Neighborhood Preservation: Responding when entire neighborhoods are lost

NPC Newsletter March 25, 2025

Taking in Loss. California Wildfires.

Recovering from natural disasters lingers on for days, months and even years. For preservation professionals and community organizations, planning forward movement often requires sitting down to acknowledge new losses and uncertainties. Through this burden of loss, three words become the mantra: focus on mission. We recently spoke with the President and CEO of the Los Angeles Conservancy, Adrian Scott Fine about the continuing efforts of the communities of Altadena and Palisades to recover from the devastating effects of January’s wildfires. 

Listening

The natural intent to get to work right away was impossible when entire blocks were decimated, buildings utterly destroyed, and residents displaced. Furthermore, Palisades and Altadena are distinct communities, each with iconic cultural sites and histories and with different resources and abilities to rebound. Determining the best step forward in restoring and rebuilding required a deep understanding of what residents identified as critical traits of their neighborhoods. The Conversancy determined that the first step forward was gathering with residents and members of the communities to hear about what they lost and their hopes for the future. This first step in listening to the people whose lives had been impacted reverberates across state lines for any community that has faced such devastation.

Marking Intangible Community Identity

What stood out in the responses for Altadena was the significant obliteration of intangible cultural touchstones when the fires destroyed small businesses and other spaces that acted as anchors for the community's distinctive identity. In listening to residents and stakeholders, a particular directive emerged - the need to create surveys that map out not only physical structures on the landscape, but elements of the built and natural environment tied to individual neighborhoods that are inherently bound to the daily life of local residents and therefore, their community identity.

The Conservancy has embarked on a grant-funded project to create a detailed map of Altadena. More than just a cultural resource survey, the goal is to document the unique elements of neighborhoods - places, businesses and organizations that create a specific sense of place. In putting back together the story of lost heritage, there is also the hope that these types of surveys can play a future role in protecting landmarks and intangible resources in the face of natural disasters. Officials might be able to use these maps to guide the preservation of important local community heritage resources during emergencies.

Left and Above: The Little Red Hen Coffee Shop, a cornerstone business for 70 years, reduced to rubble by Eaton fire in Alta Dena. Images from Compton Chamber of Commerce.

Above: Will Rogers State Historic Park home of the iconic actor, writer, and philanthropist, Will Rogers. The ranch was destroyed in Palisades Fire. Photos from Will Rogers Ranch Foundation

Additional Resources and Conference Related to Disaster Recovery in Historic Preservation:

New York State Preservation League – The NYS Preservation League has compiled a list of resources, case studies, and more related to the impacts of natural disasters on our built and intangible heritage. One case study, focuses on the restoration of Long Beach Island after Hurricane Sandy – an area that relied on heritage to supplement the tourism industry, a critical aspect of the communities' economic health. 

East Carolina University, Hurricane Helene Documentation – Students from ECU have, similar to the LA Conservancy, begun a survey and documentation process of the heritage spaces lost to Hurricane Helene. Working alongside the Preservation Society of Asheville, they began a pedestrian survey of the historic sites in Montreat, North Carolina in January. Students and researchers will take photos of all structures that sustained damage during the storm in the city, which contains around 300 historic properties alone. 

Pratt Institute: Near Future Flooding and Cultural Heritage in New York City -Flooding in New York City is a concern for many residents, and for many heritage professionals aware of the dense cultural history that exists citywide. In this student project from 2016, a map was created that includes floodplain data alongside the individual landmarks currently designated in the city. In analyzing the map, it’s clear that different levels of flooding predicted for the city will eventually begin to impact designated sites and districts registered. Documentation and survey projects like these will prove more and more critical in the heritage field as we continue to see the effects of natural disasters on our built environment. 

2025 New York Statewide Preservation Conference

Session: Climate Change Related Disaster Planning at Hanford Mills Museum, Wednesday, May 7th, 2025

• Speaker Amy Bracewell, the National Park Service Superintendent for the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, Martin Van Buren, and the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Sites in Upstate New York will be speaking at the New York Statewide Preservation Conference on May 7th about the processes behind creating a Flood Preparedness Plan for Hanford Mills Museum. 

The City of Salem and the Salem Historical Commission: Preserving Salem

Preservation in a Changing Climate Conference, September 17th, 2025

• Preserving Salem has been hosting this conference since 2021, focusing on the intersections of climate change mitigation and historic preservation by featuring presenters focusing on subjects like coastal resilience, managed retreat planning, and decarbonizing historic structures. The next iteration of this conference will occur this fall. 

Have a question or idea about your neighborhood preservation project?

Share your thoughts, suggestions, or resources by emailing us at:

info@nycnpc.org

NPC Newsletter Contributors

L. Danielle Cylich: NPC Board Chair, Danielle is always ready to share enthusiasm about the rich history and beauty found in the built environment and the people who inhabit our neighborhoods, and in protecting our natural resources.

Shannen Smiley: An early-career professional, Shannen's work has been motivated by the intersections of social justice and heritage, with a particular interest in broadening the accessibility of preservation tools. 

The Neighborhood Preservation Center is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing and enabling conversations about the need for community space - both physical and virtual - in order to improve the urban environment and quality of life.

We work to facilitate mutually beneficial connections between like-minded groups in the livable cities sector, share resources and champion neighborhoods.