Washington's historic Willard InterContinental Hotel, itself the target of the wrecking ball until "Don't Knock It Down" -- now the DC Preservation League (DCPL) -- saved it in the 1970s, was the site of Thursday's preservation gala celebrating 35 years of protecting this capital city's architectural history.
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Mayor Adrian M. Fenty swung by to thank a ballroom full of Washington's top architects and developers, all avid preservationists, for protecting "the historic fabric of this beautiful city."
Founded in 1971 by a handful of preservation pioneers as the colorful and more controversial "Don't Tear It Down," the DC Preservation League has helped preserve such historic district properties as the Old Post Office Building, American Security Bank, the Warner and Ford's theaters, the Greyhound Bus Terminal and the Woodward and Lothrop and Garfinckel's department stores along with the Willard. The DCPL has saved more than 550 landmarks in 27 districts of the city.
It was Alison Owings, then a plucky young news writer at WRC, who started it all. "I was distressed about losing my own sense of history and place with the gradual destruction of this city, one building at a time," she remembered. Bolstered with expert encouragement from legendary architectural critic Wolf Von Eckhardt and the National Trust's Terry Morton, Miss Owings reached out to her like-minded friends who were willing to carry placards if necessary.
At Thursday's gala, keynote speaker Mr. Fenty made it clear he would help. "You are 450 committed preservationists, and now, you are 451," he said to extended applause.
"You can keep classic architecture on the outside and have modern styles inside. You don't have to completely destroy or even gut these old buildings. My office, the bullpen, across the street from here in the Wilson Building looks more like this room," he said gesturing around the Willard's elaborate ballroom.
"We need to keep history alive, architecture alive," said the proud Mount Pleasant native who also pointed to his old neighborhood's great renaissance. "When all of us are gone, the next generations will be enjoying Washington and all its neighborhoods."
After proclaiming Jan. 25 as DC Preservation League Day, Mr. Fenty accepted three handsomely framed images of his historic office from DCPL President Edwin Fountain.
Later, Mr. Fountain, in his "State of the City" speech, urged his followers to create new architecture today that's worth saving 35 years from now. He also addressed the ever-present terrorist threat to the city's monuments and major federal buildings and urged DCPL devotees to see beyond "our bunker mentality."
"Once again we are at war, but unlike other wars, there's now a physical threat to security at home, which demands federal enclaves walled off from the life of the city." "
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Directory of cultural resource and historic preservation firms.
Gray & Pape, Inc. Archaeology**History**Historic Preservation
Serving your cultural resources needs since 1987.
Ohio -
11-03-11
New South Associates, Inc. New South Associates is a women-owned small business providing cultural resource management services, both nationally and internationally. Our specialities include archaeology, history, architectural history, preservation planning, and public interpretati
Georgia -
03-25-11
Kerns CRM Consultants Cultural and Historical Resource Management Services
Maryland -
01-10-11
Paula S. Reed and Associates, Inc. Paula S. Reed and Associates, Inc. is a small, woman-owned corporation organized in the State of Maryland, which provides cultural resource evaluation on a nation-wide basis, specializing in National Historic Landmark nominations. We meet qualifications o
Maryland -
11-23-10
SWCA Environmental Consultants Acquires Northwest Archaeological Associates SWCA Environmental Consultants has acquired Northwest Archaeological Associates, expanding SWCA's Pacific Northwest presence with a new Seattle office offering cultural and natural resource management and environmental permitting and compliance consulting.
04-04-11
ACHP Section 106 Essentials two-day course which explains the requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
02-02-11
