I am writing in response to your crass email denying me the opportunity to use the churchâs Gift Shop as the building I use for my Historic Structure Report and set of measured drawings. I was upset to hear that youâre not at all interested in anyone uncovering the history of this building considering the Catholic Churchâs obsession with its own history. But more on that later.
You opened your letter with surprise, in disbelief that the house the gift shop is in is even old, considering its vinyl siding. Well newsflash Father, you can indeed put vinyl siding on a old building, regardless of how tacky it is. And when it comes to tacky, this house takes the cake.
You wrote to me that âwe are not interested in ever having the building being placed on any historic preservation lists.â Interesting you used the word âweâ to represent the whole church in this sentence considering that, as a parishioner, I am part of that we. Nice to hear you speak on behalf of the entire church when you probably have no idea what anyone else who isnât you thinks about this. You then went on to echo a common misconception about historic preservation, and that is if your building is on a historic register, you wonât be able to make any changes to the building, or repair things. Not true Father. Your repairs or replacements usually just have to be historically appropriate depending on local preservation laws. And guess what, preservationists can help you out by telling you what that would mean for your house, church, etc. I would like to point out the irony that you view historic preservation as being resistant to change when that is the EXACT same thing people say about the Catholic Church. It doesnât feel nice to be stereotyped does it Father?
I originally became interested in this property, because, shocker, I am Catholic. And even more shocking, I have some affinity for the Catholic Church. So when I saw, on historic maps, that this building was completed around the same time as the church, located just west of it at the turn of the 20th century, I became curious. Has this building always been owned by the church? If not, when did the church buy it? What has it been used for? These were questions I sought to answer, do my assignments, and turn around and offer this information for the church to keep. If you had even paid attention to my email you would have known I had no intention of placing this building on any âhistoric register.â One, because I donât have time for that, and two, I donât care that much.
History has honestly always been one of the best parts of the Catholic Church, and certainly something that has always inspired me. Catholics love to rant about how old the Church as an institution is. We love to tell you when the first mass was celebrated, how long ago the saints live, etc., etc. Weâre pretty annoying. And yet, you, Father, are not even interested in the history of a building in Church possession. A building that, whether you like it or not, is part of this parishâs history now, and by extension the history of the Catholic Church.
I know that this wonât be the last time in my career that I encounter someone resistant to historic preservation. Iâm not stupid. The Church is just the last place I expected resistence to come from. The reality is though, I canât make you care about preservation. I can show its merits, its goals, its strengths, all the things that make me believe in it. But I canât make you believe in it. Just like you canât make people believe in God, you can only try to show them âThe Way.â
But you know what, I donât want to write about your Gift Shop anyway. I donât like itâs vinyl siding, I donât like how the windows on the east facade are two different sizes, I donât like how the porch is bad shape, I donât like how the door that leads into the shop replaced a window completely ruining the previous symmetry of the first floor. I donât like the 5,000 tacky signs youâve put all over the place begging people to come in. And I donât like its vinyl siding. And I donât like your attitude.
It may seem odd that this experience upset me so much. But I have two and a half months left to do this project and I donât have a second to spare for bullshit like this.
And I wonât apologize for letting things like this affect me. After all, I wouldnât be in the business of preservation if I wasnât deeply affected by the world around me. If the sight of certain buildings didnât bring me to tears. Youâve already forgotten that I wrote you about this. But I wonât forget this. Iâm not good at forgetting. Your error in judgement has reminded me that there are a lot of shitty people in this world, so maybe I should be thanking you (but I wonât).
So you can go on living in ignorance. And Iâll go on and find somewhere else to do my project on. And I wonât ask for my alms back (although I thought about it).
