Trending
To the Editor,
As a historic preservation enthusiast, I am glad to hear of the efforts to continue restoration work on historic buildings downtown while also being disappointed by the recent news that several of the old buildings must be demolished. I applaud the efforts to save as much as possible, especially given that restoring an entire structure is a huge undertaking. I also understand that restoration is not always feasible, and what cannot be restored must be removed for public safety.
On that note, when the buildings themselves cannot be preserved, I propose that we, as a community, set our vision on preserving the "downtown" feeling; the three-story brick storefronts with artistic embellishment in the brick and stonework are a true symbol of "Main Street America." The simple, yet carefully decorated appearance of our ‘typical downtown’ buildings are something that now stands out in our modern age of copy/paste commercial buildings. If you go to the downtown area in most metropolitan suburbs these days, you are surrounded by chain stores and restaurants that look exactly like everywhere else. In communities like that, you only have a sense of place if you are very familiar with where you are or if there is an obvious municipal building designed to stand out in the crowd of copy-paste businesses and bare-bones strip malls. If you go to downtown Webster City, you are surrounded by a variety of businesses that are unique, situated inside of unique buildings, with far more character than suburbia could ever dream of having nowadays. The historic downtown feeling makes towns like our own Webster City unique in our modernizing world, while also standing as a monument to the great things that can come from simple beginnings; the essence of the American Dream.
Though progress and innovation are inevitable, a building made with the ethos of modern minimalism amidst the understated elegance and character of the brick facades is rather jarring to most, so when preservation cannot win, creativity can step in. The look and feel of the century-old buildings can be replicated while employing modern construction methods to produce robust structures that can last for another century or more. When we must demolish a historic building, we still have a chance to rebuild without losing the character.
In light of these considerations, I would like to encourage the City Council, the Chamber of Commerce, and any developers interested in rebuilding in the place of the soon-to-be demolished buildings downtown to make an effort to keep our "downtown feeling" alive with architecture that would stand out. Standing out not for being modern and forward thinking, but standing out for beautifying the downtown area by honoring the past to serve the future of Webster City.
Sincerely,
David Lass
Webster City