In 2003, the National Trust for Historic Preservation's annual conference, themed "New Frontiers in Historic Preservation" was held in downtown Denver, Colorado. The frontier, as defined geographically -- west of the Mississippi, and metaphorically -- meaning the cutting edge, new solutions, new technology -- is a fairly complex topic in historic preservation, but one ripe for serious, ongoing consideration.

Historian Patricia Limerick, who has written extensively about settlement of the frontier, spoke at the 2003 Trust conference about the challenges facing an advocate of western history and preservation. She likened her efforts to the work of a rodeo rider who holds onto the reigns of a bucking animal as long as possible, but always gets thrown.

When asked what she thought East Coast preservation could learn from the lessons of western preservationists, she said she really hadn't thought about it. Her initial idea was that it would have something to do with recognizing diversity within historic places.

There are, no doubt, many differences between preservation in the West and the East that might push the field forward and elevate preservation's role in public policy both locally, and in national politics.

Here are a few initial ideas:

The Importance of the Tribes

Preservation and conservation in the West has been connected with indigenous tribes much more integrally than its East Coast counterparts, even if the relationship between the tribes and settlers (or tribes and archaeologists and the federal government) hasn't always been a good one. In Washington state, at least, this is improving.

Tribes view resources differently than traditional preservationists. Archaeologists identify and categorize; governments regulate. Tribes know what's important without coursework or rules, and tend to engage in traditional preservation policy as a response to threats, which include vandalism of sacred sites, and the development of transportation projects that significantly encroach on places and artifacts integral to tribes' worldview. This view of tradition and culture isn't nostalgic.

Very different from preservation thinking based on a European model, tribes are sometimes supportive of destroying or unearthing artifacts if they believe the net benefit to be more valuable. For instance, at Puyallup archaeological site the local tribe supported of excavation to produce environmental data for litigation purposes. Scientific data about extinct species is crucial in court cases concerning tribal claims. With this information, the tribe is better able to put pressure on the state to clean up the harbor. Fish, water and other natural resources are integrally related to tribal culture.

While the preservation mainstream (in the form of government) has sought to fit tribal protections into its policies -- what might the tribes' holistic view of culture and nature teach mainstream preservationists? With sustainability becoming more and more of a priority for policy makers, now is the time to evaluate its overlap with preservation beyond the simple concept that preservation equals recycling. And urban ecology is a growing field.

The Role of the Vernacular

The role of industry and hard work on the frontier, in small mining towns and in cities like Seattle meant that a good deal of the buildings created during the earliest settlement periods served working people - people with limited means who lived modestly in small houses. Vernacular buildings, like workers cottages and special-use outbuildings that do not represent high style architecture were generally made with cheap materials and tend to deteriorate more rapidly than their middle class counterparts.

These kinds of buildings are often torn down without much consideration for their history, because they're not fancy, they're too small for current tastes, and need a lot of work. Seattle's Belltown Cottages, now City of Seattle landmarks, are a good example of vernacular construction.

While the study and preservation of vernacular structures is not specific to the West (the Vernacular Architecture Forum is a nationwide group with annual meetings staged all over North America) the role and significance of vernacular building preservation might be different on the frontier than in parts of the country with older settlement histories. Vernacular buildings from the 1920s arguably carry different weight in a 100 year-old city than they might in a 300 year-old East Coast town.

The University of Washington's Gail Dubrow is a national leader in vernacular architecture scholarship, and many of her students are now professional preservationists in the Seattle area.

The Importance of Geology

Geologic and atmospheric conditions are a factor in preservation around the country. Hurricanes threaten the Southeast, heavy snows and storms threaten the Northeast, and floods and tornadoes are a problem in the Midwest.

These parts of the country are not, however, being sucked under the earth's surface by plate tectonics, nor are they subject to volcanoes. The geology of the West Coast and the Pacific Rim presents a dramatic and ever-present threat to historic resources, in addition to the garden-variety problems faced by preservationists around the country.

The West Coast's geology effects our building codes, and significant earthquakes tend to catalyze change in public policy surrounding unreinforced masonry buildings after they hit. Threats of earthquakes mean that rehabilitation projects are more expensive here - seismic retrofit costs have to be figured in. This puts even more pressure on preservation advocates because the gap between the cost of rehabilitation versus the cost of a tear down and new construction built to code may be wider than in regions where seismic retrofit isn't necessary.

Redefining Diversity

The West is home to many historic resources associated with Asian immigrants, much more so than in other parts of the country. Race is more of a black and white issue on the East Coast, but is much less so here, especially on the West Coast.

Recognizing the significance of historic resources associated with African Americans has been ongoing in the Eastern states for a few decades now, but an equally rigorous effort to document and preserve Asian American and Latino history is relatively new.

Even newer is recognizing the story of sexual and political minorities, multiracial communities, and the working class within the context of historic preservation.

The West's long-remote location allowed individuals with non-mainstream views to settle with others sharing their ideas, both secular and religious, and live in relative peace. A number of secular utopian communities sprouted up here in Western Washington.

The West's diversity and the way this is folded into preservation efforts might suggest, as Patricia Limerick suggested, new models for addressing cultural, economic, racial and religious diversity on the East Coast.

The Role of Technology

West Coast urban areas, specifically Seattle, San Francisco and Silicon Valley were the incubators of information technology which has revolutionized communication and in many ways, the character of everyday life.

Innovation, exploring new frontiers, technology and the power of ingenuity are values not exclusive to the Western states, but over the past few decades, the identity of Western Washington and other urban West Coast areas has been associated with software development, and most recently, the Tech Boom.

The community is still here, even after the boom, still developing innovative ways to use new technology. The possible applications of this technology within the field of historic preservation are tremendous. From digital imagining technology, to improved communications networks, and beyond, the role of technology in preservation advocacy, educational efforts, and rehabilitation projects is already growing in this country and around the world.

The next great step forward in preservation technology could happen in the American West, but not without raising questions about the value of preservation beyond what's already been said.

View last month's Preservation & Environment article

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