Any volunteer group trying to re-create and rebuild the past faces many of the same issues that the groups do at Como. Preservation is not always about just re-creating the past, using the materials and techniques involved 50 or 100 years ago. Everything is a trade off and almost everyone in groups like this has different goals and ideas. I understand RedCarGo and his frustration with designing a proper building, and then seeing a single person override all of his work and throw it away. As he says though, the important thing is that a consensus is reached among the group before going forward with a project, and everyone has a say and can be heard before a project is started. At the same time that does guarantee that not ever member of the organization will be happy with the results. Along with all of that the business aspects of what is being planned and done need to be considered before and during any project.
Years ago, I had a discussion with Bob Richardson, and later in the day, the same subject came up with a number of the volunteers at CRRM. Bob was a great believer in historic fabric and historic methods. Old paints, varnish and linseed oil. The younger volunteers wanted to see modern paints on the cars and such. Why, because economically the modern paints meant that the same project did not need to be repeated over and over on the same cars as the years went on, but the cars could be painted once, and they would last through what would have been a cycle of multiple renewals thus saving both time and money, and allowing other projects to move forward. I suspect that when Bob retired, things changed, but before that, he was the boss.
One of my favorite places to visit and stay is the Lodge at Cloudcroft, which was built as a summer resort, not a winter destination. The first time that we stayed there in the winter, you could not keep the rooms warm because there was no insulation in the walls. The owners have been gradually rebuilding the lodge, insulating the walls and putting it in good condition to last another 100 years. They found out that there was no current material available that would duplicate the look of the original woodwork in the rooms, so they put up a sawmill and finishing shop to make their own woodwork. At the same time they installed new double pane windows with modern frames (painted to look like original) and used modern stains and finishes to cut down on future repairs and maintenance. I have seen and stayed in original rooms from the construction, and the newly remodelled rooms, and aside from the more modern conveniences installed (like heated floors in the bathrooms which is nice when it is below 0 outside) the remodelled rooms look 95% like the originals. They are doing it right, but 90% of the people who stay there now, and 100% of those that stay there 20 years from now, will never know the difference.
It is important to remember what "original fabric" is anyway. No building ever, especially industrial buildings, or businesses was not rebuilt or remodelled at least once in its career so the challenge of preservationists is how to balance what is existing today, with the needs of saving the artifact or building for tomorrow. Not everyone will be happy with the choices that have to be made, and some people will leave because they did not get what they want, It happens. The important thing is that the decsions made are made with the best inputs and intentions possible, and made by the consensus of those involved.
