| The Historic Beacon Hill District, the oldest historic district in Massachusetts, was designated in1955by an Act of the Massachusetts Legislature. There were few studies about the formation and preservation of the district in the Academic circle by now, so the analysis and summary of the unique way of Beacon Hill preservation could give the historic preservation in China some enlightenment.As early as1630s, the Puritans who were suffered religious persecution came to Plymouth, Massachusetts, and then moved to the place we called Beacon Hill today. In the mid-18th century, Boston massacre and Battle of Bunker Hill outbroke, and Beacon Hill became the fort of the battles due to its predominant geological location.1795became the turn point of Beacon Hill with the construction of the new State House and the formation of the Mount Vernon Proprietors. Consisting of six prominent Boston citizens, the Mount Vernon Proprietors was one of the earliest land development operations in the country. They planned the land reclamation project in Beacon Hill and designed buildings in this area, transformed the rugged mountain area into mild slopes, and changed Shawmut from town to metropolis. One of the proprietors, Charles Bulfinch, was known as renowned architect, designed lots of famous buildings on Beacon Hill. This district was the center of abolitionists in the antislavery movement which occurred in the middle of the19th century, and African Meeting House became a pivotal center in the political fight against slavery. In the meanwhile, Beacon Hill is populated by artists, writers, poets and politicians, who laid culturally a solid foundation for the district and gained a reputation for being Beacon Hill Brahmins and Bohemians.In the first half of the19th century, the building industry on Beacon Hill was flourishing due to the operation and management by Mount Vernon Proprietors. Still largely residential, the structures on Beacon Hill showcase several different styles and are the work of a number of notable architects, such as the Charles Bulfinch, Asher Benjamin, and Alexander Parris. While the Greek revival and Federal styles were most popular during this period, Queen Ann, Italianate, Egyptian revival and American Gothic Revival styles could also be found. By the first half of20th century, Beacon Hill included three areas, i.e., South slope, North Slope, and the flat of the hill. All of these elements made Beacon Hill a living portrait in downtown area of Boston. With regard to the preservation of these cultural heritages, the relevant organizations of Historic Beacon Hill District have accumulated many successful experiences, also have got some painful lessons. For instance, the Hancock manor, which built in1737had been a masterpiece in architectural design, was demolished by government in1863because of the capital shortages.In the20th century, the public and government noticed the abundant historical and cultural resources in Beacon Hill, so the community organization, residents, government and nonprofit organization worked together to protect Beacon Hill, and gradually formed its own way of preservation which become a model and be copied by other districts, we call it "Beacon Hill preservation mode". Generally speaking, this mode is composed of three aspects which are management, public participation and architectural guidelines. Specifically, in the management aspect, the government of Boston city is responsible to review all the proposed exterior works, and the community organization mainly is in charge of daily routine; in the public participation aspect, the residents, volunteer, and non-profit organizations actively involved in the preservation activities; in the preservation principle aspect, the district government has its own architectural guidelines to maintain the district as a landmark in the history of architecture and as a tangible reminder of old Boston.Residents of the district are the main driving force of the preservation movement in Beacon Hill. In the second half of19th century, the pubic realized the importance of historic preservation since they lost the famous Hancock Mansion. The First Battle of the Bricks occurred in1921marked the beginning of public involvement of preservation, and it was also the origin of the founding of the community organization------Beacon Hill Civic Association (BHCA). The BHCA played a key role in preservation movement and initiating preservation legislation on the Beacon Hill Historic District. In1955, the law put south slope into historic district, set up the Beacon Hill Architectural Commission, and required property owners to obtain the Commission’s permission for the exterior work. In1958, the activists expanded the district to include the flat of the hill. In the middle of20th century, the urban renewal project of West End started, and the north slope of Beacon Hill was confronted with being demolished. By1963, North Slope was also included in the district, and Beacon Hill was integrally preserved. Nowadays, BHCA and activists are still playing the key role in the district, working together to preserve the district and promoting the development of the educational, cultural, economic and general welfare.One of the important parts of "Beacon Hill preservation mode" is government management. In1955, an Act of the Massachusetts State Legislature designated Historic Beacon Hill District, and created Beacon Hill Architectural Commission (BHAC) which belongs to Boston Landmarks Commission (BLC) nowadays to supervise the preservation works in the district. Under the terms of the legislation, no buildings seen from a public way can be altered in any way without the approval of the BHAC. This management mode significantly improved the professional level of preservation, effectively solved the problem of losing historical information, and well preserved the historical and cultural character. Moreover, the Massachusetts state government created lots of programs to support the preservation projects in the state, i.e., Massachusetts Preservation Project Fund, Massachusetts Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit, etc. These projects aimed to encourage property owners to actively preserve historic buildings, and lots of residents in Beacon Hill benefited from them.The non-profit organizations of Beacon Hill or other areas in Boston also contribute to the preservation of Beacon Hill. As a volunteer organization, BHCA helps to preserve and enhance the quality of life on Beacon Hill, and to protect historic residential character of this district. By providing the volunteers and internship with opportunities, the BHCA keeps its focus on zoning, licensing, traffic, parking, and neighborhood cleanliness, and all of these made BHCA the main organization for the district’s daily management. Besides BHCA, Historic New England also helps to promote historic preservation of the district. In1910, William Sumner Appleton founded the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, known today as Historic New England (HNE). The organization is a museum of cultural history which has collected and preserved buildings, landscapes, and objects dating from the seventeenth century to the present and used them to keep history alive and to help people to develop a deeper understanding and enjoyment of New England life and appreciation for its preservation. The organization acquired the first Otis House as headquarter in1916which located at Beacon Hill Historic District, and preserved it as historic house museum. Moreover, some public education program of HNE also related to Beacon Hill, to help people to understand the history and culture of the district.In technological respect, the act regulated that the BHAC determine whether the proposed change is appropriate to the preservation of the district, and the commission developed Historic Beacon Hill District Architectural Guidelines on the basis of The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. The guidelines based on authenticity, described the specific standards to preserve a historic building, including masonry, roof structures, windows, sash, shutters, doors and entries, etc.All in all, the success of Beacon Hill preservation primarily benefits from the activists, after that, with the joint efforts of residents, preservationists and nonprofit organizations, the government introduced preservation laws to prevent the historic buildings in the district from destruction, established specialized agency to manage the district, and developed the architectural guidelines to protect the historic information. After fifty years of the development, Historic Beacon Hill District has formed its unique way of preservation, and provided references for other historic districts in Boston.But, Beacon Hill Preservation Mode has limitations also. We can see from the practices that this mode overemphasize static preservation which focus on exclusive control and protection, reduce commercial exploitation, deprives historic area of extension of conforming to urban transformation. This kind of preservation is necessary, but to keep the life vitality of sustainable development of a historic district needs positive dynamic preservation. That year after year, rich people and preservationists moved out from Beacon Hill, and lots of residents today are barely know the history and culture of the district, could easily cause decline of the district. Urban renewal is always an issue for historic cities at home and abroad. To stop the decline of historic areas in a city, the government needs to enhance the preservation consciousness of the public, adjust thinking and take necessary measures, to achieve the sustainable dynamic preservation. |
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