Table Of Content

[r29, 90/23 13h | gts18 a1995s Ck Mi/ a 7 I” CUMPURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT InfafMation for Parks, Federal Agencies, InddffTribes, ye1a a hem Molar 1 @le) 22) a alealsala y ange Private Sector “a VQSSBME 18 NO.8 ~~ 1995 Prée Tats | thé Kecent Past a= PUBLISHED BY THE Contents VOLUME 18 NO.8 1995 NATIONAL PARK SERVICE ISSN 1068-4999 To promote and maintain high standards for preserving and managing cultural Preserving the Recent Past resources DIRECTOR Roger G. Kennedy ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR Katherine H. Stevenson The Recent Past .......0.... ce.e .ee .eee. ee. ee .ee e.ee eee EDITOR Rebecca A. Shiffer Ronald M. Greenberg PRODUCTION MANAGER Preserving the Recent Past Karlota M. Koester An Introduction .......00.. .ee.e e.ee .eee. ee.e e.ee e ee GUEST EDITORS H. Ward Jandl Sharon C. Park Rebecca A. Shiffer Saving the Suburban Sixties Historic Preservation Planning in Fairfax County, Virginia....... ADVISORS David Andrews Bruce M. Kriviskey Landmarks of Chicago Blues and Gospel Randall j. Biallas Chess Records and First Church of Deliverance .............. Histoncal Architect. NPS John A. Burns Tim Samuelson and Jim Peters Architect. NPS Harry A. Butowsky Histonan, NPS Structural Glass: Its History, Manufacture, Repair, and Replacement .. . 15 Pratt Cassity Carol J. Dyson and Floyd Mansberger Executive Director. National Alliance of Preservavon Commissions Muriel Crespi Stonewalling America Cuttural Anthropologist. NPS Craig W. Davis Simulated Stone Products ...............c.e.e .ee.ee0e e Archeologist. NPS Ann Milkovich McKee Mark R. Edwards The Metal and Glass Curtain Wall .......................... Bruce S. Kaskel John Hnedak Architectural Historian, NPS International Perspectives on 20th-Century Heritage ............. Roger E. Kelly Thomas C. Jester Archeologrst. NPS Antoinette |. Lee Historian, NPS John Poppeliers Preservation and the Recent Past ....................200000- Intemavonal Larson Officer New from Technical Preservation Services for Cultural Resources, NPS Brit Allan Storey Historian, Bureau of Reclamation Federal Preservation Forum Inside— CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Cultural Resource Training Directory 1996 information form. Stephen A. Mortis Response requested by November 3, 1995. Certified Local Governments (CLG) Coordinator. N°S Kay D. Weeks Technical Wrter-Editor. NPS CONSULTANTS Cover photo: Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland, photo by Thomas C. Jester. The stadium was designed by Toivo Michael G. Schene Jantti and Yrjo Lindegren in 1938 for the 1940 Olympics, which were cancelled due to the war in Europe. HistonanN,P S Finland hosted the 1952 Olympic Games. Wm. H. Freeman Statements of fact and views are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect an opinion or endorsement on the part of the editors, the CRM advisors and consultants, or the National Park Service. Send articles, news items, and correspondence to the Editor, CRM (400), U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Cultural Resources, PO. Box 37127,Washington, DC 20013-7127; (202-343-3395, FAX 202-343-5260, Internet: [email protected]). 2 CRM N2Y 8—1995 al Rebecca A. Shiffer The Recent Past And now there's only one thing that Id like to know. Materials Conservation — and an in-depth work- shop examining the Curtain Wall, a building con- Where did the Twentieth Century go? struction type unique to the 20th century. Id swear it was here just a minute ago. Conference presentations and conversations among participants stressed again and again that —Steve Goodman, The Twentieth Century is Almost Over while traditional approaches to the preservation of historic buildings and landscapes, as reflected in RM first examined cultural the track titles, are largely applicable to 20th-cen- resources from the recent past in a tury resources, some evolution in methodology 1993 thematic issue (Volume 16, will be required if we are to succeed in preserving No. 3). By 1993, cultural resource the recent past. Preservation efforts must begin professionals were beginning to define the recent with an understanding of the historical and cul- past and to formulate arguments for the preserva- tural significance of the resources, many of them tion of its buildings and landscapes. Since then, less than fifty years of age. Until now, cultural preservation gains and losses, media attention, resource professionals have relied on the passage scholarly publications, and grassroots word-of- of time to explain that significance and to tell us mouth have all raised public awareness of the what elements of the past are worthy of preserva- The Fountainbleau, significance and state of the 20th-century built tion. But more recent resources are already disap- Miami Beach, environment and cultural landscapes. pearing too rapidly to afford the luxury of allowing Florida, designed by Perhaps the surest sign of a growing interest specified periods of time to pass before studying Morris Lapidus, in the recent past occurred with the convening of 1954. The architect them. Time obliterates — often literally — as eas- over 800 people from the US and abroad in said of his building, ily as it clarifies. With solid scholarship, the signif- “People loved it, but Chicago in March 1995 to participate in the icance of much of the recent past can be put in the critics were Preserving the Recent Past conference sponsored historic perspective now. aghast.” by the National Park Service and other federal Like resource evaluation, formulating preser- Autographed post- and state agencies and national organizations. The card courtesy of vation and reuse strategies takes on a special twist conference offered three tracks — Resource Dennis R. because more recent resources often lack the Montagna. Evaluation, Preservation and Reuse Strategies, broad popular appeal of older resources. Modernist buildings, suburbs, roadside structures, and missile silos do not easily fit the popular concept of “old,” let alone “historic.” They also defy the general understanding of “aesthetically appeal- ing,” which consciously and unconsciously drive many people's decisions about the worth of elements of -he built environment. Cultural resource professionals largely appreciate the significance and fragility of the recent past, but they still face the formidable task of convincing a public that generally does not “get it.” Finally, the conservation of recent materials is still a nascent field, and it promises to offer far more complexities than the care of traditional materials such as wood, bricks, paint, and mortar. The 20th century has witnessed the unprecedented growth of new manmade building materials. With the rapid change that has been a given in this cen- CRM Nv s—1995 3 tury, many of these materials have already passed out of use. Zenitherm, Flexboard, and Cushocel are long gone from the shelves of the lumber Designed by archi- yard and home center. The tect Charles Noble large-scale industrial manu- in 1936, the facturing processes and equip- Elwood Bar in ment used to make these Detroit, Michigan, materials are now obsolete or was constructed with porcelain non-existent, making modern enamel panels, a materials virtually impossible relatively new build- to replicate for restoration ing material at that needs. As a consequence, time. Photo courtesy oWfi lliam recent materials challenge the Scarlet. ingenuity of cultural resource professionals, who are eager to learn of successful projects that could inform international efforts to evaluate, interpret, and pre- their own work. serve architecture of the recent past. The articles presented here reflect current These articles, and the conference for which issues in the state of the recent past. Five of they were first prepared, are by no means the last these—denoted by the Greyhound bus station words on this topic. Instead, they are among the logo—are reprinted from the published proceed- first words in a field of scholarship and conserva- ings of the Preserving the Recent Past conference. tion that will ultimately lead to effective methods H. Ward Jandl's introduction lays out the ques- of preserving and caring for 20th-century tions faced by cultural resource professionals deal- resources. Ward Jandl calls the preservation of the ing with the recent past and underscores the need recent past “the greatest challenge of all..[one for continued discussion of the issues unique to which] preservation professionals will be grappling 20th-century buildings and landscapes. Bruce with for the remainder of this century and well Kriviskey reports on historic preservation planning into the next millennia.” efforts in Fairfax County, Virginia, which are per- Where do we go from here? To meet this haps unique in including local historic design challenge, we need to build upon what we know review of an historic district constructed entirely in and reach further. As in any new field, our under- the 1960s. Tim Samuelson and Jim Peters describe standing and appreciation of the significance of the restoration of a building significant for its the resources has advanced further than our associations with the history of American rock- knowledge about how to maintain and conserve and-roll, and the emerging needs to restore 1950s them. Many excellent books, articles, and other building materials that have been considered published materials about the recent past, specific intrusive at worst, and ephemeral at best. building types, and, to a lesser extent, materials, Three articles examine modern building are now available. One aspect of the field that materials and construction. Carol Dyson and needs greater attention is the research and study Floyd Mansberger discuss the history of and offer of the properties of modern building materials. conservation techniques for structural glass, which This is the essential foundation for making found wide application on both the interior and informed decisions about treatment; it is impossi- exterior of buildings constructed and remodeled ble to determine an appropriate treatment without during the mid-20th century. Ann Milkovich understanding what you are treating. We must McKee presents perhaps the first comprehensive attempt more conservation treatments, instead of research on a group of inaterials that may be the removal, of these historic materials, forging part- most ubiquitous, most derided, and least under- nerships between preservation professionals and stood of recent building materials — simulated the building owners who are their clients to sup- stone (Formstone, etc.). Bruce Kaskel examines port these efforts. And we must actively share the curtain wall, the constructicn system that liter- results with colleagues through publications, meet- ally changed the face of corporate architecture ings, conferences, and newer on-line technologies. during the decades following World War II. Concern with the preservation of 20th-cen- Rebecca A. Shiffer is an architectural historian, tury cultural patrimony is not solely, or even pri- Technical Assistance Branch, Chesapeake and marily, an American phenomenon. Thomas Jester Allegheny System Support Office, Northeast Field looks beyond our borders and surveys ongoing Area, National Park Service, Philadelphia. 4 CRM Ne 8—1995 H. Ward Jandl Preserving the Recent Past An Introduction ver the past several years, when the marble veneer of Amoco's highrise head- preservationists have finally quarters in Chicago began to faii? Or was it when begun to devote serious attention Connecticut's State Historic Preservation officer to the immense challenge of doc- requested a determination of National Register eli- umenting, evaluating, and conserving cultural gibility for the Merritt Parkway? resources from the 20th century. This attention We are faced with defending, documenting, occurs not a moment too soon: it is clear that evaluating, and preserving resource types that did these are the issues that preservation profession- not even exist until the middle part of the 20th als will be grappling with for the remainder of century: the shopping mall, the network of high- this century and well into the next millennia. ways criss-crossing the country, the curtain wall Our predecessors in the preservation move- skyscraper, the housing development, the edge Plastic ‘aminates were used not only ment fought battles to protect remnants from the city. What is the history of these new building for countertops but Victorian age: buildings and neighborhoods that types and by what criteria should their signifi- for storefronts were not widely appreciated in the 1950s and cance be evaluated? Which of the 2,800 nearly beginning ii. the 1960s by the general public—or by many archi- identical Lustron houses constructed around the late 1920s. This tects and historians, for that matter. While these country between 1948 and 1952 are worthy of Formica advertise- ment promoted resources still continue to be at risk, at least today preservation and why? designs using col- there is a broad body of information and knowi- The strategies for protecting and reusing ored and metal edge about their history, significance, and care. these resources, while owing much to past efforts inlays. At the present time, we as preservationists with 18th- and 19th-century structures and neigh- Architectural are confronting perhaps the greatest challenge of borhoods, must deal with a scale that is unique to Forum, January 1937. all: how to deal with the 20th-century built envi- the 20th century: multi-building, high-rise housing ronment. It is hard to projects, colossal airport hangars, and military COLO RIUL STORE FRONTS identify the defining bases that are measured in miles, not acres. Such moment when we rec- Strategies must also include a heavy—and particu- ognized that it was larly creative—dose of education and awareness- time to face up to our building: why should the public care about recent past. Was it military structures built during the Cold War? when Barbara What is so special about mass-produced, prefabri- Capitman pushed to cation houses? How can the general public be have a good chunk of made aware of the importance of early gas sta- Miami Beach placed tions, bus terminals, and other roadside architec- on the National ture? Register? Was it when Enormous challenges also face architectural Philip Johnson conservators, engineers, and architects who are decided to donate his beginning to rehabilitate and restore 20th-century Glass House to the resources; the materials in need of conservation National Trust for are not only the traditional brick, stone, wood, Historic Preservation? and iron of yesterday but more complex materials Was it when state such as plywood, fiberglass, stainless steel, and and local preserva- plastics. Building systems are no longer simple tionists fought to save masonry bearing wall constructior or wood bal- Lockefield Gardens in loon frame but curtain wall or post-tension con- ica Indianapolis, a public crete. How does one preserve 20th-century THE FORmICA imSuULearTecIrOmnna t, C © ORMi housing project from materials that may be identified with significant S65! SPRING GROVE ave FOR BUILDING PURPOSES| the 1930s? Was it health problems? CRM Nv 8s—1995 The serious study of the recent past is a historic resources. Together, the workbook and the relatively new phenomenon: there have been conference will greatly expand the body of practi- few scholarly books on the subject, and articles cal information available to preservation profes- in professional journals are few and far sionals on evaluating and protecting the recent between. The papers included in the handbook past. for the national conference, Preserving the Recent Past, Chicago, March 30 through April H. Ward Jandl, Deputy Chief, Preservation 1, 1995, have made an important contribution Assistance Division, National Park Service, to understanding and addressing these issues. Washington, DC, died suddenly of heart failure just The conference was organized specifically to two weeks prior to the conference, Preserving the bring together preservation professionals from Recent Past. The conference and workbook were his North America and Europe to consider the idea and stemmed from his interest and expertise in unique challenges of preserving 20th-century 20th-century building types and their preservation. Bruce M. Kriviskey Saving the Suburban Sixties Historic Preservation Planning in Fairfax County, Virginia he notion of “historic preservation” a general store as late as the 1960s, now the com- in Northern Virginia's Fairfax mercial hub of the county and the seventh largest County—the most intensely devel- business district in the country, with over 20 mil- oped jurisdiction in the lion square feet of office and retail space. Washington, DC, metropolitan area—often taxes Archeologists might say that snapshots one and one’s credulity. Those familiar with the county, three depict the same spot and simp!y show the but whose perceptions are of only gridlock and impact of the view shown in snapshot two on the sprawl, strain to remember what is left that is past and present of a traditional crossroads trad- old, much less historic. They recall waggish ing center. bumper stickers that use Fairfax as a verb Of course, there are venerable sites of his- describing an act that should not be done to toric and architectural significance in the county— other nearby counties or, for that matter, to the Mount Vernon, Woodlawn Plantation, and rest of Virginia. Those less familiar with the Gunston Hall, to name a few. There are also hun- county may have read what some observers have dreds of lesser known 18th- and 19th-century his- written about our “Edge Cities,” “Beltway toric sites scattered around the county, as well as Bandits,” and “McMansions.” more than 2,000 recorded archeological sites The history of Fairfax County can be cap- including one about 8,000 years old (properly —_— tured in three “snapshots.” The first shows a group excavated and recorded, of course) now under a of earnest Paleo-Indians ambushing a Wooly parking structure in Tysons Corner. Collectively, Mammoth at the crossing of two well-worn paths these ably represent the heritage of the nation, in the ice-age tundra. The second shows a graph State, and county. of population change in the county since the first Needless to say, these invaluable traces of census in the 1790s. The population level was vir- the past— traditional history, if you will—have tually flat until the 1930s; it doubled each decade been the focus of the county's preservation plan- from 1940 until 1980, and it doubled again over ning program since the early 1960s. But, this is the past 14 years to over 820,000 today—an aver- history to read about, not recall; to look at, not to age increase of 88% per decade since World War have lived. About 10 years ago, this dichotomy II. The third is of Tysons Corner, a gas station and was recognized by those concerned with under- 6 CRM Nv s—1995 policy of the times. In the early 20th century, the world view brought on by World War I and the “alphabet soup” response to the woes of the Depression caused Washington to become the hub as well as capital of the nation. Fifty years ago, World War II pushed a moribund military into the forefront of the bureaucracy and, in the heat of the Cold War, the military-industrial complex mush- roomed, crossed the Potomac, and grew in the Tysons Corner fields of Fairfax County. about | 940. In the late-19th and early-20th centuries, Fairfax County was the dairy center of the United Photos courtesy of States and the breadbasket of the nation’s capital. Fairfax County To accommodate these activities, the mud and Public Library gravel roads that once were only farm-to-market Photographic routes began to be traveled in both directions. Archives. Washington residents, particularly the upwardly mobile middle class, sought homes or weekend Tysons Corner in retreats way out west in the inexpensive, open the 1980s. countryside of McLean, Mount Vernon, Great Falis, and Fairfax City. Houses were added to tiny crossroads villages like Dunn-Loring, Langley, Vienna, and Clifton, while trolley lines grew along with public services and local commerce. This gen- tle infiltration began as Washington became an employment magnet. It became a great invasion as the city’s population exploded from the “War to End All Wars” io the “War on Poverty,” as tens and then hundreds of thousands of people made standing and preserving the heritage resources of Fairfax County their home. In re-re-re-redoubling the county and questions were raised, traditions the population, they made another kind of history, challenged, and goals debated. not more or less significant than the past 250 or Debate focused on defining the most histori- 10,000 years, but different and more challenging cally-significant periods in the history of Fairfax to identify, record, communicate, and, yes, pre- County. Prehistoric days that ended with the serve. explorations of Captain John Smith and other Identifying the Recent Past Europeans? Days of the Royal Proprietor, Thomas, In 1988, Fairfax County adopted its Heritage Sixth Lord Fairfax, when the lands that became Resources Management Plan. This plan identified the great plantations were granted, assembled, 10 so-called study units beginning with the prehis- cleared, and cultivated? Patriot days when the toric Paleo-Indian cultures, the time of Hunter- county's two Georges, Washington and Mason, Gatherers, and the beginnings of European fathered a nation and its Bill of Rights? The days contact. It then focused on the historical periods when westward expansion meant a scattering of including those of the tobacco plantation society, wilderness homesteads 10 or so miles upland from free black communities, Civil War and the Potomac? Or the days when Colonel John Reconstruction, and agrarian culture. The latest of Singleton Mosby provided many sleepless nights these study units is most relevant to the recent for Uni »n occupying forces? All of these are signif- history of Fairfax County— that of suburbaniza- icant times that affected tens, hundreds, and even tion and urban dominance. thousands of people. But, the era that affected The plan described the cultural context of hundreds of thousands came after these. each study unit as well as the heritage resource The Beginnings of the Recent Past types that typify the time or group. For the subur- In the late 19th century, economic and social banization unit, typical resources included horse woes affecting the nation and the ease of travel farms and commercial agriculture, industrial parks and communication throughout the country and shopping centers, planned communities and reduced the importance of state governments. By crossroad clusters, trolley lines and paved high- the turn of the century, the scale of the federal ways, single-family housing and cooperative apart- bureaucracy began to expand with the rise of new ments, government offices and military regulatory agencies and the expansionist foreign installations, and schools and parks. A subcate- CRM Ne 8—1995 gory of the study unit, perhaps unique to northern tographic recording project, undertaken by stu- Virginia, is “colonialization”— the design influ- dents of the urban architecture program of Virginia ence of Mount Vernon and, to a lesser extent, Polytechnic and State University (Alexandria Williamsburg in both new construction and Center), recorded all the basic themes and varia- remodeling. Here, columns and cupolas were tions. This has sparked an interest in studying added to everything from 19th-century vernacular other works by this well-known Washington area farmhouses to gas stations and high-rise office architect as well as an interest in contemporary, as buildings. Architectural kitsch became architec- opposed to traditional (read “colonialized”), tural history as the visual character of much of the design in the county. county was formed. Communicating the Recent Past Not surprisingly, studying this part of the In addition to sponsoring the work of others, past bucks the traditional concerns of archeolo- such as the Hollin Hills survey, Fairfax County has gists, historians, and preservationists. Because of a growing interest in publishing materials relative this, many of the resources identified in this unit to recent history. The Fairfax Chronicles, the had been unsung and unsaved. With the prodding county's newsletter devoted to archeology, history, of the Heritage Resources Management Plan, an architecture, and historic preservation, has been awareness of the cultural significance of these published for the past 16 years. Within the past properties has increased and they are now consid- four or five years, more and more articles and pho- ered worthy of study and recording. Researchers tographs about the early and mid-20th century have found that they are fun, too. have been included. These are extremely popular Recording the Recent Past with the public, particularly school children. An The Fairfax County Inventory of Historic article and twilight color photograph of the neon- Sites was begun in the 1960s and now includes lighted Frozen Dairy Bar stirred up much nostalgia nearly 300 properties. At least a fourth of these as did a recent article on the 30th anniversary of were built or remodeled in the 20th century and the opening of the Capital Beltway, the circumfer- include such niceties as Wright’s Usonian Pope- ential highway serving the Washington metropoli- Leighey House, built in 1940 and relocated in tan area. In that issue, early aerial and ground 1964; roadside attractions such as the 1950 photographs were printed side by side with Frozen Dairy Bar, now in architectural mothballs; increasingly more cluttered street maps to tell the shopping centers such as Seven Corners, opened story of post-World War II development in Fairfax in 1956, the first in the Washington metropolitan County in a way that both long-time residents and area; and planned communities such as Hollin newcomers could understand. It was history they Hills, 1949-1962, and Reston, begun in 1965. could touch, and laugh at. The cover photograph The inventory is primarily that, a list of showed the brand new Beltway bumper-to-bumper properties deemed to be of sufficient interest to be with the parked automobiles of those who came to studied and recorded. Inventory properties are not witness its grand opening in 1964. It hasn't protected, although over 30 are also listed in the changed much since. National Register or included in local historic dis- One of the more popular communications tricts. They are, however, taken into consideration devices sponsored by the county, in conjunction in the county’s planning and zoning processes. with the Virginia Department of Historic There is also a parallel inventory for archeological Resources, is a highway marker program. These sites, now numbering over 2,000, but only a hand- are the roadside markers that you try to read as ful of these relate primarily to 20th-century you drive past (new ones are now placed at inter- resources. sections or at convenient pull-offs) that tell who An example of the type of recording of the lived, fought, or otherwise did something of histor- recent past that is taking place in Fairfax County ical interest at that place. The three latest markers is the photographic survey of the planned commu- in the county deal with the outer defenses of nity of Hollin Hills. Begun in 1949 and completed Washington, but not during the Civil War or War in the 1960s, this single-family housing project of 1812. Rather, these tell about the three Nike was singled out as a “milestone in the future of anti-aircraft missile launching sites located in the American architecture” in the 1957 centennial county during the hot days of the Cold War. These exhibit of the American Institute of Architects. Its were well-guarded secrets until phased out in the houses designed by the late Charles M. Goodman, 1960s, except for the fully-equipped one used as a came in 14 “basic” types. Buyers could make indi- tour site to impress on foreign dignitaries that vidual modifications withir. the context of the America did, indeed, carry a big stick. Now they architectural design and the park-like landscape, a are grassy spots in public parks, but with a history new concept that bridged the gap between custom as important as the line of fortifications that ringed and cookie-cutter design. The purpose of this pho- Washington on the Virginia side of the Potomac 8 CRM N¢Y 8s—1995 100 years earlier. Both sets of fortifications were more psychological deterrents than actual ones, and none ever fired a shot in anger. Preserving the Recent Past Like the forts and launching sites of past eras, Fairfax County has the latest arsenal of historic preservation tools at its disposal. These Hollin Hills in the include 13 Historic Overlay Districts officially des- 1950s. ignated by the Board of Supervisors and subject to design review as part of the county’s Zoning Ordinance. Because of the architectural! traditions and developmert patterns of the county, none of Photos courtesy of these include the uniformly old urban neighbor- Fairfax County Public Library hoods that are typical of historic districts through- Photographic out the country. Rather, most Fairfax County Archives. districts focus on a single primary structure—the Pohick Church of 1769, or the 1794 Sully and 1806 Woodlawn Plantations. An essential part of Lake Anne Village these districts, if not the key, is the larger !and- Center, Reston, scape context that defines approaches to the pri- 1977. mary, Or core, properties as well as views to and from them. A few of the county’s historic districts are more traditional building clusters, the least traditional of which is the Lake Anne Village Center of Reston. This residential/commercial complex was built in 1965 and formally designated as a Fairfax County Historic Overlay District in 1983. To my knowledge, this is the only designated historic dis- The center was designed and built as a trict in the country subject to local design review whole with each element fitting into the entire where every bit was built in the 1960s. scheme. Buildings ranging in height from two to Fitting right into the theme of suburbaniza- four stories line the lake and plaza while one 18- tion and urban dominance, Reston occupies the story apartment building stands as a focal point at former 7,000-acre Bowman Farm, which by the the end of the plaza. A “J” shaped row of shops mid-20th century was the largest single tract of topped by apartments encloses the wide plaza and land in the area. The Bowmans had tried to crowns the northern tip of the lake. The buildings develop a new town themselves, but eventually share a common vocabulary of design and materi- sold the land to Robert E. Simon. In 1961, he als; the modern, straight-edged architecture is exe- began to plan, build, and market Reston, and to cuted in medium brown brick with dark brown use his initials in the name. Ironically, this had wood trim, gray concrete, and glass. The buildings been the site of another planned town in the are complex compositions of solid and void, with 1890s with the less catchy name of Wiehle, which many balconies, sheer brick walls, flat but varied never grew to more than a handful of buildings. rooflines, and expanses of glass. Concrete sculp- Unlike Wiehle, Reston, home now to over ture and, today, mature landscaping accent the 60,000 people, was phenomenally successful. plaza where moms with strollers enjoy the human From the beginning, critics hailed Reston’s con- scale. cept of village centers surrounded by greenbelts as As with the more traditional of Fairfax a significant planning and architectural achieve- County's Historic Overlay Districts, the goal is to ment. Lake Anne Village Center, designed by the protect the architectural and environmental fabric New York firm of Whittlesey and Conklin, was the of the center and to assure that future develop- first of the village centers built and was designed ment is compatible with its existing architectural at a pedestrian scale with a mix of residences, character. For the Lake Anne Village Center, this is offices, and retail stores gathered around lakes not as easy as it sounds. These mixed-use build- and plazas, urban spaces in the suburbs. As a ings were products of the 1960s, and designed to 1981 Washington Post article observed, “No piece meet contemporary needs with the technologies of of Northern Virginia real estate was more praised the times. As such, they are essentially speculative and honored in the 1960s than Reston’s Lake commercial buildings designed and constructed to Anne Center.” last around 30 years. Today, 30 years later, parts CRM Ne 8—1995 are wearing out, pieces falling off, and buildings nation with the recent past. But, what of this past built before energy was a problem and big-box is significant enough right now to warrant public stores were the competition present challenges to respect and scholarly interest? preservation-minded owners and to the county’s In Fairfax County, as in any other suburban Architectural Review Board. Working with jurisdiction, the answers fall along a sliding scale. Reston’s own Design Review Board while projects To us, however, all evidence of the recent past is are still on the drawing boards has smoothed this significant because of what it can teach us about process significantly. where we, not just our parents or grandparents, Challenges to Preserving the Recent Past have come from and how we have coped, for bet- Aside from the technical challenges of pre- ter or for worse, with the opportunities, needs, serving an architectural fabric that was never and constraints of geometric growth. That is why intended for anything near posterity, the biggest we are sifting through what is left of the resources challenge to preserving the recent past of Fairfax of the recent past, some to merely note, some to County is overcoming the notion that it just isn’t celebrate, some to preserve, and all to respect. past enough. The “50-year threshold” has not Would that our parents and grandparents had been crossed, and we are dealing with architec- done the same. tural nostalgia, not architectural history. This, however, is a purist, not populist, argument. A Bruce M. Kriviskey, AIA/AICP, is the Chief of the browse through any of today’s “Antiques and Heritage Resources Branch in the County of Fairfax Collectibles” shops where Fiesta Ware, Tonka Office of Comprehensive Planning, Falls Church, trucks, and chrome-plated dinette sets command Virginia. premium prices reflects the growing public fasci- Tim Samuelson and Jim Peters Landmarks of Chicago Blues and Gospel Chess Records and First Church of Deliverance or most of its first 20 years of exis- In 1989, the Commission designated an oth- tence, the Commission on Chicago erwise nondescript, two-story building at 2120 Landmarks has been largely con- South Michigan Avenue as a Chicago Landmark, cerned with the protection of the due to its use between 1957 and 1967 by Chess city's world-famous collection of late-19th and Records, one of the principal music labels associ- early-20th century architecture: the skyscrapers ated with the development of American blues and and early commercial buildings of the Loop, the rock and roll. And, in 1994, a former hat factory mansions of the Gold Coast and the Near South building at 4315 South Wabash Avenue was given Side, and a variety of Prairie School residences. city landmark status, partly because of the impor- On at least two occasions in the last few tance of its longtime occupant, the First Church of years, however, the Commission has headed in an Deliverance, to the development of American entirely new direction, from the well-traveled gospel music in the 1930s and 1940s. paths of architects Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd The process of landmarking these two build- Wright to that of such influential musicians as ings, particularly in the case of Chess and its inte- Chuck Berry, Dinah Washington, and Muddy rior design, has proven to be a new and Waters. enlightening challenge that has altered the way the 10 CRM NY 8s—1995