‘All hands on deck’ for downtown preservation efforts

After the Providence Preservation Society lost its previous executive director to a Florida art gallery, the organization turned to the Sunshine State for a replacement, hiring Jennings, Fla. native Charles Brent Runyon in October. Runyon, who goes by his middle name, brings a background in electrical engineering to a job that has traditionally focused on defending unloved structures from the wrecking ball. But like other groups across the country, the preservation society in its middle age has become more involved in “place making” and city revitalization efforts, or urbanism, which often combines new development with historic rehabilitation.

PBN: Had you visited Providence before you took this job?
RUNYON: Not at all. When I came up for the interview it was my fourth time in New England.

PBN: What stood out to you about the city when you first arrived?
RUNYON: What struck me was the tight urban grid with great architecture everywhere. Since then I have found where all the surface parking lots are. But the downtown, East Side and then the West Side – I did a two-hour tour of the West Side and that was the neighborhood I first started becoming interested in. It was gratifying to see the great work that has been going on there for 30 years.

PBN: It seems like the traditional opposition between preservationists and developers has muddied a bit in recent years as urbanism has become more popular. So where do you come down on the need for new construction versus preservation?
RUNYON: The change we have seen in preservation is a result of the time shift – the 1960s and 1970s were a vastly different time from now. But also the professionalization of the historic-preservation field has given us more sophisticated people with broader backgrounds. So we understand the importance of public-private partnerships and being at the table to guide good development and temper the visceral feeling of – on one end saving everything – and on the other end not wanting to make the investment in saving anything. Historic preservation is having a place at the table and inviting people to the table.

PBN: So historic preservation as arbitrators in the inevitable dispute between residents and developers?
RUNYON: That’s part of it, though we can’t lose site of the lens of historic preservation – typically you take a long view of what the community will look like. Developers are typically focused on the bottom line, which is what they should be focused on, but we are often looking at how this is going to shape the community.

PBN: So the PPS event a few weeks ago with [former New York parks commissioner] Adrian Benepe was about infrastructure, parks, investment and connecting public spaces – is that something you see the organization getting more involved in?
RUNYON: Preservation is less about individual buildings and more about what makes the fabric of the community and we have a long history of advocating for local schools staying where they are, not just the buildings. I think landscapes are more important, even though it is a little more of a specialization in the field. But I think we understand the need for vibrant public spaces and parks are part of those.

PBN: So looking ahead, with PPS involved in this effort to help make vibrant neighborhoods, what areas of the city do you think we should be focusing on right now? RUNYON: PPS is almost 60 years old and I think we have had a large interest in the East Side, which I think everyone knows and I am not positive how much we have done downtown. But with the current circumstances with Providence it is all hands on deck to solve some of those big issues downtown, because that is really where the heart of our community is and we are going to have to get downtown to help pull us out of the recession we are in.

PBN: What is your personal feeling toward midcentury and modernist buildings?
RUNYON: I like any well-designed building pretty much. It has something to say about the history of our country. So I really like midcentury modern and even some brutalist buildings, although those are harder to make a case for.

PBN: Do you see those buildings becoming a bigger challenge for historic preservation in the years ahead?
RUNYON: I think it is harder to explain what good design is with those buildings because prior to that good design was based on classical principals. So the challenge will be explaining what makes those buildings worthy of preservation. Every era has its own fans. I have some friends who are really interested in really well-designed ranch houses now. They are not really sure why, but if it is well-designed it appeals to your gut.

PBN: Even a 1970s split-level or raised ranch?
RUNYON: There is an architectural basis for a well-designed split-level. An architectural historian in Georgia did some good research on ranches and split- levels. It’s harder though. In some cases we would be looking at the fabric of what the neighborhood is instead of individual buildings. •

INTERVIEW
Charles Brent Runyon
POSITION: Providence Preservation Society executive director
BACKGROUND: Raised in a small town in North Florida, Runyon studied electrical engineering and explored solar power before getting hooked on design, architecture and history. After going back to school, Runyon was hired to run Thomasville Landmarks Inc., the local preservation nonprofit in Thomasville, Ga., which he did for five years.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s in electrical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, 1997; master’s in electrical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, 1998; master’s in historical preservation from the University of Georgia, 2005
FIRST JOB: Bagging groceries
RESIDENCE: Providence
AGE: 40