Historic Preservation
The downtown area of Asheville, North Carolina was, like many other cities across the United States, in need of renovation by the spring of 1980. The urban center of the city, once the energetic focus of retail activity, had become an accumulation of empty buildings, discount stores, seedy watering holes and boarded up storefronts. The Asheville City Council and the Downtown Revitalization Commission were desperate to turn things around quickly, making the heart of the city a destination for locals and tourists alike.
In 1980, Asheville's city leaders’ quick-fix plan aligned them with a Philadelphia-based developer, Strouse, Greenberg & Company, and a proposed 700,000 square foot mall, office tower and hotel complex to be built in downtown Asheville. The venture would tear down 11 city blocks containing 85 buildings, and despite the Asheville Revitalization Commission’s 1978 plan calling for historical preservation, local leaders were content to move forward.
In 1980, Asheville's city leaders’ quick-fix plan aligned them with a Philadelphia-based developer, Strouse, Greenberg & Company, and a proposed 700,000 square foot mall, office tower and hotel complex to be built in downtown Asheville. The venture would tear down 11 city blocks containing 85 buildings, and despite the Asheville Revitalization Commission’s 1978 plan calling for historical preservation, local leaders were content to move forward.
Superficially, the endeavor seemed appropriate for a dilapidated city, offering a much-needed face-lift, jobs, and increased tax revenue. The project however, would come with a large financial burden to a city that had only recently paid off its debts from the 1930s. While the proposed mall offered the possibility of increased revenue, the city of Asheville would need to raise $35 million for their portion of the project.This amount had the potential to bankrupt an already cash-strapped city, costing taxpayers millions more to repay the additional debt. Opposed to the plan were a handful of individuals organized as Save Downtown Asheville, Inc. This grassroots organization fought City Hall for nearly two years and won, saving their establishments and safeguarding Downtown Asheville’s historic architecture.
Soon after the proposed new complex was squashed, the Asheville Revitalization Commission’s 1978 plan was reborn and implemented. The groundswell of interest in preservation and the success of downtown revitalization efforts in the late 1980s and early 1990s supported a new trend in acquiring and renovating old buildings, especially those available for historic preservation tax credits. Asheville has since become one of the leading cities in the number of federal and state historic preservation tax credit projects in North Carolina. Additionally, the promotion of heritage tourism has had tremendous success in drawing visitors to Asheville and Buncombe County and preserving historic buildings throughout the area.
Soon after the proposed new complex was squashed, the Asheville Revitalization Commission’s 1978 plan was reborn and implemented. The groundswell of interest in preservation and the success of downtown revitalization efforts in the late 1980s and early 1990s supported a new trend in acquiring and renovating old buildings, especially those available for historic preservation tax credits. Asheville has since become one of the leading cities in the number of federal and state historic preservation tax credit projects in North Carolina. Additionally, the promotion of heritage tourism has had tremendous success in drawing visitors to Asheville and Buncombe County and preserving historic buildings throughout the area.