Keeping
Time: The History and Theory of Preservation in America
by
William J. Murtagh
This
popular classic on preservation in America returns to print in a revised
edition as part of the distinguished Preservation Press series. Written
by the first Keeper of the National Register for Historic Places, it
remains the quintessential textbook of graduate and college-level courses
in Historic Preservation and Architectural History. Features 75 black-and-white
photographs that underline relevant issues and events in American community
preservation, plus three reference appendices of legal, historical and
practice information.
William
Murtagh, the first Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places,
presents an effective portrait of the preservation movement by looking
into the values underlying the efforts to safeguard America's architectural
heritage, including the development of legislation and court action. A
section on the National Trust for Historic Preservation explains how this
private, non-profit organization created in the 1940s has expanded its
services and goals parallel with changes in the national preservation
movement.
The Publisher
Since
1812, when architect Robert Mills drew up plans for rebuilding the steeple
of Independence Hall, the impulse to preserve historic American sites
and buildings has snowballed. Today tens of thousands of buildings and
some 5000 historic districts are recognized by the federally coordinated
National Register of Historic Places. In part an illustrated historical
survey, in part a handbook for civic activists, this primer by the first
Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places traces the shift in
the preservation movement from the restoration of isolated landmarks and
houses where ``Washington slept,'' to an emphasis on outdoor museums (Old
Salem, N.C.; Sturbridge Village, Mass.) and, in recent years, a concern
for the neighborhood in which a building stands. Through a case study
of the Historic Savannah Foundation, which has saved some 1000 buildings
in that city, Murtagh illustrates how the public can treat the built environment
as a conservable national resource.
From Publisher's Weekly
A
single volume offerng a synopsis of the history of the preservation movement,
an analysis of the relevant data, and a discussion of the key issues facing
preservationists...informative and well written
The Public Historian
William
J. Murtagh has held pivotal positions in the field of historic preservation
for more than 30 years. He has served as the first Keeper of the National
Register of Historic Places, Department of the Interior, and has been
Vice President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and President
of the Victorian Society in America. He directed the Preservation Program
at Columbia University, and initiated Preservation Programs at the University
of Maryland and the University of Hawaii.
Keeping
Time: The History and Theory of Preservation in America is available
from John Wiley & Sons (ISBN 0-471-18240-0) for $29.95 in paperback.
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