Public Buildings Should Set the Standard
by Edward McMahon
OR YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE ABOVE ARTICLE PLUS
Public Buildings: A Postcard Collection
prepared by the Editor
Until the last half of the 20th century, key public buildings were almost always designed and built to be focal points of their communities. Unfortunately, in recent decades the trend has been to build cheaply in peripheral locations. Ed McMahon explores the long-term costs that result. With Sidebars on public buildings, good and bad, across the country. Plus a closer look at the State of Texas' innovative program for preserving its county courthouses.
The Planning Commissioners Journal has also prepared a six-page, full-color, display of old linen postcard images of some twenty public buildings (county courthouses, libraries, city halls, post offices, schools, and more) from across the country. This postcard collection is designed to supplement McMahon's article, and is available for downloading for a small additional charge.
This article is also available as part of our
collection of articles; delivery by 1st class mail.
From PCJ #41, Winter 2001
for instructions on downloading
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| Even basic public buildings -- such as this fire station in the small town of Port Royal, South Carolina -- can be designed with care, and add to a community's character. |
Read excerpt from article:
People appreciate public buildings that express the dignity, permanence, and importance of civic institutions, and which harmonize with their surroundings. In recent years, there have been a growing number of instances where communities have demanded higher quality in the design of new public buildings and resisted efforts to move post offices, city halls, and other civic institutions to out-of-the-way locations.
Communities have also increasingly resisted the "cheaper is better" approach and demanded higher quality in the design of new public buildings. Warren County, Virginia, for example, recently resisted an effort to move its courthouse out of downtown Front Royal to a greenfield site along a highway outside of town. Instead, Warren County renovated its historic courthouse and built a beautiful, architecturally compatible addition to it.
Keeping the courthouse downtown did cost more, but Warren County officials realized that there is a big difference between cost and value. Downtown is the heart and soul of any community and the cornerstone of civic identity. A public commitment to staying downtown encourages private businesses to do the same.
By rehabilitating and expanding its existing facilities, the county helped to stabilize the downtown, increased the value of nearby properties and uses, and ensured that existing infrastructure would be used more efficiently. On the other hand, if the County had moved its offices out of downtown, private businesses would have followed. Keeping the courthouse in the core helped both the Town and the County.
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