Page 24 - Reflect DSM (City of Des Moines, IA)

DEFINING PRESERVATION,
DEMOCRATIZING
PRESERVATION

The term “historic preservation” is variously
applied to a range of actions that save
a building, landscape, artifact, cultural
practice, or event from being erased. It
can mean the physical act of repairing
or restoring a house by fixing its masonry
foundation or putting on a new roof. It can
mean researching the historic development
of a neighborhood, cataloging the
attributes that make it special, and
enacting laws that prevent substantial
changes to its physical character. And, it
can also mean documenting through oral
histories, writings, and photographs the
history of a particular place or event. In
almost all these cases, historic preservation
is motivated by the desire to ensure that
a beloved tangible thing or intangible
story, event, or practice continues to be
Figure 1. "Adventures in Architecture" Summer Camp tour of the part of the community – used, enjoyed,
Capitol, Iowa Architectural Foundation (Source: Stacey Hanley) remembered, learned from.
Historic preservation as a function of
government began in the early part
of the twentieth century as a way to
regulate, incentivize, and encourage the
maintenance, restoration, and reuse of
historic resources. Government policies
and programs took many forms, but nearly
all served to address the preservation of
tangible resources that could be assessed
for their architectural integrity, historic
associations, and significant cultural and/
or economic value. Those resources found
to possess integrity and value – usually
by professionals working on behalf of
Figure 2. World Food Prize Gardens (Source: Stacey Hanley)
government or large property owners or
developers -- were then listed on national

Chapter Cover Photo. Des Moines Heritage Trust Building (Source: Tim Waddell, Des Moines Heritage Trust)

18 DES MOINES Citywide Historic Preservation Plan