Save the facades
By: J. David Chapman/April 28, 2022
I love old buildings. I love the history of the buildings. I love the facades, the awnings, roof lines, and the history of the businesses and families that made a living supporting their neighbors and community with products and services. We did some terrible things to many of these buildings in the late 1960s and 70’s. We demolished some and covered the aging facades of others with metal and wood.
The good news is many of these old buildings now have new ownership that understands the importance of these buildings and immediately removed the wood and metal siding to uncover the original facade. This takes guts – you never know what you are going to find behind the siding. In many cases, the siding was intended to modernize the exterior of these buildings but, in others, it was to cover facades that were beyond repair. I enjoy watching the look on the face of a building owner discovering why their facade was covered as they remove the siding.
There is more to a facade than meets the eye. It is part of what we call the building’s envelope. It defines the unique architecture aesthetics of the building; however, there is more to consider. Architects must develop the unique design features on the facade geared toward improvement of the building envelope performance. Two key functions are a weather barrier against environmental factors for air/water infiltration and light transmittance to the interior space. The front facade of the building is an important focal point not only for curb appeal but for the entire community. The rhythm of the entire streetscape is set by the street-facing facade. A well-preserved facade helps to maintain the historic fabric and cultural landscape of the building and the area around it, further contributing to the identity of its environment and community.
Original, period-appropriate facades are more than decorative and can provide visual clues to the time period of the building, enabling us to visually “read” some aspects of a building’s history. These facades may also include functional aspects. Form and function often go hand and hand defining the charm that people associate with these buildings that are missing from today’s modern buildings. Next time you are in a historical downtown area, please pay special attention to the contribution of the unique original building facades.
J. David Chapman is professor of finance and real estate at the University of Central Oklahoma (jchapman7@uco.edu)