More of this, please.
This is a story from the Braidwood (Ill.) Journal about an upcoming city council meeting in nearby Braidwood:
City attorney Paul Keller introduced a draft ordinance at the Sept. 9 regular meeting of the council that would establish a historic preservation system for the city. The system would enable the city to declare certain buildings and sites as historic properties. […]
The ordinance would require a special process for any changes, modifications or demolition of properties that are designated as historic. […]
Once the council approves a site for historic preservation, it will then be unlawful for such sites to be altered, relocated, removed or demolished without consent of the council. The hope is that by preserving local landmarks, the city will become more attractive to potential new residents and businesses. Additionally, the ordinance aims to prevent deterioration and blight of the properties.
I know there are some who would vehemently oppose such an ordinance, citing property rights. But if a historic structure that helped define the very existence of your town is bulldozed, the loss to the public good is much greater.
Then there’s this bottom-line reason to have a historical ordinance, too:
Grygiel said over the past two years, she’s already noticed additional tourists to the area, thanks in part to Braidwood’s participation as part of the Route 66 Red Carpet Corridor. The Red Carpet Corridor is a 90-mile stretch of historic Route 66 from Joliet to Towanda. In addition to local festivals, the Corridor holds a yearly driving tour each spring. Grygiel said designating more parts of town as historic could bring tourists, and their dollars, to explore more of the town than just the stretch along Route 66.
“If you can say ‘this is historical,’ it will draw more people,” Grygiel said.
Incidentally, Braidwood is considering this ordinance mainly to help protect its historic railroad depot, which once was just off Route 66 but had to be moved a short distance to make way for a grocery store’s parking lot.
The depot is safe, but I have a hunch the recent episode showed the city how vulnerable the depot and other historic properties are.