Why Old Places Matter: How Historic Places Affect Our Identity and Well-Being [Hardcover]

Thompson Mayes presents the case for being loyal to places we love. Actually, he makes the case for falling in love and remaining true through a series of thoughtful and stimulating essays. Rome is Mayes muse. One of the worlds oldest and most significant cities, Rome provides the inspiration for his clarion call for preservation. The interdisciplinary community of the American Academy in Rome, where Mayes was a Fellow, enriches his deep grounding in the historic preservation institutions built heritage of the United States. Mayes essays are lively and full of insight and hope. Why Old Places Matter is essential reading for anyone engaged in the design or planning of the built environment.Mayes has framed the context of historic preservation for the next generation.? Whether youre a student, an activist, a professional in the field, or just care about your community, there is no better way to understand the why of historic preservation than by reading this superb book.[Mayes] has summarized his years of work  and six months in Rome  devoted to answering that most basic question about the importance of places commonly perceived as old. The book is a great read for built environment professionals, elected officials, and others who work with urban issues. . . . He tells stories of continuity of building use, and changed attitudes about Confederate statues, including those in his own hometown. On a practical level, Mayes equates old places with todays fascination with DNA tests, and ancestry websites . . . what I like best is the authors voice as a fireside storyteller, providing accessibility to otherwise heady concepts.This book explores the reasons that old places matter to people such as the feelings of belonging, continuity, stability, identity and memory, as well as the more traditional reasons, such as history, national identity, and architecture. This book brings these ideas together in evocative language and with illustrative images.Why Old Placesl£S