Issue link: http://digital.corporatepress.com/i/344186
APPA member institutions are home to hundreds of buildings of historic and cultural value on the local, state, and national levels. But preserving this heritage is not a straightforward matter. It is filled with questions, such as how to understand what is truly valuable and how best to renovate these structures, not only for heritage preservation but also for safety and accessibility and for continued service to the evolving needs of the institution. "We don't preserve just to preserve," declares Larry Zitzow, director of facilities management at the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks. "We preserve what has continued mean- ing, value, and purpose." "We are responsible for stewardship of buildings that are truly historic," says Scott Bitikofer, director of facilities manage- ment at Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida, "but also we are responsible to provide continuous service to society and to make education affordable. We can't be frivolous to preserve every- thing at all costs. We have to find a balance to serve multiple constituencies well. We can be sensitive to historic facilities with- out being chained to them. We need to find a balance between preserving the best of the old and not be so constrained we are precluded from successfully fulfilling our core mission." Nevertheless, as George Eckhardt, campus planner at Colo- rado College, Colorado Springs, says, "The significant historic buildings embody the traditions of the college, attract new students, and maintain emotional ties between alums and the institution—an important connection for the economic survival of a college or university." Definitions of "significant historic buildings" can vary from local to state to national levels. Also, there are official indica- tors of historic/cultural importance for which campuses may apply. For information on the U.S. National Park Services' National Register of Historic Places, see http://www.cr.nps.gov/ nr/; for National Historic Landmarks, see http://www.nps.gov/ nhl/. There are also State Preservation Offices, state historical societies—and local preservation groups that who don't wait to be applied to but can be the most vocal groups the campus has to deal with. Even within this article's sampling of 11 campuses (all have some National Register designations; a few have National Historic Landmarks), there are very different approaches to preservation and renovation. For example, the University of California, Berkeley has somewhat streamlined its approach. "We treat [all] eligible buildings (over 50 years old) as if they were on the National Register," says Emily Marthinsen, as- sistant vice chancellor, physical & environmental planning. "Using consulting preservation experts, we prepare Historic Structures Reports or assessments on all of these buildings when renovation is planned." Some institutions have master plans for heritage preserva- tion and some do not. Bitikofer says that Rollins has no written policies on historic buildings "because there are such large and diverse considerations…it comes down to judgment, and any policy would become either too restrictive or irrelevant; every situation is unique. We have plenty of buildings we would never contemplate taking down." On the other hand, Eckhardt says that, had Colorado College had a master plan in place a few decades ago, administrators or the board of trustees at the time might not have been able to unilaterally decide to demolish some fine old buildings in favor of new construction. CARING FOR Preserving a Heritage, Renovating for the Future Historic Buildings Facilities Manager | july/august 2014 | 31 By Anita Blumenthal