Winnsboro has a treasure trove of historic buildings. Some of these are being used and some are being abused. Some are lost because the value cannot be seen.
It is too easy to tear down and be out of sight/out of mind. But beware of “throwing the baby out with the bath water!”
Our town will lose its character, the draw of tourists, the lure of history if we take the easy way out.
From The State newspaper on 5/12/14: Rosie Craig sees old buildings as story keepers. The 100-year-old Dupre Building at 807 Gervais St. in Columbia is a building that Craig lovingly rehabbed 16 years ago. Now a real estate firm and several tenants have moved into the historic building with its original heart-pine floors, exposed beams and bricks, and metal-coffered ceilings and will add to the value of the area. Saving buildings like the Dupre – built in 1919 as a Ford dealership – is vital to the community, especially as it redevelops, said Craig.
“Historic buildings anchor the power of place,” she said. “Humans gain comfort from seeing the same things in the same places, over and over again. It’s why people want to go to San Francisco and New York and Charleston because there’s such strong character in each city. Working with the existing buildings will be vital to keep (any town) from becoming a homogenous Anytown USA”.
Brenda Miller
Winnsboro
