Letters to the Editor

Roxbury Fire House

To the Editor: I'm writing to thank you for including our project, the Eustis Street Fire House in Roxbury, Mass., in the most recent issue of Preservation. It certainly helps as we raise funds for the project, and fuels excitement for this long-abandoned resource. Thanks again and keep up the wonderful work.  

—Kathy L. Kottaridis, Executive Director, Historic Boston Incorporated, Boston, Mass.

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Name Isn't Mud

Dear Mr. Schwartz,

This concerns the recent article on Fort Jackson, in which the author, Carlos Harrison, referred to Dr. Samuel Mudd as a co-conspirator in the plot to do in Lincoln.

Considering the facts uncovered over the years that cleared Dr. Mudd, I think Mr. Harrison should have referred to Dr. Mudd as an alleged co-conspirator.

I recommend to Mr. Harrison an extensive article in the "Maryland Historical Magazine" (Winter 2007, p. 276-299) in which Booth's diary revealed information that Booth "couldn't possibly have informed Mudd down on the Maryland farm what was to happen that evening" (Booth's shooting Lincoln, p. 292). Dr. Mudd was later pardoned, but Mrs. Surratt was executed by military personnel.

So, as Dr. Mudd was a neighbor to my mother's family in Charles County, I like to keep Dr. Mudd's family and name free and clear from those terrible events.

Yours very truly,

Philip Ridgely
Washington, D.C.

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Field of Forgotten Dreams

In the November/December 2009 issue of Preservation, in the article "Field of Forgotten Dreams" on p. 24, the author writes "The stories of both Paterson, NJ., and Hinchliffe Stadium begin with the Great Falls of the Passaic River, second in height only to Niagara Falls in the eastern United States." This is not correct. 

Taughannock Falls in the Town of Ulysses in Tompkins County, New York. It is 215 feet high. It is one of the highest single drop waterfalls in the eastern United States.  Niagara has two heights, 167 and 176 feet, depending on which drop. Information on the heights on-line is somewhat contradictory. For example, Taughannock is stated to be 33 feet higher than Niagara, but this clearly does not fit the above heights. Great Falls is about 77 feet tall.

The Taughannock Creek formed the falls. It empties into Cayuga Lake on the west side less than a mile below the falls.

Roger S. Rutter
Oswego, N.Y.

Editors repond: Great Falls in Paterson, N.J., is the second largest falls east of the Mississippi in volume, not in height. Preservation regrets the error.

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To Move or Not To Move

There is more of consequence to the story of the Barnes' art collection move to Philadelphia than suggested by the Eric Wills article. The irony of the dispute has its roots in the long and successful opposition by suburban neighbors to limit access to the Foundation in its current location, a short, narrow street that does not lend itself to accomodating a fraction of the crowds the collection will attract in Philadelphia.  ... The dispute continued by the "Friends" should be seen for what it is: opposition to the opportunity for greatly increased numbers to enjoy the Barnes Collection.

Lawrence Houstoun 
Philadelphia, Pa.

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To the Editor:

Readers would appreciate a pronunciation guide for names not pronounced as most Americans would expect. The guide could follow the first appearance of the name in text. For example Neutra (NOY-tra). Several years ago, a small item about Neutra in The New York Times facetiously linked his name to the diet product Nutrisystem in ignorance.  

Sally Hunter
Alexandria, VA

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To the Editor:

Your readers have been well served by the American College of the Building Arts article in your last issue. Its work provides much needed expertise for preservationists everywhere, as well as an opportunity for individuals to develop life skills in a rewarding field. Your readers may also be interested in La Fondation de Coubertin, located outside Paris, which each year trains 30 select young artisans in their chosen architectural craft of either wood work, metal work or stone work. Coubertin fellows are selected from young applicants who already have the trade experience, basic skills and desire to develop into masters of their chosen craft. The fellows work at historic sites using ancient techniques,  and also work on new construction. The Web site www.Coubertin.fr  contains information about the works and programs. A U.S. affiliate, American Friends of Coubertin, Inc., raises fellowship funds to pay for young American craftsmen and women to train at Coubertin, including room, board, language immersion course if necessary, living allowance and air fare. Applications and announcements for the year beginning September 2010 may be found at www.afcoubertin.org.  

Jeffrey JahnsTreasurer, American Friends of Coubertin
Chicago

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Name Dropping 

Dear Editor,

For all the beautiful buildings noted as "Saved" or "Restored" in the Sept/Oct issue, I couldn't help but commiserate with Dwight Young ("Name Dropping") on all the things we've lost. Some  of them were chains like Woolworth's—and, oh, how I miss Woolworth's. But some of them were strictly local. Baltimore had three  wonderful, local department stores: Stewart's, Hutzler's and Hochshield Kohn—all gone now (but the buildings were saved!). And there was one,  outstanding shoe store: Hess.

Hess shoe store had a sliding board, literally 10 feet long, in the kids department. And there was an x-ray machine—before we knew the dangers of x-rays—where we kids would stand and  gaze at the bones in our feet and wiggle our toes. (We all say that if  any of us get cancer, it will be cancer of the toes!) And in the front window, there was an old-fashioned barber pole and chair, where kids would get  their hair cut. It was, quite frankly, a place that, as a child I looked forward to going, and I loved the fact that when my daughter was little, I got  to share the experience with her. It was lost during the last recession, but I have one thing extant: a shoe box which dates back to about  1961.

I've sent along a picture of it. It hangs on my wall, a reminder of days when it was fun to shop for shoes, and when Baltimore was a mecca for shoppers. (Note the name of the shoes: Pandora's.)

Thank you for all you do,

Lynda Case Lambert, member
Baltimore, MD

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Redesigned

Yes, things are changing fast! The new issue of Preservation looks great. I'm also delighted to see someone under the age of 70 on your cover! A friend had just mentioned the High Line Restoration project to me on Friday so it was fun to see beautiful images of it in your pub. 

Also, I loved the story of the Neutra home restoration. Columbus, Indiana, is home to 70 modernist buildings. Here, at the Columbus Visitors Center we offer daily tours of this collection and our tour business is up this year. We think the popularity of Midcentury Modern is part of the reason.   

Best,

Cindy Frey, associate director
Columbus Area Visitors Center

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Name Dropping

I wanted to comment on the nature of this column, whose topic has recently been on my mind.  I don't know if I could have addressed it nearly as well as Dwight Young did. He was so right about the loss of businesses whose very existence was integral to our development, both to us personally and to the country as well. I find it extremely sad that everywhere you go now, there are only generic "big box" stores where everything is undistinguished. Even those stores who purport to carry "brand names" seem to have their own version of product, distinct from what might be carried by the old-fashioned type stores. Not only are the businesses gone, but as he reminds us, if the buildings have survived, they are often not recognizable or used in the same way. I don't remember when this trend started, but I wish someone had been prescient enough to have put a stop to it before this current state of affairs. The ultimate pity to me is that whole generations of people will be growing up with no frame of reference to anything other than shopping mall structures and as Dwight said, everyplace turns into anyplace! Thank you for letting me say my piece.

Sylvia Dohnal

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Which President?

Some odd phrasing in Arnold Berke's "Trust Me" column of July/August 2009 had me curious. It read, "Thanks to congressional action, a presidential signature, and efforts by the Trust and our partners, the National Lanscape Conservation System is now a permanent part of the Bureau of Land Management, protecting 26 million natural and historic acres in 14 states …"

A presidential signature? I instinctively knew that if Obama had been the presidential signer he would surely have been named. So I researched the date of the signing to find that it took place on January 15, 2009. Obama wasn’t inaugurated until a few days later. As I suspected, President Bush is yet again snubbed by the media, this time Preservation Magazine. Perish the thought that President Bush should get credit for any of the numerous and significant good things he did while in office.

Your bias is showing.

Vicki Paris Goodman

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Thanks from Nashville

To the Editor: We are most honored to have several of our projects, particularly the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, as a focus in your recent magazine. Through the efforts of many, Nashville has worked very hard in the past decades to protect our heritage, and we are fortunate to have the National Trust visit our city [for the National Preservation Conference] in October. Thank you for all the good work you do.

Seab A. Tuck III/Tuck-Hinton Architects PLC

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Inside the National Portrait Gallery

Dear Letters Editor:

A letter to the editor published in your March/April 2009 issue stated that it was not feasible to rebuild the historic staircase at the Old Patent Office Building, now occupied by the National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian American Art Museum. In fact, not only is it feasible, the Smithsonian committed to rebuilding the stairs that once featured prominently on F Street, NW. When reviewing the project in 2007, the National Capital Planning Commission required the stairs as mitigation for adverse effects to the National Historic Landmark resulting from alterations to the building's open courtyard. The stairs will be rebuilt nearly identical to the staircase that was removed in the 1930s, with the added provision of full accessibility from the sidewalk level. We commend the Smithsonian for its commitment to this project and we look forward to the grand staircase once again gracing the L'Enfant City.

Marcel Acosta, Executive Director, National Capital Planning Commission

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Fight Over Boston City Hall

Regarding the controversy over Boston City Hall, the problem is not the building but its setting. Replace the brick plaza with grass and trees,  pools and fountains and our experience of it would be transformed. Architects Kallman and McKinnell may have envisioned it presiding over a Siena-inspired campo, but Boston is not a city of hard and noble civic spaces. As any resident or visitor to the city knows, its great civic spaces are its parks, and a Scollay Park, with the the City Hall as a backdrop, would  become another of those much loved and celebrated spaces. Bring back Kallman, McKinnell & Wood, among the finest architecture practices in the country, to plan the park and clean up the building, and Boston will have created one of the most memorable experiences of place and architecture in America.

Thomas Proctor, Architect
Los Angeles, California

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The Right Hill

Re: "Into the Wild" (Glacier National Park July/Aug. 2009)

James J. Hill (1838-1916) put together the Great Northern Railroad Company and gained control of the Northern Pacific. He was the railroad baron. His son, Louis, had the promotional talents of which you write. As early as 1902, J.J. Hill had put up some funds to build trails from Lake McDonald to Sperry Glacier and Gunsight pass. Later, Louis put up larger investments.

Thank you.

Very truly yours,

Judith O'Brien

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Art Students in Providence

Editor,

The feature "Why Providence?" brought back memories of the 1950s when as a RISD student I was witness to the restorations along Benefit Street that convinced residents it was possible to begin restoring homes and their city.

The Shepherds, Bill and Suzanne, started the push to revival with their home on East Benefit. After that neighborhood of homes was renewed, they moved to the other end of that historic street and started restoration there.

She was the student office secretary and he managed to keep the Slater Mill site running. As in the "Block by Block" preservation movement in Detroit, the Shepherds proved 60 years ago that house by home, historic architecture can be saved and lived in. Thank you Bill and Suzanne for saving the soul and substance of a very historic street in one of my favorite cities!

Marshall Johnson RISD/ID-1960
Mechanicsville, Va.

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Detroit and Beyond

Thank you for the encouraging article on efforts within Detroit to maintain and strengthen traditional neighborhoods. All too slowly we are realizing that the bulldozer approach to "urban renewal" doesn't work, that the answer lies in addressing each block, house by house, building by building. If we are to usher in a sustainable lifestyle for our grandchildren then we must re-establish these neighborhoods of the past. They worked, socially and economically.

Please continue to publish articles on similar efforts to "recivilize" pockets of our larger cities. Only with the knowledge and comunion of similar efforts will we be able to thwart the disastrous "suburbanization" of formerly urban neighborhoods. A visit to St. Louis would serve as a case in point.

Bill Morse
New London, Conn.

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Editors:

I am from the Motor City and it was gratfying seeing an article about Detroit and its preservation efforts. You even mentioned the old train station. I used to be the president of the Friends of the Michigan Central and tried to get help to preserve and restore it. But it was such a huge undertaking and no one wanted a handle in it. I have always been a advocate of saving historic and old buildings and see the west side of Woodward in Detroit downtown in need of occupants as well. Those buildings are architectural gems and I used to work in the financial district that housed Merrill Lynch back in the sixties on Congress and Shelby. Those buildings are empty now and its so sad. So thank you for letting us know that something positive is going on.

Shirley Slaughter
Oak Park, Mich.

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11 Most Endangered

I object strongly to your inclusion of "important places associated with the Manhattan Project", including the Enola Gay hangar. Through many years I have supported preservation projects as much as I was able and recently helped get some funds for an old boat yard in Amesbury, Massachusetts. A worthy place to save.

During WWII political and military decisions created a monumental output of armaments. One considered critical to end the war with Japan included the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki with appalling effects. Historians argue today and probably will continue to debate whether this was necessary. I don't know an answer either, but I am shocked that Preservation Magazine intends to try to raise money to keep these decrepit and sorrowful places of their manufacture.

I am honestly disturbed by your decisions. My generation were young in the Great Depression and  grew up in the War. I did not know a family untouched by the war. My own certainly was. And horrified that those two annihilations were used to end it in a savagery that nearing a hundred years on  has never been used. They did not end wars and killing, just that particular kind of killing.

I will not end my membership nor my small donations. But I want you to hear my protest.

And signed a sad member,

Sara Livermore

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