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A Case Study of the Demolition of the Historic Wall Street Church: Lessons in Preservation, Deconstruction, and Policy

Other Titles
A Case Study of the Demolition of the Historic Wall Street Church Lessons in Preservation, Deconstruction, and Policy
Author
Rearick, Jason
Abstract
In June of 2021, a 135-year-old church in Auburn, NY - a National Register of Historic Places listed building - was demolished. A church that spanned three centuries of history now takes up space in a landfill. What can we learn from this and how could this have been avoided so we can better retain our history, cultural heritage, environment, and economy for generations? Through a FOIL request, I ascertained the City of Auburn’s actions. I conducted interviews with experts. I investigated the context of the church, historic preservation law, and the potential for deconstruction as a form of preservation. I found the main barriers were the property owner’s inaction and the City’s lack of sufficient policy frameworks to detect problematic structures early on then intervene in a productive manner to avoid wasteful demolitions. Lastly, a lack of interest from a developer to lift a struggling neighborhood sealed its demise.
Sponsorship
Susan Christopherson Center for Community Planning
Date Issued
2022-05Subject
demolition; deconstruction; preservation; building reuse; embodied carbon; policy
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
Type
case study dissertation or thesis report
Accessibility Hazard
none
The following license files are associated with this item:
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International