Barre, a community in New England is selling its 102 year-old historic building; a common practice across the U.S. as cash-strapped communities auction and sell its historic landmarks to the highest bidders.
The nation's lesser-known historic landmarks are increasingly becoming endangered as lands once occupied by the buildings are being cleared to make way for development. Fewer than 2,500 places are designated by the National Historic Landmark Program, and many are being cleared before reaching status as a national landmark.
In Barre, a community of 9,000 in central Vermont that was proclaimed "Granite Capital of the World" that was founded in the late 1700s, its landmark 12,000 square foot firehouse is being sold for $250,000 by a local real estate agent.
Barre City Council is selling the firehouse in hopes that it will generate employment for the cash-strapped community. The building will need to undergo extensive renovations before being put to use.
As residents ponder over possible usage, the No. 1 suggestion so far has been a restaurant or a brew house. Other ideas include a community center, a business development center, a nightclub or a high-tech company.
"Ideas have been flashing around," said Chet Briggs, president of the Barre Historic Society. "I personally would like to see it made into a museum."
According to Briggs, Barre in the past years has already lost significant amounts of historic sites to make way for parking lots and industrial facilities. Turning the building into a museum provides a little more historic preservation.
"But the city isn't interested [in a museum]," said Briggs.
A Story Repeated
3000 miles away along the Pacific Coast, San Francisco's historic Japantown is facing similar issues as it celebrates its 100-year anniversary.
Started as an immigrant community after the 1906 earthquake, San Francisco's Japantown is only one of three left in the U.S.
However, amid celebration, nearly half of the real estate that comprises Japantown has been sold, including the community's Kabuki Theater and hotels.
According to Kaz Maniwa, Chairman of the Japanese Cultural and Community Center, over 50 percent of San Francisco's Japantown is owned by a single company; the Osaka based Kintetsu Enterprises of America. The rest is owned by various small businesses.
Worries that a transfer of ownership will uproot the community and destroy its heritage prompted a crowd to rally at San Francisco City Hall in early March. Blows to the Japanese community came during World War II when residents were transferred to internment camps and dislocation resulting from vast redevelopment during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Fears are eased as the new buyers have been "very open to ideas." However, uneasiness lingers as the community worries a change in ownership might mean compromising the cultural characteristics of Japantown.
According to Maniwa, other ethnic communities such as Chinatown do not face the same issues as ownership of the other towns is split.
"When [the other communities] transfers owners, there's not that much of a change," said Maniwa. "It's different when one company owns half of the place."
Preservation
In Barre, to protect the town's historic landmarks, the Historic Society partnered with other groups, said Karen Lane of the Barre Historic Society. They have reached out to communities to get local youth involved in historic preservation.
The Historic Society has seen victories in the battle to protect historic buildings against commercial development.
According to Lane, partnering with other groups, the Historic Society bought a local building designated for demolition an extra years worth of time.
"We went looking and found a group of artists looking for studio space," said Lane. "They turned into a wonderful art gallery. One thing to protect the [historic buildings] is to build partnerships."
Brigg believes that by having local youth take history to hearth, chances of preserving historic sites will increase
"We need them to take history to heart and let them know it's not dry and dull," said Briggs. It's about real people engaged in real struggles. Because, once those places are gone, they're not coming back.
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