By Joy Neighbors
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| West Baden Springs Hotel |
Today brings Preservation Month to
a close. Whether you call it conservation, maintenance or sustainability, preservation
is the perfect way to keep our cultural past alive for this and future
generations to discover.
Here are ten reasons why
preservation matters to each of us.
1. Older
buildings help us maintain our sense of history in an area or region. It gives
us our roots.
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| The Lobby of French Lick Springs Hotel |
2. No pre-fab construction here. Historic buildings were built with better quality
materials, just look around and you’ll see the difference.
3. Regardless
of what some developers say, older buildings are cost effective with tall
windows to let in lots of natural light, thick walls to hold in heat and large
open space that let air circulate.
4. Older
buildings are economically green. Why tear down just to rebuild? Redesign and
reuse –it’s the ultimate form of recycling.
5. Architecture
offers us the chance to interact and experience the past. It is through older buildings that we can also experience “another place and time."
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| Photos of Angels Hand Painted High Above the Atrium |
6. What
secrets lie behind that façade? Stunning
discoveries have included hand painted murals, intricate brick and mortar,
Italian marble … you never know what may be just behind that 1990s redo.
7. While
big box stores love their, well, big boxes, it’s
been proven that small sole proprietors
and mom and pop’s benefit when they locate their businesses in older buildings,
thanks to the ambience of the past and a
nod to preservation.
8. Older buildings attract visitors. People want a sense of history – to see a place with a spirit and soul.
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| The Atrium at West Baden |
9. Historic buildings help us remember our past and those who came before. They become our collective memory.
10. Once a building is gone – it’s gone. There’s no do-over on this decision.
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| French Lick Springs Hotel |
Visit French Lick Resort for a
look back at the intriguing times of the late 19th to mid- twentieth
centuries. Tours of each hotel are offered daily. Step into our hotels and you'll understand
why preservation matters.