One would hardly expect a group such as the Preservation Alliance of Virginia to release a report that says historic preservation is bad for business, and so a consultant’s report released by the alliance this week comes as no surprise. The report says preservation of historic sites is good for economic development.
The timing of the report was unapologetically linked to General Assembly elections, because the alliance wants more state financial support for historic preservation. Even with the bias acknowledged up front, the report should not be dismissed.
Colonial Williamsburg offers the most obvious and impressive example of the economic benefits of historic preservation, but Virginians, with their appreciation of history and wealth of historic sites, should not be blinded to smaller opportunities because CW shines so brightly. The alliance report should be of special interest to Newport News residents as they consider the proposal to move War Memorial Museum to the northern part of the city to take advantage of historic sites there. A new museum near Civil War earthworks and Endview Plantation could be quite a tourist attraction.
The point to remember is that economic development doesn’t have to mean only industrial or commercial development. Tourism is an industry, one that responds to the state’s physical beauty, such as the Chesapeake Bay, as well as to its historic attractions. Both should be protected for their intrinsic value as well as their value in generating jobs and tax dollars.
