tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520907669288432855.post4581636820965637264..comments2024-02-01T17:07:07.104-08:00Comments on Butte History and "Lost Butte": The Mantle & Bielenberg Block – 3. Creamery Café Richard Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03330538991049552829noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520907669288432855.post-8245692166144458812012-12-07T10:39:31.276-08:002012-12-07T10:39:31.276-08:00Here is what I have expressed to the HPC:
Like ma...Here is what I have expressed to the HPC:<br /><br />Like many of you I have wrestled with the problems and implications of ghost sign conservation and restoration. I wish to offer my opinion as a short bullet list of thoughts.<br /><br />1. Wholesale repainting, whether by skilled artists or otherwise, is not conservation and in my opinion destroys the historic nature of these treasures. “Tom Morgan for mayor” should be avoided and forbidden; Butte deserves the best.<br />2. There are other alternatives for conservation, maintaining the state of arrested decay, which is what creates the appeal of these signs. Look to Fort Collins for an example. Yes, they are costly, but Butte deserves the best. Sign professionals have indicated that modern materials will last 10-15 years, not the many decades that old signs survive, so in the long run, such conservation may actually be cheaper than new repainting.<br />3. New murals, for the sake of murals can be beautiful art, educational, and tourist attractions. Those in Whitehall are good examples. Such creations almost anywhere in Butte would, in my opinion, be extraneous detractions from the authentic history that we already have everywhere by the dozen. If we didn’t already know it, the recent analysis by Heritage Strategies makes it clear: heritage tourism is driven by authenticity. Butte’s existing ghost signs are already important tourist attractions, if they are not destroyed by modernization.<br />4. I would support the concept of present-day businesses creating their own new wall signs on their own buildings, not interfering with existing historic signage. That would carry on a viable tradition of advertising and place-marking.<br />5. It is important that you realize that there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, and that there is deep interest and divided opinion in the community. What I primarily request of you is that you honor Butte’s heritage and history, and that you accept the premise that Butte’s treasures deserve the best from all of us. Please do not decide rashly or quickly, because once they are repainted, their historic nature is gone. <br /><br />12/4/2012 <br />Richard Gibsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03330538991049552829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520907669288432855.post-44427484582162507722012-12-07T10:34:33.285-08:002012-12-07T10:34:33.285-08:00Dick, I take it you are not in favor of repainting...Dick, I take it you are not in favor of repainting the murals? That was my initial reaction as well--especially if there is a proven means to restore them in their faded glory.EcoRoverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07294159049375690786noreply@blogger.com