In Praise of Old Houses #1

I had a repairman at my place yesterday to look at my ailing dishwasher; the thing had completely shut down and was gushing water through the door seal. It seemed hard to believe that a three-year-old device could be failing already. The repairman’s analysis was that it was cheaper to replace the machine than to repair it, and “cheap” became the operative word of the morning. “Durable goods” like kitchen appliances are now so poorly made that the expectation is that they are essentially throwaway items that have a very short life span and will need to be replaced every few years. “Yeah, the older machines were better” the repairman said. “Even ten years ago the stuff was better, and machines older than that still give me something to work with. The materials were better, the guts were simpler, and they were made to run for decades rather than a few years”.  And what does all this remind me of? Yep. Houses.

I’ve worked on houses from the first period of American architecture through ones that are being built as I write this. It goes without saying for me that anything I touch is designed and built to last far beyond the lifespan of the current owners, but given the materials available now and their cost, the stuff that goes up today by even the best of us does not match the solidity and integrity of houses built before the second world war.  Arguably the houses where technology and quality of materials reached their zenith was in the early years of the 20th century. Up through the 1930’s production methods and the availability of quality building products helped produce some incredibly well built houses. And let’s not forget the level of expertise of those designing and building these houses. The building trades and the architectural community were the beneficiaries of generations of skill and training, and sincere pride in their craft. Tradesmen were respected members of their community and brought a level of professionalism to their work that many of today’s carpenters could only marvel at.  Architects had an understanding of the history of design and what it took to make beautiful and functional buildings that were sources of pride for communities and individual owners alike.

Now this is not to say that there aren’t architects and builders today who don’t do good work, or who don’t care as deeply for what they do, or that every building built before 1940 was a gem. There have always been exceptions. But as I drive around my home in Charlottesville, VA, and anywhere beyond, I’m confronted by scores of the most careless, awful looking, and poorly built newer houses and buildings that I’ve ever seen. “Architecture” seems to be largely abandoned as a concept, and the quality of construction is aimed at the lowest level of acceptability possible to satisfy basic building codes and zoning.  Positive additions to the landscape? I think not. Cheap? You bet. Durable? Hah! Sources of pride? Don’t get me started (though I already have).

I find the only houses that make me stop and smile are the old ones, and the very occasional newer one where architecture and construction have danced sublimely. And it’s not just traditional “new” design that does it for me; because the understanding it takes to work in these styles has disappeared save for the few who take the time to really study it and use it as an artistic means of expression. There are certainly modern buildings that are beautiful and well considered, and many, many more that aren’t.

So what’s at fault here? Where is the pride, the care, and the value placed on beautiful structures? Why do so many of our buildings just satisfy the absolute minimum standards of design and construction? Does it all come down to cheap? Is it our portable society that doesn’t stay in one place long enough to bother to care about the buildings they leave behind? Have standards slipped so far and so fast that beautiful, functional spaces are assumed to be beyond the reach of all but the wealthy? Is it that we don’t believe we deserve to live, work, and conduct our affairs in buildings that lift our spirits and inspire us? I can certainly opine, but I put out these questions to start a dialog. There are those of us out there in the design and building trades who still believe that all is not lost, and who cling to the “old fashioned” standards so succinctly described by John Ruskin who said:

“When we build, let us think we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone. Let it be such work that our descendants will thank us for, and let us think, as we lay stone upon stone, that a time is to come when these stones will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say, as they look upon the labor and wrought substance of them, “See! This our fathers did for us”.

With so many new houses and buildings having no more real value placed on them then my now dead three-year-old dishwasher, I feel even more responsibility to try to make a difference, and there are others like me (music swelling in the background) who feel the same way. We’re out there, and every day we get up and strive to do our work with the same level of commitment, passion, and expertise as those who set the bar so high in the past. And that’s why I look back to better be able to look forward. Inspired and inspiring design and high quality construction do not need to be beyond those of reasonable means. Our homes should have lasting value, and quality in my mind equates not only with beauty but with longevity as well. Disposable is okay for a paper cup, but for our houses? We deserve so much better.