HISTORIC PRESERVATION: HISTORY & THEORY

ARC 342R / ARC 388R.17 / CRP 389C 

History of the historic preservation movement and the preservation professions, and the principles by which they operate. Evolution of preservation standard approaches, critiques and alternatives, and problems within the field. The first section of the course explores the early history of preservation, and of preservation ideas, in Europe and the United States. The second part frames the philosophical questions of preservation: the ways different actors ascribe significance to artifacts, symbols, and forms in the environment; different ways of balancing significance with natural decay, organic evolution and demands for change.