TO THE EDITOR:

Change can be a very good thing, but certain kinds of change can be damaging, especially for a place like Washington.

One of the most important things we have to offer the world is our history. I say that to preface my concerns for the article I read before Christmas about the new “renovations” at the Fitzpatrick Hotel. The Todds, who bought the hotel and completed the first restoration, did a fantastic job. They followed National Trust for Historic Preservation guidelines, and in doing so, created a place that transported visitors into a different century.

I went to school in Savannah at SCAD for Historic Preservation, and during my time there, I never found a hotel that had exhibited the historical accuracy found at the Fitzpatrick. Washington is a spectacular place, and I’m proud to say that I’m from an area where history has been so well preserved, but in the past few years I’ve noticed a shift in our priorities from preservation to aesthetics.

My main concern is that people are trying to make Washington something it’s not. We have already lost historic significance with renovations (by the way, renovation is not a treatment recommended by the National Trust) downtown. The Blackmons’ Store front was destroyed when the Carrere glass sign came down. That sign represented an important era in history when downtown was the heart of a community, and so much of that building’s significance went down with the sign. I would hate to see the same thing happen to the hotel.

Sometimes, a building can be lost without actually being demolished. I sincerely hope the new owners do their research with the National Trust and other historic preservation organizations to make appropriate changes that will enhance not destroy. I know that the Preservation Briefs have always been of great help to me when researching treatment options.

We all have to remember that what we do now will forever change our town. Years ago, people thought nothing of destroying the W.T. Johnson building, but now we realize what we’ve lost, and unfortunately the damage is irrevocable.

If these places downtown are altered beyond repair then we have lost what’s most important about Washington, its history. We have to start thinking of preservation as a service to future generations and not as a quick fix to serve our present desires.

JENNY LINDSEY