Page 15 - Brookings, SD Historic Preservation Plan

local economy rather than outsourcing materials or spending
money on other non-local costs. Furthermore, a rehabilitation
project may provide functional, distinctive, and affordable
space for new and existing small businesses, which is especially
relevant in historic downtowns where many local businesses
operate in historic buildings.

In addition, financial incentives may be available for some reha-
bilitation projects, which is often dependent on the structure’s
historic designation status. These incentives can assist in mak-
ing a rehabilitation project financially feasible.
524 4th Street, Brookings Arts Council
Heritage Tourism and Carnegie Public Library, listed
Heritage tourism is another benefit of investing in historic preserva- individually on the National Register of
Historic Places (from City of Brookings
tion, as people are attracted to the cultural heritage sites within the staff)
area. These resources provide a glimpse into the history of Brookings
and tells of its contribution to state and regional history. Heritage
tourism means traveling to experience the places that authentically
represent the stories and people of the past and present. This in-
cludes historic as well as cultural and natural resources. Heritage
tourism supports employment in hotels, bed and breakfasts, motels,
retail stores, restaurants, and other service businesses. Studies show
that heritage tourists spend more dollars on travel than other tour-
ists.
Environmental Benefits
Sustainable development and the conservation of resources are cen-
tral principles of historic preservation. Sensitive stewardship of the
existing building stock reduces our environmental impact. Preserving
and adapting a historic structure is sound environmental policy in all
respects. In basic terms, re-using a building preserves the energy and
resources that were invested in its construction, reduces the amount
of materials going to the landfill and it avoids the need to produce
new materials.
• Embodied Energy

Embodied energy is defined as the amount of energy used to
create and maintain an original building and its components.
Preserving a historic structure retains this energy. Wood, stone,
brick and glass all manifest the energy of their creation and
the energy invested in building construction. If demolished, The two images above illustrate ways
this investment in embodied energy is lost and significant new to incorporate solar panels, one type
of energy-generating technology, on
energy demands are required to construct a replacement. In ad- the roof of a historic structure. Note
dition, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), that both of these images are from
building debris constitutes around a third of all waste generated communities outside of South Dakota.
in the United States. This can be reduced significantly if historic
structures are retained rather than demolished.

• Sustainable Building Materials
Historic structures were constructed with durable materials
including wood, stone and brick. They were built for longevity,
in a manner that allows repairs instead of requiring replace-
ment. The sustainable nature of historic construction is best
illustrated by the design and construction of a window. While
older windows are often cited as being major sources of heat
loss, other parts of a building typically account for a greater
proportion of overall losses. For example, as much as 50% of
the energy lost from a house is from air infiltration through the

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