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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05262017 Historic Preservation Laydown - John French Economic Benefits to Heritage Tourism John S. French, PhD May 26, 2017 The Alaska Historic Preservation Act describes Historic Preservation as including not only the preservation of sites, structures, buildings, and sites of the past, but also acquisition and preservation of the record of the past, and enhancing knowledge of the past through research, interpretation and education. A number of state and local studies around the nation have concluded that historic preservation activities have positive economic benefits to communities in the following ways: • Jobs & Income • Heritage Tourism • Downtown Revitalization • Property Values • Environmental Responsibility • Fiscal Responsibility The first two have obvious applications to the Seward business community. The remaining four are usually more applicable to larger communities, or those with a single period theme (e.g. Skagway). Many of these aspects bring in new jobs, many of which command wages higher than basic construction jobs. The National Trust for Historic Preservation defines "cultural heritage tourism" as traveling to experience the places, artifacts and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present. Several decades ago this would usually have meant building tours, reenactments, and the like. Today, context and connection are increasingly important. This is true whether it is interpreting natural history, resources in a park or museum, or cultural resources in a historic community. You seldom see a brown bear alone in a cage, or displayed out of context. Many visitors to Seward know there was a big earthquake in the area, but surprisingly few realize the waterfront parks they camp in were once a bustling industrial waterfront. The same is true of the "waterfall" where few visitors realize it is actually a diversion tunnel for Lowell Creek, nor its importance in diverting major floods from downtown Seward. Successful heritage tourism has many of the same characteristics as good interpretive guiding of natural resources. • The experience should have a unifying theme, or focus, which will help capture the visitor's attention. • The experience is strengthened when it is related to the interests of the audience. • The experience should be participatory; it should engage as many of the visitor's senses as possible. • Different age groups assimilate new information differently. Seward draws many casual heritage tourists. These are not here to attend major historical events or reenactments. Surveys in Utah have shown that many visitors whose primarily interest may be visiting National Parks and their natural heritage are also cultural heritage of the areas they visit. Several surveys have shown that the preponderance of cultural heritage visitors have similar demographic characteristics. The 2013 PlaceEconomics reported the following characteristics in their study for the Utah Heritage Foundation: Profits through Preservation: The Economic Impact of Historic Preservation in Utah. • Spend more • Better educated • Older • Well-traveled • Stay longer • Visit more places • More likely to come from out of state Seward is not a perfect fit to any of the currently available national studies. Although Seward is historic by Alaska standards, it packs all of its history into a single century. The standard "50 years or older" criterion seems less appropriate for a community where so much change has been driven factors other than architectural design. The fact that all of Seward is smaller than some individual National Historic Districts some larger cities elsewhere further complicates the application of national standards and survey results. It may be more effective for Seward to focus on themes promoting Heritage Tourism which provide continuity of purpose rather than period. For example west side of the Historic Downtown Business District includes several examples of structures from Seward's early days, while the east side is more characteristic the rebuilding following the fires in the 1940's. Another example is using the murals as windows into Seward's past. Although the murals themselves are recent, many depict historic events or activities of the past. Seward has a long term connection to the sea. Heritage Tourism themes related to either fisheries or marine sciences by necessity would provide a connection between past activities and current endeavors. History is a continuum from past to present. National Historic Preservation criteria and incentives have been slow to integrate historic preservation into this continuum. In some ways the national guidelines are still focused on preserving the lion and tiger cages in the zoos of the past without much focus on the context the lions and tigers live in. This is probably justified considering how fast many communities are losing historic structures to demolition or benign neglect. Still the guidelines do not provide Seward much useful guidance. We need to use some imagination in adapting the findings from many studies and surveys to the Seward community and its needs. ? a F HERITAGE ' TOURISM _ • Heritage tourists in Florida in 2007 spent an estimated$4.13 billion,and 46.7%of all U.S.visitors to Florida reported visiting a historical site during their stay. —Contributions of Historic Preservation to the Quality of Life of Florida's(2010) • How heritage visitors to Washington State spend their money: Lodging $163.8 million Eating/Orinking ..$170.1 million Retail $138.6 million Transportation $81.9 million Recreation and entertainment $25.2 million Other $50.4 million TOTAL $629.9 MILLION —The Economic Benefits of Historic Preservation In Washington State(2007) • Georgia heritage tourism supports 117,000 jobs and$203,850,000 in salaries and wages. —Good News in Tough Times:Historic Preservation and the Georgia Economy(2011) • International heritage visitors stay longer, visit more places, and spend more per day than other tourists.2.6 million more international tourists visited a historic place than went to an amusement park. 4.1 million more international tourists visited a historic place than went to the beach. Four times as many international tourists visited a historic place than went to a casino. For every international visitor who played golf,14 visited a historic place. —Profile of Overseas Travelers to the United States(2010) —Heritage Tourism Guidebook(2007) • The total direct, indirect and induced effects of 2008 visitor spending in five of Pennsylvania's Heritage Areas was$416.9 million in sales,which supported 6,030 jobs. The total payroll from these jobs was $156.4 million. The total value added from visitor spending in lierita:=Areas was$247.2 million. —Economic Impact of Pennsylvania's Heritage Areas:A Study in Success(2008) • Spending by visitors to twenty surveyed Civil War battlefields generated a total of $21 million in state taxes and another $11.7 million in local government revenues. This amounts to approximately $5.22 per visitor at the state level and another$2.92 to pay for local services. —Blue,Gray,and Green:ABattlefield Benefits Guide for Community Leaders(2006) from "Measuring the Economics of Preservation Recent Findings", prepared for the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation by PlaceEconomics, June, 2011, page 5. Possible Thematic Foci for Heritage Tourism in Seward Ideally a heritage tourism campaign for a community the size of Seward should be limited to about five themes. The ideas listed below are suggestions. They are overlapping possibilities which may be a starting point for developing a campaign for Seward. 1. Seward, the Gateway City For the first half of its existence, Seward served as the major "gateway" for both people and cargo entering Southcentral Alaska. Many future Alaska residents disembarked from steam ships on the city passenger dock, and either boarded the train or continued past the original Arcade Building and proceeded up Fourth Avenue. Although the dock and the Arcade Building are gone, the Train Depot, Hoben Park, and the historic business district largely remain. 2. Transportation Hub Seward has long been a transportation and logistics hub. Steam ships would come into Seward's ice-free port and disgorge freight bound for Alaska's gold fields via seasonal trails including the historic Iditarod Trail. Once the railroad was complete it took over a major role. During World War II many materials to build Elmendorf Field, Ladd Field, and the Alaska Highway crossed Seward's docks. 3. Historic Downtown Business District: Then and Now The downtown business district is a core part of several themes. This one is the least costly but requires the most creative thinking to make it attract visitors. This theme would track the original business district through the fires and rebuilding in the 1940's to the more modern but unsympathetic glass/steel and concrete structures. It would convey the reasons for these changes in architecture. 4. Seward's Industrial Past This theme focuses on Seward's old waterfront industries. It has the least concrete physical evidence to rely on. It would rely on interpretive materials in and around Seward's waterfront parks. Modern electronic technology facilitates development of multimedia apps to help visitors to envision Seward's earlier industrial waterfront. 5. Seward's Murals— Windows to the Past Seward's murals are important beautification projects which also provide windows to the past. The historic aspects of a mural tour could be enhanced by some combination of print and electronic app interpretive materials. 6. Fishing Resurrection Bay: Blending Commercial, Charter and Recreational Fisheries. Commercial fisheries have long been an important contributor to Seward's economy. More recently some of the commercial fishing activities have been displaced by charter and personal recreational fishing. Fishing derbies have become important visitor activities. The Silver Salmon Derby itself is a historic aspect of the community. 7. Studying the Ocean Environment "Windows to the Sea"(registered trademark, ASLC) The ocean has been a defining characteristic of Seward and Resurrection Bay since first viewed by humans. Seward is where it is because it provides an ice-free gateway to Alaska. Rockwell Kent painted this rugged coast. When waterfront property became available following the 1964 earthquake and tsunami, the University of Alaska started the research station which has become the Seward Marine Center. Research vessels Acona, Alpha Helix and Sikuliaq have followed. After the Exxon Valdez oil spill facilities have expanded to include the Alaska SeaLife Center.