“The Preservation Movement Then and Now” Exhibition

The West End Museum, in partnership with Historic New England, will present

The Preservation Movement Then and Now (February 21- May 12, 2012). The exhibit outlines the story of the preservation movement in New England from its inception in 1863 through the present day.

Independence Hall and Mount Vernon are architectural symbols of our nation’s history; threats to these and other historic buildings were the catalyst for the preservation movement. In Boston, the battle to prevent the demolition of the John Hancock House in 1863, though unsuccessful, spurred the local preservation movement. It became a battle cry for many subsequent preservation efforts — people said, ‘Remember the Hancock House’.

The exhibition also explores how the movement changed from saving historic sites to downtown revitalization, environmental conservation, land and shoreline preservation, and saving not a single building, but whole neighborhoods.

The Preservation Movement Then and Now highlights other areas in New England preservation as well. There is a section on one of the first preservationists, William Sumner Appleton, founder of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (now Historic New England) describing how Appleton realized that many early buildings throughout New England were disappearing and was concerned that little would remain.