Is anyone interested in architecture and historic preservation?  Anyone a fan of old houses, historic buildings, etc.?  My recent education in Lighting was a subset of the school of architecture at my college. Lighting and architecture go hand in hand, and if used strategically, lighting can beautify historic structures and bring them to life.

Attached is a picture of my great grandparents’ former house in York, South Carolina. This beautiful house was built in the 1830’s and survived the Civil War. Notice the Corinthian style columns and the inviting front porch. This lovely house and lush yard with the equally old magnolia trees remind me of scenes from Gone With the Wind.  I would have loved to see the inside of this house and find out how it has endured all these years.

Yes, I like the old houses like that. They're beautiful, and it makes me think all of the history that has happened there. If I had an old house, I would get some old light fixtures and restore them to put in it, and also push button light switches.

The lighting research building I attended classes in was built in 1862. Aside from the addition of electricity and central heating and air, the building is completely original. The building has a “light well” or a hollow space in the middle to allow for interior rooms to have windows and access to sunlight in the time before electric lighting.  I love historic buildings, and thinking about all the history they have encountered.

Very much so. 

I've lived in a number of extremely unique homes, as well as having always liked old buildings. 

First childhood home: Pseudo Victorian farmhouse.  Four stories, no bathroom on main floor, 37% grade driveway. 

Another: 1955 pulp mill house, 6'6" ceilings...

Another: cedar-shake-cabin-in-the-woods.  No driveway to it, steep boardwalk.  Spiral staircase with no railings. 

Another:  A-frame kit home.  Built in 70s as evidenced by harvest gold counters, baby blue bathroom fixtures, dated beer-bottle-glass light fixtures.  (With NOS GE Basic bulbs installed even in the late 2010's!).  Had been moved like 50 miles on a barge believe it or not.  Was a homestead house but had come from Petersburg, Alaska.  In the middle of nowhere and off grid but had an electric meter box on the wall from its previous location.  Also known as the off-grid house with the bubbling railroad batteries and the tap water that looked like iced tea.

This house:  Built at ten different times, every room its own roof line or floor height, out of mostly salvaged materials. 

And yes, I love old buildings and learning the local history of places. 

It really depends,
If the building has some significance in the history of a town/state/etc (AND it has been maintained condition-wize), Then I can see it being saved. Some of the old buildings and houses do look kinda cool, but I'd never want to live in one.


That said:
My feeling is 'Historic Preservation' shouldn't be forced on a building's owner. If the owner wishes to have it listed as historic, that's fine and their choice to have it done. But the city/state/or a group of citizens should NEVER be able to force a historic designation on someone who doesn't want it (which in many cases would be taking a highly valuable property(primarily the lot - not the crappy old house/building) and making it essentially worthless).


I personally wouldn't touch a property with historic designation on it...If I was to buy a piece of land with some old crappy house on it, I'd be wanting it for the land - to build a new house on. If the old crappy house was structurally ok, I'd do any fixes to the roof/siding that were needed and use it for as storage/shop.