In the high-pressure business of preserving our national monuments, historical building restoration often gets carried out as an extremely exclusive corporate deal. Of course, we feel it’s common knowledge that if a giant piece of federal property goes through an expensive architectural renovation, it will automatically mean closing everything down administratively, surrounding grandiose marble structures with sterile building scaffolding and keeping regular people out for years on end.
However, this typical and closed-door approach does not take into consideration the very real link between public monuments and civic identity. Before a historical monument can inspire generations or teach students from visiting classes, it needs to be accessible to those communities who travel miles to reach under its shelter.
