Rosemary P. Miller Lecture Series - Behind the Facade of Historic Preservation: Gay Sensibility and
May 2, 2014 |
May is National Preservation Month and the Bloomington Historic Preservation Commission and the Monroe County Historic Preservation Board of Review begin their month of activities with the Rosemary P. Miller Lecture Series. The evening will feature author Will Fellows, whose book, A Passion to Preserve, documents a spontaneous American social movement heretofore neglected by the people who write history.
In the mid-20th century, a loose alliance of gay men moved into blighted urban areas where more traditional family groups were least likely to venture. Fellows's book recognizes the impact of innumerable private decisions on the revitalization of older neighborhoods. This unprompted and unstructured movement brought about needed reinvestment in areas that had been leveraged for income and abandoned by former property owners. Fellows points out that this was not a result of government programming or social engineering; it was the natural response of this particular demographic to craftsmanship, quality, rarity, and value. He places gay men in the pantheon of historic preservation leaders including the early women's groups who championed the protection of patriotic sites at the very start of the preservation movement.
At a time when federal assistance for preservation activities is at an all-time low, it is significant to remind people that the bulk of work in most historic neighborhoods is done one house at a time. As a consequence of this work, vast areas of town have been reclaimed as vital neighborhoods, contributing to a re-imagining of urban living for the next generation.
Mr. Fellows’s presentation is free and open to the public and is funded by the Cornelius O’Brien Lecture Series concerning Historic Preservation administered by the National Council on Public History. Theater rental is supported in part by BEAD and the City of Bloomington through the Buskirk-Chumley Theater Grant Program. Fellows's books are available for purchase at the BCT Box Office, 114 E. Kirkwood Avenue. The box office is open 11am-6pm Monday-Friday and noon-5pm Saturday and Sunday.
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Website:
www.bloomington.in.gov |
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| Location Information |
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Buskirk-Chumley Theater |
114 E. Kirkwood Ave.
Bloomington, IN 47401 |
| Website:
http:/buskirkchumley.org |
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| Contact Information |
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Nancy Hiestand |
| Email:
hiestann@bloomington.in.gov |
| Phone:
812-349-3507 |
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