The High Cost of Standing Still
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Restoring Paul Jones fence/ SeacoastNH.com
HISTORIC HOUSES

We may have gotten carried away with making new buildings in Portsmouth look old. But looking old, for many Seacoast cities, is like money in the bank. But who pays for the quality of life we treasure? Probably not you, the restaurant owner, the banker or the tourist.

 

 

 

Keeping Old New England Old Ain't Cheap

History repeats itself, and around here that's no accident. Still early in the 21st century, the preservation-minded Seacoast region appears increasingly unwilling to let bygones be bygones. When it comes to architecture, at least, it's chic to be old, and, many agree, the nostalgia trend is the shape of things to come.

Multimillion dollar restoration of North Church steeple, Portsmouth, NH. SeacoastNH.comThe desire to salvage the historic flavor of the Seacoast is a relatively new concept started in the late 1800s during what historians call the Colonial Revival period. Many of the famous houses now open to the public were "saved" and restored to their original splendor starting at the turn of the century. That impetus culminated in the creation of Strawbery Banke, with over 30 preserved houses, in the late 1960s. Olde York Village in nearby Maine is another splendid example.

The latest wave of rebuilding started, for Portsmouth at least, with the renaissance of Market Square in the mid-1970s. New trees, brick sidewalks, annual festivals and a designated historic district worked wonders. Tourists and locals flocked to what had been a fading seaport. Though limited parking remains a problem, and some complain of too much pedestrian and vehicular traffic, the rebirth of the old "Parade" area continues. Banks have been recycled into shops, shops into restaurants. When developers created the brick structure behind the North Church at Ten Pleasant Street, the new design was nearly identical to the building that was there a century before. Monstrous new structures on Congress, Market and Hanover streets have all been bricked-faced to keep that beloved industrial look of the 18th century.

Dover, too, has worked to revive its river port image. The Garrison City has rediscovered the Cocheco River, once the focus of city's survival. The new Henry Law Park area has a Victorian motif and a new "old-fashioned" covered bridge nearby where the meandering oxbow river meets the city center.

Restoring Portsmouth Music Hall/ SeacoastNH.com

The decision to use attractive trolleys in a number of Seacoast towns rather than traditional buses, according to one city planner is the city's emphasis on "fast and fun" travel. "That's what we've lost since the trolleys and trains went away -- fast and fun," he emphasizes. Of course these new diesel-powered vehicles only look like traditional trolleys – that were originally horse drawn and then powered by overhead electric rails. But it is the "feeling" of the past that comforts us, not the reality.

In recent years Dover and Exeter made tracks to revive passenger train service that once flourished here. Sleepy rail lines now support swift Amtrak trains travelling up to 80 mph streaking from Boston to Portland. Portsmouth, the city that trashed its Victorian railway station during urban renewal, would be wise to link back to its railway too.

Unlike such "replica" destinations as Sturbridge Village, Plimouth Plantation and Colonial Williamsburgh, Portsmouth has long regarded itself as a truly "authentic" historic city. Whether the average tourist cares if his history is authentic or reproduced is a question still up for grabs. A small percentage of Portsmouth’s visiting population actually go inside any of the historic buildings on display. Most are content to simply soak up the peaceful vibes that come from a well-landscaped colonial mansion – then they’re off to the bars and restaurants and shops. Portsmouth is also notoriously bad at building reconstruction’s. With the exception of the floating flat-bottomed gundalow, launched here in the 1980s, other reconstruction projects have fallen flat. In 40 years the city has been unable to rebuild its colonial statehouse and efforts to replicate the 18th century tall ships Ranger and Raleigh have not made it beyond the cheerleading phase.

CONTINUE Historic Preservation 

HISTORIC PRESERVATION COSTS continued

Restoring Paul Jones House fence/ SeacoastNH.com

But even the cost of holding on to our old buildings can be daunting. Few visitors, perhaps few residents ever wonder how all these old structures stay in top shape. The secret is volunteers, hundreds of them, providing thousands of hours to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to keep up dozens of historic houses. With the exception of Strawbery Banke, which supports a campus of 30 restored buildings, and Historic New England (formerly SPNEA), which supports five in the region, most houses operate independently on shoe-string budgets.

The Warner, Tobias Lear, Moffatt-Ladd and John Paul Jones houses in Portsmouth, for example, each pays its own way. The Wentworth-Coolidge mansion, owned by the state of New Hampshire, was voted a paltry $6,000 budget for the year. The Woodman Institute in Dover, the Tuck Museum in Hampton, the American Independence Museum in Exeter and so many others -- all function and raise funds separately. Repainting, reroofing and landscaping fees are enormous. Each has rare collections to maintain, security systems and insurance policies, paid staff and consultants, maintenance and marketing expenses to bear annually. Many offer free days to the public or cost as little as $5 to visit. A total of 3,000 annual visitors is typical at some historic houses – a figure that has stayed much the same since the first museum house opened here in 1908. Clearly our grand historic homes are not living off profits, but limping along on the kindness of strangers.

Not changing these houses – so the public can enjoy their free nostalgic link to the past -- costs big bucks. A few years ago the Portsmouth Historical Society expended $38,000 to rebuild its rotting wooden fence with an identical hand-hewn cedar reproduction. The Society raised about $10,000 in sponsors by holding a running race. The rest of the cost came out of the organization’s tiny bank account. When trustees were searching for ways to bring in more cash, one member suggested closing the doors for a year. That’s because it costs more to pay the tour guides than the tours bring in. But the museum did not close. It raised its rates for guides and it built the fence anyway. This kind of community service is happening around town every day of every year.

Preserving the good old days is a costly battle that never ends. The winners – tourists, locals who enjoy a superb "quality of life" and high real estate values, plus businesses that benefit from the cultural heritage boom – are all getting a free ride. No one has yet to suggest a "history tax" payable to the groups that keep the cities charm going. Some even complain that the nonprofit historic sites are exempt from most taxes. But anyone with a pencil and a calculator could quickly see that these historic sites pay back the value lost in taxes many times over. Those who believe otherwise should try to imagine "historic" Portsmouth without its historic houses. Replace each one with a Dunkin’ Donuts or Osco Drugstore and run that calculation again.