In the wake of hurricane Katrina, I mourn and I worry. I mourn the loss of lives, both human and animal, and I worry about the ongoing, but fractured, lives of the survivors.
I also mourn for and worry about the rich array of historic southern houses - from ante-bellum plantations to modest shotgun houses - that have been and may yet be lost.
Some historic houses, such as the recently renovated Dantzler House in Biloxi, Mississippi, have been completely destroyed.
Others, such as Jefferson Davis’s home Beauvoir, also near Biloxi, sustained massive damage.
Large, well-known homes such as Beauvior, owned by foundations or conservancies, almost certainly will be restored, if at all possible. The open question is what will happen to smaller or less famous historic homes, still privately owned, that have been damaged by the hurricane. The American Institute of Architects and the National Trust for Historic Preservation are working for the reintroduction of the Historic Homeownership Assistance Act.
The Historic Homeownership Assistance Act would allow homeowners who occupy their dwellings to qualify for a 30 percent tax credit for rehabilitating or repairing their historic property affected by Hurricane Katrina. The State Historic Preservation Officer would certify that the expenditures are consistent with the Secretary of the Interior�s �Standards for Historic Preservation� and meet the qualifications of the preservation law. The property would have to be �substantially rehabilitated� to qualify for the credit, so a minimum of $5,000 must be spent on the repairs. Lastly, the proposal recognizes that disaster-related circumstances will preclude some individuals from taking advantage of the credit, so there is a provision that would allow low-income homeowners to receive a refund in excess of their tax liability.
If this bill is successfully reintroduced, I’ll be letting my Congressman and Senators know that I support its passage. Will you?
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Supporting private preservation – “The open question is what will happen to smaller or less famous historic homes, still privately owned, that have been damaged by the hurricane.?
Waiting for Rita – “We’ve got jugs and bottles for water…
i fear that the last best example of racially segregated american urban life mb lost here… i mean, c’mon, without the old-fashioned ghettoes of new orleans, what will new england cities in decline model themselves after, johannesburg?
I’ve been in a lot of these antebellum homes that have been lovingly preserved. The architecture is amazing and the engineering they were able to do with air flow and lighting is better than homes designed today. European countries have worked hard to preserve and rebuild their heritage in architecture, we should do no less.
I agree with srp–these houses are part of our history, cultural and architectural. They need to be saved just as books and other written tracts need to be preserved (and saved).