Richmond resident Nancy Everett has a ‘Correspondent Of The Day’ Letter To The Editor in today’s Richmond Times Dispatch newspaper:
Here’s part of it:
Certainly to each his own, but it seems the city should be concerned with preserving the style of architecture that attracts so many to Richmond. A case in point is the proposed structure on the 800 block of Cary Street.
It saddens me that historically significant buildings are not protected and preserved, but it horrifies me that there is no requirement that they be at least replaced with a building that fits the style of the surrounding neighborhood. I venture to say that, as has been the case historically, whenever a building is put up in the Fan that meets the current taste, it becomes an extreme regret 10 to 20 years down the road. The city should consider how it can preserve the unique architecture and vibe of our historic districts rather than risk them in the future.
I believe the current architectural review regime may actually be an impediment to the preservation of Richmond’s historic aesthetic. Most people don’t realize that the Commission for Architectural Review bases it’s guidelines on those of the national park service – or, rather, that the national park service actually discourages the construction of true period style structures in historic districts. While the guidelines are great for protecting existing structures, new structures and additions to existing structures in historic districts are required to be “compatible but differentiated” so as to prevent “false historicism” (in plainer language, so no one mistakes the new buildings for historic structures). The consequence of these restrictions are that developers typically cannot build buildings which properly match their historic neighbors, but also cannot do anything innovative or particularly creative either. CARs rules are a recipe for mediocrity, and achieve the opposite of what is expected of them