Buying Time for Heritage

How to Save an Endangered Historic Property

J. Myrick Howard, J. Myrick Howard, Esq.

• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN: 9781469677002
• eBook ISBN: 9781469677019
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Architecture
• Subtopic: Historic Preservation in Architecture

What does it take to save endangered historic properties? This practical guide builds on decades of historic preservation experience to provide readers with legal, financial, political, and technical tools and strategies to be more effective preservationists. Myrick Howard makes clear that large sums of money are not necessarily needed to save endangered historic properties, but knowledge and passion are essential. This book shows how preservation-minded neighbors and organizations can succeed with only modest resources and rather than clash with developers, can become developers themselves for community benefit. Howard draws on case studies from forty-five years of successful work leading Preservation North Carolina, with lessons that are applicable coast to coast.

This richly illustrated, fully revised and redesigned second edition includes detailed projects to renovate vacant houses in working-class neighborhoods; reflections on addressing racial equity through preservation; an expanded section on using preservation easements; and summaries of revolving fund programs around the country. Buying Time for Heritage is an indispensable resource for those looking to save the special places of our collective past.

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Foreword
• Preface
• Introduction
• 1. Historic Preservation Matters Making the Case for Historic Preservation
• 2. Real Estate Is the Name of the Game Preservationists Need to Know and Understand Real Estate
• 3. Working with Endangered Properties How Preservation North Carolina Works with Property
• 4. Alternatives to Outright Acquisition Using Others’ Time and Money to Do Your Work
• 5. Going to the Mat for a Property When Acquisition Is the Only Alternative
• 6. The Architectural Animal Shelter How to Market That Poor Pitiful Pup
• 7. Closing the Deal Getting from the Ideal to the Achievable
• 8. Staying True to the Building Finding a Balance between Purity and Flexibility
• 9. Armstrong Hotel Apartments Weaving Together Tools and Partners
• 10. Mills and Mill Villages Larger, More Complex Projects
• 11. Neighborhoods Using Real Estate Skills for Revitalization
• 12. Protection without Ownership Using Easements to Protect Properties
• 13. Building Relocation Move It or Lose It
• 14. Partnerships for Preservation Playing Well with Others to Save Important Places
• 15. Working with Community Institutions Leveraging Your Knowledge and Contacts
• 16. Museums and Stewardship Properties They’re Real Estate, Too
• 17. When Success Is Elusive Dealing with Disasters and Near-Misses
• 18. The Functional Nonprofit Preservation Organization Strong Staff and a Supportive Board
• 19. The People of Preservation Preservationists as Social Capital
• Acknowledgments
• Appendix A: A Sampling of Other Revolving Fund Programs
• Appendix B: Sample Historic Preservation Agreement (with Annotations)
• Appendix C: Sample Waiver of Right of First Refusal
• Index
• Back Cover