The Ghent Neighborhood League and Historic Preservation
The Ghent Neighborhood League advocates for the responsible stewardship of our historic neighborhood. Our position is that every historic building in Ghent, whether commercial, civic or residential, is precious and irreplaceable.
We understand that as a lively and contemporary community it is sometimes necessary to incorporate modern infrastructure and facilities within our historic district. We insist that this can be done hand in hand with unswerving dedication to the preservation of our historic architecture.
It’s clear that historic preservation makes good economic sense. Communities that protect and honor their historic buildings are communities people want to visit and live in.
In a ‘throw away and replace’ world historic preservation teaches us that saving the architectural past is a gift to the future.
Helpful Links to Historic Preservation Information
Why Preservation? What are the benefits? - Preservation Virginia
Practical Reasons to save old buildings - National Trust for Historic Preservation
Historic Preservation Economic Impact - U.S. National Park Service
What are the benefits of preservation? - John Canning, preservationist
Historic Preservation Links - U.S. Department of the Interior
Norfolk Preservation Collective
If we don’t care about our past we cannot hope for the future….. I care desperately about saving old buildings.
-Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis
At its best preservation engages the past in a conversation with the present over a mutual concern for the future.
-Willian Murtagh
There may have been a time when preservation was about saving an old building here or there, but those days are gone. Preservation is in the business of saving communities and the values they embody.
-Richard Moe, National Trust