Post by demetra on Mar 29, 2015 9:37:40 GMT -5
It is important for the family to know that a work of art changes the social dynamic of a place.
Selfishly I would have loved to have had an opportunity to see Glenridge Hall intact. I was very disappointed Thursday morning to learn that all the contents had already gone to auction.
The further you get from the person who had the means to build such an estate the more likely it is that it is that the means aren't sufficient in subsequent generations to maintain it. In this case it looks like the generation that inherited the property in the 1980s hoped for it to be able to be protected and shared with the public, hence the listing on the National Register. The current owners don't have the means. We are coming out of a recession that was actually far worse than the Great Depression. So I can see how it all happened. And they were kind enough to let it become The Salvatore Boarding House in our minds and hearts seven years ago. Unfortunately the "free" market collapsed exactly as Season One was airing.
However, I think it is important to let them know that as we learn about it now that what they thought was a private sale has a social dimension and public impact. We were not told even though, somewhat gallingly, it is now clear by the story line last year that Damon was forced out of his home -- just like Elena burned down her home -- because the real world doesn't stand still for a seven-year epic tale. I'm sure the production of The Vampire Diaries didn't want to compromise the outcome of a sale opportunity for the owners. But silence pretty much guarantees demolition.
In the case of Glenridge Hall, it is upsetting to hear local preservationists say that the demolition is the most unnecessary they have ever seen because of the significant efforts taken in the 1980s to maintain it. So unlike many other preservation efforts where the demolition permit is issued because a person could be hurt by the condition of the building, in this case: there's no damned reason to tear it down.
I do encourage you to sign the petition and let everyone know -- the owners, the developers, the purchaser, the mayor and the governor, and TVD -- that we are not just millions of money bags to be milked for everyone's financial gain. We have minds and hearts that go along with the investment of our time -- and our hearts can be broken.
Also they didn't try everything to save it. Because they didn't bring us into the circle of knowledge a year or more ago. We could have made a significant difference if preservation was their real intention. But it was not. Paul Wesley just raised $60,000 for the Humane Society -- a worthy effort -- with a Tshirt. Ian Somerhalder is saving the environment productively engaging his legions of fans. You don't really know what resources are out there in the audience of a fantasy-based show. If we'd tried EVERYTHING and it wasn't enough, well, at least everything would have been tried.
Now a beautiful old building in immaculate condition is going to be razed to the ground. And the complicated era it represents in Atlanta social and political history, in Georgia's history, in US history, well, there it goes, too. It is not a relic of the Civil War. Nonetheless, it was built during a time when the south was segregated. It is a site with a loaded and complex social history. Could have been pretty interesting story-telling for some decades to come.
Selfishly I would have loved to have had an opportunity to see Glenridge Hall intact. I was very disappointed Thursday morning to learn that all the contents had already gone to auction.
The further you get from the person who had the means to build such an estate the more likely it is that it is that the means aren't sufficient in subsequent generations to maintain it. In this case it looks like the generation that inherited the property in the 1980s hoped for it to be able to be protected and shared with the public, hence the listing on the National Register. The current owners don't have the means. We are coming out of a recession that was actually far worse than the Great Depression. So I can see how it all happened. And they were kind enough to let it become The Salvatore Boarding House in our minds and hearts seven years ago. Unfortunately the "free" market collapsed exactly as Season One was airing.
However, I think it is important to let them know that as we learn about it now that what they thought was a private sale has a social dimension and public impact. We were not told even though, somewhat gallingly, it is now clear by the story line last year that Damon was forced out of his home -- just like Elena burned down her home -- because the real world doesn't stand still for a seven-year epic tale. I'm sure the production of The Vampire Diaries didn't want to compromise the outcome of a sale opportunity for the owners. But silence pretty much guarantees demolition.
In the case of Glenridge Hall, it is upsetting to hear local preservationists say that the demolition is the most unnecessary they have ever seen because of the significant efforts taken in the 1980s to maintain it. So unlike many other preservation efforts where the demolition permit is issued because a person could be hurt by the condition of the building, in this case: there's no damned reason to tear it down.
I do encourage you to sign the petition and let everyone know -- the owners, the developers, the purchaser, the mayor and the governor, and TVD -- that we are not just millions of money bags to be milked for everyone's financial gain. We have minds and hearts that go along with the investment of our time -- and our hearts can be broken.
Also they didn't try everything to save it. Because they didn't bring us into the circle of knowledge a year or more ago. We could have made a significant difference if preservation was their real intention. But it was not. Paul Wesley just raised $60,000 for the Humane Society -- a worthy effort -- with a Tshirt. Ian Somerhalder is saving the environment productively engaging his legions of fans. You don't really know what resources are out there in the audience of a fantasy-based show. If we'd tried EVERYTHING and it wasn't enough, well, at least everything would have been tried.
Now a beautiful old building in immaculate condition is going to be razed to the ground. And the complicated era it represents in Atlanta social and political history, in Georgia's history, in US history, well, there it goes, too. It is not a relic of the Civil War. Nonetheless, it was built during a time when the south was segregated. It is a site with a loaded and complex social history. Could have been pretty interesting story-telling for some decades to come.