Question

英语保护古建筑的理由

Answer 1

Six Practical Reasons to Save Old Buildings
1. Old buildings have intrinsic value.
Buildings of a certain
era, namely pre-World War II, tend to be built with higher-quality
materials such as rare hardwoods (especially heart pine) and wood from
old-growth forests that no longer exist.
Prewar buildings were also
built by different standards. A century-old building might be a better
long-term bet than its brand-new counterparts.

2. When you tear down an old building, you never know what’s being destroyed.
A
decade ago, the Daylight Building in Knoxville was a vacant eyesore. A
developer purchased the property with plans to demolish the building to
make way for new construction.
However, following multiple failed
deals to demolish the building, the Daylight went back on the market.
Dewhirst Properties bought it and began renovations only to discover the
building’s hidden gems: drop-ceilings made with heart-pine wood, a
large clerestory, a front awning adorned with unusual tinted
“opalescent” glass, and a facade lined with bright copper.
Beyond surviving demolition and revealing a treasure trove of
details, the Daylight reminds us that even eyesores can be valuable for a
community’s future.
3. New businesses prefer old buildings.
In 1961, urban activist Jane Jacobs startled city planners with The Death and Life of Great American Cities, in which Jacobs discussed economic advantages that certain types of businesses have when located in older buildings.
Jacobs asserted that new buildings make sense for major chain
stores, but other businesses–-such as bookstores, ethnic restaurants,
antique stores, neighborhood pubs, and especially small start-ups―thrive
in old buildings.
“As for really new ideas of any kind―no matter how ultimately
profitable or otherwise successful some of them might prove to be―there
is no leeway for such chancy trial, error, and experimentation in the
high-overhead economy of new construction,” she wrote. “Old ideas can
sometimes use new buildings. New ideas must use old buildings.”

4. Old buildings attract people.
Is it the warmth of
thematerials, the heart pine, marble, or old brick―or the resonance of
other people, other activities? Maybe older buildings are just more
interesting.

The different levels, the vestiges of other uses, the
awkward corners, the mixtures of styles, they’re at least something to
talk about. America’s downtown revivals suggest that people like old
buildings. Whether the feeling is patriotic, homey, warm, or reassuring,
older architecture tends to fit the bill.
Regardless of how they
actually spend their lives, Americans prefer to picture themselves
living around old buildings. Some eyes glaze over when preservationists
talk about "historic building stock," but what they really mean is a
community's inventory of old buildings ready to fulfill new uses.
5. Old buildings are reminders of a city’s culture and complexity.
By
seeing historic buildings―whether related to something famous or
recognizably dramatic―tourists and longtime residents are able to
witness the aesthetic and cultural history of an area. Just as banks
prefer to build stately, old-fashioned facades, even when located in
commercial malls, a city needs old buildings to maintain a sense of
permanency and heritage.
6. Regret goes only one way.
The preservation of historic
buildings is a one-way street. There is no chance to renovate or to
save a historic site once it’s gone. And we can never be certain what
will be valued in the future. This reality brings to light the
importance of locating and saving buildings of historic
significance―because once a piece of history is destroyed, it is lost
forever.