Managing the Magic of Old Places - by Jeremy Wells (Paperback)

About the Book

"From 1849 to the early 1980s, fewer than one hundred highly educated, White, European and American men created what became today's US federal historic preservation policy. Jeremy C. Wells argues that the orthodox historic preservation doctrine that this lineage formulated has too long dominated federal policy and watered down the richness of laypeople's relationships to their own heritage. Instead, Wells envisions a more just and inclusive public preservation policy grounded in community-based participatory practice and the social sciences-especially environmental psychology-to understand and actualize the experiential work of preservation and the "magic of old places" that is its object"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

From 1849 to the early 1980s, the development of US historic preservation policy was shaped by fewer than one hundred elite White men from Europe and America. This orthodox preservation doctrine has too long silenced the vibrant, experiential relationships between everyday people and their heritage. Managing the Magic of Old Places: Crafting Public Policies for People-Centered Historic Preservation offers a radical rethinking of how historic preservation is approached in the United States.

Author Jeremy C. Wells argues for a revolutionary shift in federal preservation policy-one that embraces community-based participatory practice and draws from environmental psychology to tap into the intangible, emotional connections people have with old places. Wells highlights the experiential values that laypeople often ascribe to historic environments, which are frequently dismissed by expert-driven policies. He contends that if historic preservation policy continues to ignore these aspects, the field will lose relevance as the gap between professionals and the public widens. Drawing from interdisciplinary research in the social sciences, particularly phenomenology and environmental psychology, Wells's vision of public preservation policy centers the lived experiences of communities, reinvigorating the field and ensuring that the preservation of historic places resonates with a wider, more inclusive audience.

Wells positions his work within the growing field of critical heritage studies, yet his focus on the psychological and emotional aspects of preservation distinguishes it as a unique contribution. By placing the needs and experiences of the public at the heart of preservation efforts, Wells critiques the historical foundations of US preservation policy while offering a bold agenda for reform.

About the Author

JEREMY C. WELLS, Ph.D., is an artist-scholar and a built heritage/historic preservation public policy consultant. He was recently an associate professor of historic preservation with the School of Architecture at the University of Maryland. When he is not consulting, he creates electronic music as Novit Terminus.