, almost every pleasant remund>
cro itv ongins . . . the ouidings and
tiv weapklornuads that make any ely
‘umgue amang others, and afford iis citle
tens a sense of Identity and continuity.

European cates derive much of their
charm and cheracter from (ho catelut
preservation of ancient buildings —
frum the great cathedrals and stately
homes to the humble historic pub.
America every one ef the Cnited SI
has adopied some fort of preservslion
Jaw, while each of 30 or more US. cities

ks oun municipal preservation pro-
gram,

In Vanrowver we are beginning io rea-
lize that. Backing nny such policy of

Prevrsation, destruction will continue ,

to be brutality indiscriminate, sparing
neither the finest and snost represents
live of «ar eld busidings ner the most
charming and typscal areas among out
old weighborhoods,

Vancouver is young cily, orty
beginning to have anv sone of ils ona
past — tut what we have Ihe foresight
to sare now will become increasingly
inportart bistericaliy, in years lo come.

In the eily the people watch the “any-
city, teety-caly” tnaers replacing the
famibar diverse buildings that were
uniquely Vancouver's — uniquely thelr
‘own. Many feel threatened and repelled,
Bul many articulate protests testify that
fo longer are Vancouver cititens apa+
thetic. The Christ Church Cathedral con
teoversy, the repeated efforts to save the
‘old Birks Buslding. the campaign to save
Ihe Orpheurn Theatre, are anwng many
indications of increasing public aware
ness and invols erent.

And todav’s city’ hali, in sympathy
‘wilh this sentient. ts refusing. of send-
ing back to the drawing boards, many
developrenl appheations hat in tarher
fears might well have passed unques-
tioned. Increasing!s, developers are be-
Ing required to justity their projects, not
merely interms of growth and profit, but
in terms of the public inter

In his “Shsping the Pature™ statement *
of planning devartmv: \pretives, plane
tung director Hay Spaniman says, “There
Js animpheil policy ihat the city Is now
concerned over the preservation of
tage tens of various sorts, ideas are
being developed os to how this implicit
policy can be given specie form and lo
develop means of adminislering the sys
ten,

A luriber indication of this policy “as
the appartment recently of a Vancouser
Heritage Advisory:

Wits beginsing.

On Sunday. June ¥, ihe off Hodson

+ Manor in Feieview became Vancouver's

first bistgtirat house to be moved from
the path of Ihe bulidozer and saved. Con
demtwd to femotinion with the ather old.
Diowh at Erghih and Ment
Tock, it was instead moved, 91 tity rae
pense, We a wty-owned lot at 1d West
Seveh. Mere. apprupriately located
among oher historic houses, it will be
Testored (ap useful service io the com>
monly, .

It was about 2896 that Wilham flodson,
who alo built the old Hoiel Metrosole
in Gastown, burtt this manor in which

bus 11 children were to grow up. A fine

exaniple of the old “carpenter pathic
syle. tis described an a Building Here
lage report as “the finest building archi-
tecturally nthe Fairview Stopes.”

‘The huate was featured in ihe Conten>
mal Muruin's recent populsr eubitiben:
of photegranhs and memorabilia of
Vanewsera fustorse dunldings, He res
{oration naw, at a lune when the off
Palevew Stopes ss spothehied for de
Neloprenl, may strengthen the inilue
ences already existing in favor of some

=
sad

i “

BER e eR

Preservation in this historic area, where
niready an increasing number of old
houses are belng renovated by resident
‘owners.

Projects In many cities have proved
that preservation and restoration can
gmake very good ceonomie senoe. Pare
ticularly today this is true because of the
soaring costs of new construction,

Restoration af Vancouver's old Or-
pheum Theaire, for instance, is to
accomplished af only a third of what a
Rew theatre iuih noite of the Orpheun's
Nostalge churn aid cubress of deraits
would cust. In Gastown and Chinatown,
both of which have been named historic
ared:, restoration has been notably suce
evssful.

Across ihe United States, in eales trom
New York to Sun Francisco, it bas bees
fours thal the chatm and livability of a
eely he greatly in whal tt chooses lo pre-
Serve of ifs past, and that such prewre
Nation, as a) enhances the lite of the
people. can go hand an hand with greal
econainic beneis.

Mestoration pot onty cures urban blight
and ¢nbaticns the quality of cily Ute,
bat mevilably it abo has farseaching
eifects on realestate values in the im:
rrediule and surrounding areas, and
basinene propers within the ambience of
auch projects.

1 is a truisin (hat what people like is

the entire area bas come to hfe wilh new
stops, restaurants, galeries and offices.
In Ive Sears Ue asec seed salvation of
Tronece Square incres+ed approwmnately:
G0 per cenl, And Uus ail slanted with
the purchase and restoration of one
Ddurtdicg by one private citiceat
Presersation has beeome the “in
thing” in Seatile. As one city councd
member sud, “Runtessmen are moving
from mee skyscrapers into Pancer
Square, Trey are tindicg cut that old

1. Bose

7 other cities

indtcate that presen and restora

lion of older butd:nge con provide sub>

stantial social and ceonesnic braehts —

fact often overlocked by those bp
bed destroy them in the name of ¢

mn ‘canada, interest in preservatinny
policies is onty row becoming sides.
Spread. ‘The federal gesernment recenthe
pared an inventory of intone bude
ings in citses across Canada, and ia WS
funded our own netionel trust — Heras
Canada — with headquarters in Milas.

‘This new organization is in the prebite
Inary stages of setting up goals and cn
teria and establishing contacts with prov
dnees and municipallies. ifs eteeutine di-
vector, R.A. J 1Bobs Phill'ps, has made
it clear that it 18 loval grouys which mast
initiate the action ef saving heritage
Properly, and that such groups wil be
een every porsible assistance,

So here, again, the best hope would
serm 10 Bs in the im iavise of the none
apathetic private cillzen. Jt as up 19 as.
aS coneeened incividcals and actne

groups, lo paint directions. te hentity
and declare the thingy that we hove and
ihat mus! not be sesiroyed carelessiy.

Inevitably there are preblems te he’
fared in the implementation ‘of preser-
vation policies,

Always, of course. where historic
designation is not to the ouner’s advan
tage, the rights and intereste of the
Properly owner must te safeguarded. To.
this problem many folstions can be ap
plied, sveh as various forms of com
‘pensation, exchange, tax concessicas, of
outright purchase.

interests oftes are bnstile
fe preservation policies, but the poles
1p se nol always been tf

good for business — and people unques-
lionably are fascinated and altracted by
Ubeir own hastory,

Bt is an odd fact, howeser, thal, often
as such prozerts are found to benefit the
business commumty, it is usually the
private citizen, with no profit motive.
who has the vision and Whe concern to
inisate them. It is thanks to the Inits
dave of private cilizens, ariginaily, thal
New York has ifs South Steret Seapart
A niaritime centre and major tours: at:
Wwaction (hut was Goce a blighted 28
acres of rindona walertront.

Te was the Interest of private citicens
that resulted in New York's many sreas
of restared “brownstone” houses, which
provide such agseceble vonteast to news
ce slovelopmenty, and whish prove the
value of gider neinhbortwods as a cul
tural and reetcatonal resource as welt
a3 © source of moderately priced house
ing.

In San Francia sh was 8 privals cits
Fen, cuncerned aboul Ihe destruction of
the city's tandmarhs, who purchased (he
old Gturardeth dink on [he wateriront
near Fisherman's Wart, With the help
of an adiitory board uf commumty>
muted people, and adie planner and
occhiects, Ghiraciely Sq haw be
come une of Sun Framisca’s mayor ate
Iractions. Its fancial success offers
procf, onve agian, that preseevateos
projects are cood business.

In Savannah, Georgia, citizens con
cerned about destruction of ther archi=
fectural herstage formed an organ‘zation
tu save the rotting dusntown section of
there city. Tudey, as a tesull uf theie ef>
forts, thas area has been declared a Nae
fienal Historie Unstrict, and Savannah it
8 world-Taruus attraction, it revitalized
downtown area a mei! for other com-
tunities

fa Seattle, a precervahion-minded
mayor and enly cuuncil have evtabliated
& pablo curporation to buy, restore and
then sell histersg butdings Seattic is
oho curmmitted to haan rehabilitation,
‘The results of these policies are soany
and sated.

Old buildings shire stations, fur Ine
stance, and 9 synazacuel are not torn
down, but are recscled te Lecome neigh
borhoad centres. the atte workihops, cay-
care centres, ete, The city has ato es
fabliohed » public corps retian t

To

"i
taba ge:
arts and cralts vendors oovury af. "
an old structure overkating ihe harbor,
In Neattte’s Pronrer Squate, the auto
motile 19 bring displaced on streets bined
with newly planted irces: Mudren street
lighsng has been replaced with repre
duction af ofd-tine famps barly 1a
cvmury Mecct fernmmure and draking
fountains have been Invlulicd on @ Brick
paved inslf, As in Vancouver's Gastonn,

tage of the cummen.ty,
1s always farughted ap
to thetr oan longterra eli
A ciy must be tut
and charging. No

growing
sd want ta
ew devecoprsere,
— gid cevelopincat — i neezed 41
deuradle, and many od buidings have
indeed cuttived ther uaclulress.

Bul a city has an vbiigation tolts eh
Rens, anc to their deszes 2a clensh
thete tb
which ate irepiace
Ah nace

quality, for ther cucturel aicaticas,
and for their educational vaise.

For what can better teach our ch:idren
alwut ther o«n Salary. and what eas
better set a stancard of exceiesce in
mes when =rom)” 60 oe super-
sedes "quality

Peevervatinn stera'é mut be Levted oy
alructures of great Jotercal cy
cance * arcatectora
drunely gota d, typical af we tay
Te Can tend perienalay,
contrast Ca sense of cuninaty to &
neighatiacd,

We need to recuse
ished cidve ba.
whick dnerve

2¢ that our ches

pledvgrap hing ine fi

hourey on ne Faves

pawerhy sad cheerly on
Duther with tne, |

ts be ttn dyen you knoe”
them were é

‘The uther ¢ay a youl Bi drives, takee
ing us past tne sarr, io Camps.” Pee
pried “Some wolciy Gd basset around:

He ‘must cherish our “older buildings - demolition is pernuanent