Lori and I recently returned from four days in the Savannah, Georgia area. We spent much time on Tybee Island, a sunny gem located about 18 miles east of Savannah. (If you ever get out to Tybee do make it a point to visit The Crab Shack; it's the epitome of "low country" cuisine and lots of fun.).
While most American cities in the 1970s were abandoning historic properties and replacing them with cul-de-sacs, sprawl garbage and grotesque architecture that now makes up the urban landscape, Savannah was beginning the process of restoring and reusing its historic structures. Much of this was the result of the efforts of the Savannah College of Art and Design, which put massive resources into the preservation of the city. Savannah's status as a major international port city also helped provide the resources necessary to redevelop the historic district.
Savannah has the same problems (i.e. crime, not enough high wage jobs) that can be found in all urban areas. But what separates Savannah from most cities, and I'll call this the Savannah Lesson, is that they have created a city worth caring about. The ethic of preserve and reuse is deeply entrenched to the point where even new developments are forced to conform to architectural standards consistent with the classic structures.
In Savannah there's an ethic of preservation, the most beautiful homes are easily accessible via sidewalk and you find porta-potties in public parks. In Oshkosh our first instinct is to close buildings that have not been well maintained (see "Scenario 7"), just placing sidewalks in neighborhoods with nice homes is controversial and we had to have golden commodes in Riverside Park. So much for the progressive midwest!
5 comments:
Tony,
I wish I knew you were down in this neck of the woods. Too bad you left so early, there's a free concert of the Neville Brothers and Ziggy Marley today at Forsyth Park.
The historic district definately is very walkable. However, there are also some things that are wrong with Savannah as well. All the neighborhoods outside the historic district do not have sidewalks. This leads people in cars dodging pedestrians all the time because people find it necessary to walk in the middle of the street. Also, for some reason they don't really recycle here. I find that most troubling.
Hmm. Savannah. I lived there for two years. I compare Savannah to what Ronald Reagan said, or Eddie Murphy impersonating Ronald Reagan said, about the Soviet Union. "Well, it's a nice place to visit, but I sure wouldn't want to live there!" Even if both of those citations are woefully inaccurate, it's a perfectly applicable line. Savannah is a nice place to visit. Unfortunately, it's also Savannah. Savannah is in Georgia. Much of it has a reality-distortion field much like what Madison does (I lived there a long time), yet very different. At its heart, Madison has the state capitol and the largest UW campus. Savannah is centered around the Historic District, tourism (those two are one and the same), and SCAD, the art college. They create a unique atmosphere that is well served by the tall old oak trees draped with Spanish moss and the hot, humid air. But as you said, there's a lack of jobs, which couples with the lower educational standards to make a powerful snare that effectively traps many who do not have sufficient education (H.S.D) to qualify for a decent job. Much like here in Milwaukee.
I know there are happy people in Savanah, and I know it's more complicated than what I portrayed here. And while I survived my time there, I don't foresee going back to visit.
There is one happy memory I have of Savannah: boiled peanuts. My then-wife and I were coming back from the beach on Tybee Island and stopped at a roadside shack to buy a bag of boiled peanuts. We practically made ourselves sick on them, but we loved every bite of the salty mash the boiled peanuts become in your mouth.
Aerque,
We saw the signs for Neville and Ziggy. Should be a great show!
And yes, Savannah's historic district and the neighborhoods around it are not the same. But unlike most cities, Savannah's historic district is more than just a few blocks (I believe it stretches for 2.5 miles) and so quite a bit of the city is pedestrian friendly.
At least they are good at recycling buildings, which is one of the major lessons we can learn from them.
Tony said "In Oshkosh our first instinct is to close buildings that have not been well maintained (see "Scenario 7"),"
This is HARDLY our FIRST instinct since the issue has been discussed for 10 years and the way things are going as reported in the paper, not likely to happen anyway. Saving a historic building for tourists and educating children in a substandard building are two very different things. I doubt any reasonable person would consider Oaklawn to be a historic building.
T.P. got hisself treated to not only boiled peanuts, but fried green tomatuhs. But he nevuh lost the Brooklyn accent while we were down there.
Anyway, Savannah and historic preservation tourism - It seems to me that many jobs were created by the numerous restaurants, shops, inns, and tour operations, not to mention the renovation and landscaping process. These jobs would not be there were it not for the tourism created. Service industry jobs are still jobs. Some people enjoy them for the flexibility and the nature of dealing with tourists and showing off the city. If those jobs aren't considered decent only because they aren't paid well, maybe people should think about that the next time they tip a restaurant server. I have worked in the service and hospitality industry as well as corporate world. Each have their benefits.
But what I find sad is that a city such as Oshkosh, where I have seen photographs from an earlier part of the century even up through the 70's had a thriving tourism culture.
With the exception of a half dozen or so incredibly well-preserved buildings: The Grand Opera House, an old fire house, some churches, campus buildings to name a few, it amazes me to walk around Oshkosh and see beautiful old buildings empty, falling to ruin, and businesses that ARE thriving being threatend with eviction for technical policies. I can't even begin to imagine why the sundial fountain is only a few iches full of water and a few small thin streams of water seep out of it at the moment - but it appears to be a metaphor for Oshkosh on the water: weeping.
It seems that Savannah's SCAD was a savior for them to come in with an aesthetic eye for DESIGN and functionality. Who or what will be the savior for the 'Kosh, or will it continue to just sprawl along Hwy 41 and forget its beautiful rich history?
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