There is always the option to heart bomb (or lovescape) a building. Here are a couple blogs from the Trust on the 2017 efforts (
one and
two). In 2017, a number of young preservationists groups worked to coordinate our heart bombing efforts on one specific day to have a heightened social media impact.
The Columbus Landmarks Foundation has been hosting drawing nights, so that people can draw their vision for the future of a structure. In addition to drawing nights they have partnered with the local arts high school, and teenagers are submitting ideas into the competition. All of the drawings are then showcased for an evening event and there are winners for their ideas. After one of these drawing events this year a building owner reached out to me to see how he could get copies of the building ideas (he knew I was part of the Young Ohio Preservationists, and we partnered on one of the drawing events with Columbus Landmarks).
For the first time this year Columbus Landmarks Foundation had a guided bus tour of the endangered sites. This is both a good and bad idea (in my opinion). Good, because YAY getting people out there to see the buildings in person and having a tour guide educate them further. Bad, because many of the endangered buildings are in neglected areas and this can be perceived as "slum tourism," which I believe can exacerbate the perception that the preservationist is an outsider trying to impose their ideas/vision.
They also made a new website to highlight the endangered buildings this year. For each building they created a unique video history. I encourage you check it out. mostendangeredcbus.org
The Buffalo Young Preservationists have hosted memorial tours for buildings lost, and the Young Ohio Preservationists are considering doing this fall of 2018 as an alternative to a Halloween tour. BYP made grave markers and had photos of the buildings that have been torn down.
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions or would like to be connected to coordinators of the specific activities for further insight into the planning process.
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Sarah Marsom
Historic Preservationist
Tiny Jane Project
Columbus, OH
336-324-0648
sarah.marsom@gmail.com------------------------------
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