When it comes to historic preservation, small towns face big challenges.
This was one of the themes presented at the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s conference held recently in Providence.
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A talk on design guidelines for small towns featured speakers from New Mexico, North Carolina and Seattle who spoke of their experiences in preserving the historic nature of their regions. Although they were from other regions of the country their messages were consistent with the plight of a Rhode Island planner.
“Every community has something to provide for us in preserving the story of America,” said Katherine Slick, president of the New Mexico Heritage Preservation Alliance. “Whether it’s changing technologies, or the ebb and flow of the economy, it reflects the community value of the time it was built.”
Wickford, a small village in North Kingstown, is a prime example of a town reflecting the community of the time it was built.
North Kingstown Director of Planning Marilyn Cohen said preservation means protecting the area’s character.
“The look represents a period of time in the community so it represents a historical time and cultural resource,” she said. “And it gives us a sense of place. There’s a scale of comfort people feel when they’re here.”
Slick said a community has a responsibility to figure out what that period of time is in order to preserve it, and that it’s not just the responsibility of business owners.
“The real challenge is to help people understand that their time in whatever building they’re in is a time of stewardship,” she said.
Jack Williams, principal of Seattle’s Horshide Williams architectural firm, spoke of his experience in Oysterville, Washington.. “If you can understand the character features of one house, you can understand the character features of all the houses in Oysterville,” he said, stressing consistency in town planning.
Jane Weidman, town planner of Barrington, said it is for this reason that the town is redrafting zoning regulations to encourage more traditional-style development, and a development plan review which requires any building change to go through more rigorous design review.
“A village-style area just seems to give people community pride,” she said. “It’s about quality of life.”
