The Historic Landmarks Foundation of
Indiana has added four new structures and an architectural feature to its annual list of the 10 Most Endangered Hoosier landmarks.
Additions to the list include the Indiana Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Children’s Home in Knightstown, Jacobs Wild Animal
Circus Barns in Peru, the Old Perry County Courthouse in Rome and the Snow Hill Covered Bridge in Franklin County. The only
Indianapolis structure to make this year's list is Bush Stadium (shown above), the former home of the Indianapolis Indians,
which also made the list last year. One of the Top 10 was not a building but rather an architectural feature. The Foundation
says historic windows are being replaced at "an alarming rate" mainly due to attempts at energy efficiency. "Well-maintained
original windows will last much longer than vinyl replacements, sparing landfills of both the originals and the replacements,"
the Foundation says. "In this era of necessary thrift and conservation consciousness, Historic Landmarks suggests returning
to the save-and-repair ethic of earlier generations rather than falling for sales pitches that result in waste and drastic
loss of architectural significance." The Foundation removed three structures that appeared on last year's list— Indianapolis
Public School #97, the Colgate-Palmolive factory complex and giant clock in Clarksville and the Jennings Building in New Castle.
Here's the full list:
1. Historic windows, statewide
2. Indiana Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Children’s Home, Knightstown
3. Jacobs Wild Animal Circus Barns, Peru
4. Old Perry County Courthouse, Rome
5. Snow Hill Covered Bridge, Franklin County
6. Bush Stadium, Indianapolis
7. Old Lowell School, Lowell
8. Maple Grove Road Rural Historic District, Bloomington
9. Syracuse Depot, Syracuse
10. Washington Avenue Historic District, Evansville
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The point is that we should be more forward thinking, and stop valuing old stuff just because it is old. While vinyl windows may not be one of them, occasionally, new products actually exceed EVERY performance standard met by a historic product. And the window market is no different. Each situation warrants an appropriate solution, but there is no catch all fix for the window issue.
My point is, there's a quality of life factor in the cost of those replacement windows. And having had an interior leaded-glass door reworked, I'm going to guess getting old windows refurbished ain't exactly cheap either.
If done correctly , it could be the centerpiece amenity of a one-of-kind neighborhood with more character and appeal than a developer could ever hope to build from scratch.
I'll also just point out that Indy is adept at tearing down great structures, but not so skilled at replacing them with anything worthwile.
Half of downtown's gone and been replaced with beautiful parking lots, for pete's sake. And all in the name of civic improvement. :-)
And yes, vinyl replacements are ugly. I have seen them all. If you can't see the difference in details, shadow lines and profiles, walk around your neighborhood. Many of your neighbors can. My own street is a mess and the old-timers here aren't happy when vinyl people move in and ruin another house.
On the lighter side, it's sad that people don't realize that having a real carpenter disassemble and re-pack leaky double-hungs to new condition is almost always less expensive. My guess is that it's just easier to find contractors who know how to replace windows than it is to find carpenters who know how to fix wood windows. We're just a lazy society.
For those belly-aching about having to clean old windows, there's even a system for converting historic windows to tilt in; though it makes much more sense to me to just hire someone to clean them. You could hire someone for the next 50 years to clean your windows and not spend what you would on replacements.
Even simple windows are of a quality that can't be reproduced today. Old windows are made from old-growth wood; not the farmed, fast-growing wood that you get today. There are decent replacements, but I'd argue they don't compare to that old-growth wood. And the fact of the matter is, most people who are replacing their windows aren't buying the better replacements; most are buying the bargain-bin units at Lowe's, even if the window doesn't fit their opening.
I'd urge anyone considering replacing their windows to not rule restoration out without looking into it first. I've seen time and time again that it is the less expensive alternative. You can also feel good about supporting the local economy by hiring a local craftsman to carry out the restoration work. Restoration always generates more for the local economy than replacement because it's more labor-intensive.
The National Trust has some good reading on this topic, if anyone is interested: http://www.preservationnation.org/issues/sustainability/additional-resources/July2008WindowsTipSheet.pdf
You can also do a search of their website for much more.
I searched for hours for information online and asked everyone I knew for additional contacts, but there just isn't anything reliable out there. From what I can see, the only projects actually reusing historic windows are the ones forced to for historic registration or tax credit purposes. Or very committed historic preservationists. Historic windows are the best, but they are not very convenient.
Lewis Brothers, Inc., Viper Ky (606) 439-4618
http://www.re-view.biz/
http://www.turnerrestoration.com/
http://www.seekirchersteelwindow.com/
Consider the arguement for preserving much of the original grandstand and expanding and converting it to other purposes (office, labratory, possibly residential.) These projects are always controversial but still superior to demolish.
JG, I am not talking about sports entertainment, whatever that is, I am talking about baseball. Yesterday I tried to listen to a baseball game online between two teams that are now controlled by the corporate entity Major League Baseball. I couldn't do it. They are ruining their own business preventing the world from hearing baseball games. Perry Stadium isn't controlled by Major League Baseball, thank God. Play baseball there without Major League Baseball involved and you have a worldwide audience immediately both audio and video.
1819! French was still being spoken in Indiana at that time!
In the end I think the authentic, historic windows are worth the cost, they add too much historic value to the building to replace. But it is not as easy as people say.